Hurricane Lane aiming to shine in Grand Prix de Paris

Keith Hamer
July 13, 2021 3:20 pm

Irish Derby hero clashes with Alenquer in Group One prize.

Charlie Appleby is confident Hurricane Lane will give a bold account in his bid to follow up his last-gasp Irish Derby triumph in the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Wednesday.

Hurricane Lane got up in the shadow of the post to deny Lone Eagle and have his day in the sun after finishing third to stablemate Adayar in the Cazoo Derby at Epsom.

The Bastille Day feature was not originally on the agenda for the Frankel colt, but he took his run at the Curragh so well that the Newmarket trainer decided to supplement him after the Godolphin-owned colt pleased connections in a workout on Saturday.

“Hurricane Lane heads to Paris in good order. We expected him to need some time after what looked a hard race in the Irish Derby, but he surprised us with how well he came out of it,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.

🗣️”He came out of the race really well, he’s not missed an oat since and has really shown his wellness since Monday of this week.”
Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane will bid for more Group One glory on Wednesday! 👇

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 10, 2021

“He worked nicely over the weekend and we opted to take this route as there is plenty of time between now and the St Leger.

“This looks a good opportunity to hopefully win another Group One over a mile and a half and he looks the one to beat.”

The other British raider, the William Haggas-trained Alenquer, was also supplemented.

He beat Adayar in the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown in April and then went on to land the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot on his only subsequent start.

“I was very pleased with him at Ascot. He ran a good race. I’m very happy with him,” said Haggas.

Alenquer (right) steps up to the top level for the first time in the Bastille Day feature (David Davies/PA)

James Doyle takes the ride as regular partner Tom Marquand is not allowed to as he has only had one coronavirus vaccination.

Doyle has not sat on Alenquer, but that does not worry Haggas.

“He doesn’t need to sit on him. He’s a good rider,” he said.

The third supplementary entry taking his chance is Northern Ruler, trained in Germany by Andreas Wohler.

Aidan O’Brien has Sir Lamorak, The Mediterranean and Wordsworth as the Irish trainer seeks to win the race for a fourth successive year and a sixth in all.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has three runners as he attempts to win the Grand Prix de Paris for a sixth time — Trainer Aidan O’Brien has three runners as he attempts to win the Grand Prix de Paris for a sixth time (Nigel French/PA)

Of the home contingent, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget expects his two runners, Saiydabad and Cheshire Academy, to improve on their runs in the Prix du Jockey Club.

They finished fourth and fifth respectively behind the O’Brien-trained St Mark’s Basilica.

“Saiydabad had a good run in the Jockey Club, even if he does always take a little while to get going. It all opened up for him on the rail and he finished out the race very strongly.

“With Cheshire Academy, the draw went against him. We should not forget that he had a little niggle for a couple of days in the weeks leading up to the race and missed a gallop. With all those factors included, his fifth place finish was very good.

“I think that both horses are indifferent in terms of ground conditions, they will both be suited by the step up in trip. Both have had a good preparation leading into the race and I think they have very good chances.”