Palace Pier and Poetic Flare all set for Marois showdown

PA Sport Reporters
August 14, 2021 1:30 pm

Crack milers face off in Deauville feature.

Frankie Dettori admits he is as excited as everyone else to see Palace Pier take on the cream of the three-year-old crop in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

Winner of the race last year in a season which saw him crowned champion miler – despite defeat on Champions Day at Ascot – he meets last year’s runner-up Alpine Star once more on Sunday.

However, racegoers love seeing a clash of the generations and in the shape of Jim Bolger’s 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Poetic Flare, Palace Pier faces a real test, especially as he was forced to miss Goodwood with a blood disorder.

“He’s in good form. I rode him out on the gallops earlier in the week and he seemed really well,” Dettori said in his Sporting Index blog.

#throwbackthursday
Palace Pier and @FrankieDettori win the @AlShaqabRacing Lockinge – was he the best winner since the great Frankel? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/4kUT048hhh

— Newbury Racecourse (@NewburyRacing) May 20, 2021

“It’s a very interesting race, with Jim Bolger’s Poetic Flare, a couple of Andre Fabre’s, (Aidan) O’Brien’s and the filly who challenged us last year, Alpine Star.

“It’s another very strong renewal and I’m looking forward to it as much as the fans are.

“The clash between the best three-year-old miler and the best older miler is what everyone wants to see and that’s what we’ve got.”

While Dettori will not be underestimating Poetic Flare on John and Thady Gosden’s champion, Poetic Flare has lost as many races as he has won this season.

“There’s no doubt it’s a tough task, but I know Palace Pier is in good order and he’s ready to bring his A-game,” Dettori said.

Palace Pier comes home clear in the Queen Anne (David Davies/PA)

“I’m confident that he will run his race and the question mark is Poetic Flare as we’ve never come up against each other, it’s exciting.

“Things are dry and warm in Deauville and the ground will be good to firm, which is no problem for Palace Pier as he’s very versatile, he goes on anything.”

Thady Gosden went to France early for the Arqana sales and has enjoyed soaking up the warmer weather – for two reasons.

“He is coming in on Sunday for the race and he’s been in good form at home,” he said.

“It was very frustrating to miss the Sussex with him. It was unfortunate, but it was the right thing for the horse to miss Goodwood.

“He comes here in good form. It’s a tough race – you’ve got Victor Ludorum, who won a Group Three last time at Chantilly, and you’ve got Alpine Star and a few others.

“Last weekend the ground at Deauville was riding a little bit dead. They had a bit of rain at the start of the week and since then it’s been warm and dry.

“Hopefully they’ll put some water on it and the ground will be on the quick side of good.”

As for Poetic Flare, his trainer Bolger is unconcerned that he will be having his seventh race of the season.

“His grandsire New Approach took his racing very well, but on a few occasions he had muscle tweaks that kept him away from the track during the summer. He was quite busy though and won three Group Ones (at three). This fellow is exceptionally hardy,” Bolger said on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast.

Poetic Flare was in a league of his own at Ascot (David Davies/PA)

“It was just that ground at Goodwood. Obviously the filly (Alcohol Free) is very good but it was a sub-par run for him, it was very tacky.

“What we’ve learned this season is that he’s so much better on fast ground. We were probably fooled at Leopardstown (last year) but he was probably able to handle it due to his class. He was a revelation at Royal Ascot.

“This fellow has all the class in the world, he’s very quick, and any sort of a reasonably run race would suit him.

“For the moment we’ll stay over a mile. I was tempted by the July Cup at one stage, I wouldn’t be worried about six furlongs – he’s very quick.”

Richard Hannon runs Chindit, who would be a surprise winner on all known form this season.

“We decided to skip the Sussex because it was no point running in a race like that on ground he would’ve hated so this looked the most suitable race instead and while it looks a very good race, we’ll try and ride him a little closer to the pace than at Ascot last time and hope there is no more rain,” Hannon told Unibet.

“He’s a big, strong colt who has a very good attitude and he goes there with a great chance.”