Modern Games Bids for French Derby Glory

If you wanted to draw a picture-perfect contrast between tough British-trained colts who will be ridden positively and their French counterparts who will attempt to cut them down late, it might look a lot like the June 5 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (G1) at Chantilly.

William Buick made the most of an inside draw in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (G1) at ParisLongchamp aboard Modern Games  and was always on the heels of a frenetic pace before storming clear of his rivals.

His position at the head of the market is fully justified, but Buick will have one and potentially two hurdles to overcome here in the shape of a wide draw and the possible advent of thunderstorms.

Modern Games was able to turn a high cruising speed into a sustained burst of acceleration up the Longchamp straight when dispatching his foes in the Poulains three weeks ago.

Charlie Appleby immediately nominated a step up to the extended mile and a quarter for this race, but he must overcome one known disadvantage, stall 13 of 15, as well as the potential arrival of heavy rain.

"Modern Games heads back to France in great order," said Appleby. "He's the horse in the field with the Classic credentials behind him and we are looking forward to seeing him over this distance, which we feel is within his compass.

"We are slightly on weather watch with the rain, but hopefully they don't get too much. It would obviously be a negative if it became soft because he prefers a quicker surface, and it would start to bring stamina into play."

Make no mistake, the draw plays a huge role in this race with only four winners emerging from stall 11 or higher in the 17 runnings since the distance was cropped by a furlong and a half in 2005.

Onesto  for one will have to be an exceptional colt to score from stall 14, while rain would further compromise his chances.

El Bodegon  looked like a transformed horse when encountering a stiffer test of stamina and very soft ground in France last year and has the ideal draw in one should Ioritz Mendizabal choose to adopt similar front-running tactics as when beating Stone Age  in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1).

Trainer James Ferguson wants every drop of rain if El Bodegon is to banish the memory of his run down the field behind Desert Crown .

"We're giving him the benefit of the doubt after York and the forecast rain would certainly turn the going in his favor," said Ferguson. "It's a high-quality race and Modern Games will be hard to beat, but the colt is in good form and Ioritz Mendizabal knows him well."

What of the French closers? Al Hakeem  looked potentially out of the top drawer when dotting up in the Prix de Suresnes and, while stall 11 is hardly a help, Cristian Demuro is a jockey who prefers to take his time.

Christophe Soumillon may need to be more aggressive than previously on Vadeni  from stall two, while the Rouget-trained horse with the most unexposed potential could be Lassaut.

Tom Marquand will not want to be too far back on Ancient Rome  for Andre Fabre. The son of War Front   is many French experts' idea of a certainty to hit the frame, but he would be the first Jockey Club victor without a win to his name in the same calendar year since Blue Canari struck at 33-1 in 2004.