2021 Chantilly Sunday Tips by Dave Stevos
2021 Chantilly Sunday Tips
It was some comedown for us on Saturday after Friday’s two winners. The ground was neither here nor there which is never ideal. I had banked on it being softer than it was and we ended up empty handed. There is no point in dwelling on it and we go back into the breach with all guns blazing on French Derby Day at Chantilly. I have picked out a couple of interesting bets on the card, both at nice prices. Check out Dave Stevos’ 2021 Chantilly Sunday Tips and preview below.
1.40 – Grand Prix De Chantilly (Group 2)
All the talk for this race has been about last year’s Arc 2nd, In Swoop. The son of Alderflug was turned over by Sublimis at even money on his return. He then gained sweet revenge last time at Longchamp. That horse re-opposes again here and it is difficult to see him regaining the upper hand. However, in those last two races there was a big eyecatcher who didn’t get anywhere near a clear run in either heat.
Lord Achilles didn’t see any daylight until very late in the day in April at Longchamp. He finished only 2.25L behind Sublimis and 1.75L behind In Swoop. He endured an even more troubled passage last time out at the same track. As they turned in there was nobody, including In Swoop, travelling better than Lord Achilles on the inner but while today’s favourite got a lovely clear run around the outside, our selection was stuck behind the weakening front runner Nagano Gold until very late in the day.
Lord Achilles only got out of trouble 150m from home. By then, In Swoop had pulled clear. Still, he finished just 3.75L behind the winner and 1L behind Sublimis. You would have to think that with a clear run he surely would have run into 2nd spot at the very least. This son of Rio De La Plata has a very different profile to his rivals. However, he looks like he has improved loads from 3yo to 4yo and if he does manage to get a clear passage on Sunday, he could surprise with a big run at odds of 40/1.
2021 Chantilly Sunday Tips: Lord Achilles e/w @ 40/1
3.00 – Prix Du Jockey Club (Group 1)
The big race this Sunday is the Prix Du Jockey Club, aka The French Derby. Unlike the Irish and English versions, this is a 10f race. So, the emphasis is usually on speed rather than stamina. On the soft ground a degree of staying power will be required and one horse that I believe ticks both the required boxes is Normandy Bridge for Gerald Mosse and Mile Stephanie Nigge. This son of Le Havre may be a 33/1 shot but he has plenty of top quality form in the book.
A G3 winner on heavy at Saint Cloud last season, he followed that up with a super effort when chasing home Van Gogh in a G1 over the same C&D. Normandy Bridge returned to action this year in a Deauville G3. He was ridden aggressively that day and it looked like he may have needed the run as he faded into 4th. The waiting tactics that were used when he won his G3 last season were redeployed last time out at Longchamp (8f v sft). Unfortunately, he just had too much to do after he blew the start.
However, he was only beat just over 2L for the win by St Mark’s Basilica and he was half a length off a place in 3rd. He stayed on extremely well in the closing stages, which suggests that 10f will play to his strengths. Given his racing style, a fair degree of luck will be required. He was arguably finishing off the strongest of all last time out at Longchamp though and at odds of 28/1, he is worth backing each way.
