Betfred Oaks (G1) winner Soul Sister was a surprise inclusion among 18 fillies left in the June 18 Prix de Diane Longines (G1) after the first forfeit stage, although connections say she is "very unlikely" to take up the entry 16 days on from her Epsom triumph.
John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Running Lion is expected to take her chance in the €1 million Classic, while other British possibles are Oaks third Caernarfon and Novakai . Never Ending Story and Caroline Street—for Aidan and Joseph O'Brien respectively—also stood their ground.
Among the heavyweight French contenders, the one-two from the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1), Blue Rose Cen , and Lindy , remain on course, as does the Andre Fabre-trained Pensee Du Jour and Prix Saint-Alary (G1) winner Jannah Rose , who is unbeaten in three races and again showed a potent turn of foot to score in the Longchamp group 1 last month.
"What she has done already is out of the ordinary, winning a group 3 on her first start of the year after just one run at two," said trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias, who trains the daughter of Frankel for Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Al Shira'aa Farm.
"I haven't had many horses that can do that and I wouldn't have tried very often but, with what she was showing in the mornings, I didn't want to lose time winning a lesser race."
Laffon-Parias told a France Galop news conference: "She was impressive then and again in the Saint-Alary and I think, even though she's been winning comfortably, it has all been about her sharpening her up ahead of a race like the Diane. I think the course we've taken has helped compensate for when she meets fillies with more experience."
Christophe Soumillon will once again be in the saddle on Sunday in a deep-looking Diane for which Coral make Jannah Rose an 8-1 chance. More complicated for Laffon-Parias would be a decision to run Left Sea , who he reported to have come out of the Prix Melisande in fine order but whose jockey Maxime Guyon is due to have started a 15-day ban unless he can overturn the sanction on appeal this Wednesday.
Christopher Head has left open the possibility of running Wise Girl as a pacemaker for Blue Rose Cen, who Laffon-Parias is happy to concede is the biggest danger to Jannah Rose.
"Of course, the favorite is the winner of the French Guineas, who was very impressive that day," said Laffon Parias. "She had already beaten all the right fillies at two in the Marcel Boussac and I think the form of the Poule d'Essai is very good. Now the question is: will she stay?"
The race will come into sharper focus with further forfeit and confirmation stages on Tuesday and Wednesday before final declarations on Thursday.
Charlie Gordon-Watson, racing adviser to Soul Sister's owner/breeder, Lady Bamford, said: "She was left in purely as a precaution. We were just having a look but I'd say it's most unlikely that she will run. She's very well but no firm plans have been made yet."