Tropbeau Headlines French One Thousand Guineas

The market bills the group 1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) as a duel between Tropbeau and Simeen, each representing one of France's mighty powerhouse yards. 

André Fabre sent Tropbeau to the Prix de la Grotte (G3) with stamina for a mile still to be proved and, while they only went "trial pace" she still had enough in the tank to repel Dream And Do, as well as stablemate Tickle Me Green. 

Moreover the move from ParisLongchamp's sweeping right-hand curve to the flat straight of Deauville plays into her experience at 2 having won the Shadwell Prix du Calvados (G2) over seven furlongs last summer, before winding up third in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) when dropped back in trip.  

All of which means that Tropbeau sets the standard, while Fabre will have left something to work on. 

"Tropbeau is a very easy and sound filly, easy to train and always a good mover," said Fabre. "She is a reliable filly. The fast ground should not be a problem, she has a lot of speed, but she likes to come from behind as is a lazy starter who can break a bit cold. Tickle Me Green is a beautiful filly with a lot of class and she's going to be close." 

The case for Simeen rests a little more on the visual impact she made when maintaining her unbeaten record in a Chantilly conditions race, as well as Jean-Claude Rouget's conviction that she is a high-class filly. 

Rouget has trained the winner of this race four times in the last 11 years and appears to have another fine crop of 3-year-old fillies in 2020.

"She has coped well each time she has gone up in class and this has been her sole objective," said Rouget. "It's a challenge which we're taking on and we will see if she is up to it or whether we need to lower our sights. She has worked once on the track and, though her three races have all been around a turn, that is the case with a lot of the runners. Because of the hurried preparation she is running back slightly quicker than is ideal." 

On what they have achieved to date, the discrepancy in price looks justified, but Simeen looks to have scope to make life really hard for the favorite, Tropbeau. 

While the history books are not all that kind to fillies beaten in the Grotte, mention must be made of Dream And Do, a winner at group level on a straight track at 2 and who was not given an unduly hard time in the trial, as well as Tickle Me Green, an imposing recruit from Germany. 

The other top-class form on show is that of Marieta, who was essentially outstayed by Albigna on very testing ground on Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) day and whose trainer, Mauricio Delcher Sanchez, can be trusted to have her well forward for her seasonal return. 

The Prix de la Grotte enjoyed a golden era between 2005 and 2012, with five fillies going on to double up in the Pouliches. However, Castle Lady (2019) is the only dual winner in the last seven runnings. Disqualified from first place in the 2006 Pouliches, Price Tag is the only horse this century to have passed the post first in the classic after being beaten in the Grotte.