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With an illustrious roll of honour in the last decade, including Blue Rose Cen, Opera Singer and Wild Illusion, the mile Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac continues to be an exciting feature on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card at Longchamp…
Francis-Henri Graffard's Zarigana heads the market for the Group 1 Qatar Prix de Marcel Boussac. A beautifully bred individual from the Aga Khan Stud, the filly is a grand-daughter of Zarkarva, who won this same contest in 2007 prior to graduating to Arc glory. She arrives on the back of a very taking performance in the course and distance Group 3 Prix d'Aumale in mid-September and will be aiming to retain her unbeaten record.
Perhaps the most fascinating contender of the ten runners, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Bedtime Story was vying for 1000 Guineas favouritism after a runaway success in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. Although concerns were raised following a below-par effort in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes at the Curragh, where the filly trailed in last of five after suffering some issues at the start, she is better judged on a hard-fought victory in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes at the same track prior.
Simmering, a confident late supplementary entry by trainer Ollie Sangster, has done very little wrong this season. Looking beyond her debut, she finished a commendable three-quarter length second to Fairy Godmother at Royal Ascot before placing second in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes behind Lake Victoria, who has since tasted further Group 1 glory in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. The willingness of connections to put up the high supplementary fee suggests the trainer is confident his star filly will relish the step up to a mile.
Bedtime Story's stablemate Exactly should not be ignored with Grateful proving in the Group 1 Prix Royallieu on Saturday that a second-string O'Brien horse cannot be truly dismissed. She holds the same form-line as Simmering and Bedtime Story, having placed third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes on her latest run.
Of the remainder, Lhakpa boasts an unbeaten-in-two record and deserves to take on tougher opposition for trainer Yann Barberot, after recording an easy front-running success in a Class 2 conditions race at Deauville. By Siyouni, the filly will undoubtedly excel over a longer distance and there is plenty more to come from Maxime Guyon's charge.
Rosa Salvaje represents Christopher Head, who was resoundingly defeated by the favourite Zarigana last time out – reversing the form seems too big a task but her second behind Apples And Bananas in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'elevage reads well with the winner subsequently scoring again.