2025 Longchamp Guineas Meeting Preview

Just a 20/1 place with our NB Victory Shout to show for our efforts on Saturday but to be fair, they all ran decent races bar Witch Hunter who broke too well and was too close to the strong early pace. Nightime Dancer found just the two Ballydoyle horses too good and I’m not sure what sort of a ride Lunar Sovereign was given, he ended up missing a place by just 2l. Now we switch our focus to what is a huge weekend in France, check out Dave Stevos’ 2025 Longchamp Guineas Meeting preview below.

3.25 – Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) (Group 1) 

First up, the boys. Aidan O’Brien has been making hay over the past week so it is no surprise to see Henri Matisse installed as the 3/1 fav. He’ll like the ground, he has a decent draw in stall 6 and he made a very pleasing comeback in a Leopardstown Group 3.

British and Irish horses dominate the top of the market with Jonquil, Amori City and Hotazhell the next best in the betting. However, British and Irish raiders have won this race just three times since 2007 so there might be value to be found in the home team.

The one I’ll be taking a chance on at odds of 33/1 is the Alicja Karkosa trained Heybetli. By Showcasing, this colt won twice at two, a maiden at Compiegne over 7f and the valuable Criterium d’Ete at Deauville over 6.5f on good.

Up In Class

Karkosa stepped her charge up in class on his next start in a Group 3 her over 7f and he ran a cracker, staying on strongly for a 0.75l second behind Houquetot, who re-opposes here. Over a mile, I think he can turn that form around.

On his final 2yo start he ran in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and while he only finished sixth, he was only 0.5l behind Henri Matisse (3/1 here), 1.25l behind Field Of Gold, 1.5l behind Misunderstood (18/1 here) and 3.5l behind the winner Camille Pissarro (11/1 here).

Karkosa decided to stick a tongue tie on Heybetli for his seasonal reappearance in a 1m Group 3 here last month and he ran a very pleasing race to finish fourth, 2l behind Ridari and Sahlan and a neck behind Misunderstood. Given that his rider took a pull early and that he didn’t get the smoothest of runs in the straight, I think on another day he could have finished much closer.

Heybetli is drawn in stall 10, which is a bit wider than I’d like, so a degree of luck will be required. However, given how little there was between him and a couple of the market leaders here in that G1 last season, I think he is worth chancing each way at odds of 33/1. Hopefully he gets a clear run and there are no excuses.

2025 Longchamp Guineas Meeting Tip: Heybetli e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)

4.05 – Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) (Group 1)

Francois Graffard and the Aga Khan seem to hold all the aces here with Zarigana, who is drawn in 7, and the unbeaten Mandanaba who has bagged the plum draw in stall 1. Those fillies are priced up at 6/4 and 6/1 respectively and their chances are obvious.

Can anything get into the frame at a price? She’s Perfect got to within a neck of Zarigana over C&D last month so it could easily be argued that she is overpriced at 14s and she isn’t badly drawn in stall 6. However, the one I’ll take a chance on is the one that finished 2l back in third, Godspeed.

Trained by Yann Lerner, this filly has had just three starts and the first two came on the AW at Chantilly. She bolted up on her debut there in February over a mile and then finished third after a slow start in another AW heat there in March.

Stayed On

The run that makes her of interest here is her last effort on her turf debut over C&D. A step slow away again in that Group 3, she stayed on in eye-catching fashion in the last couple of furlongs and in the end, she finished just 2.25l behind Zarigana and Shes Perfect.

It has to be said, her wide draw in stall 13 is not ideal but if she does start slowly again, Ronan Thomas will just slot in behind the others on the rail and hopefully come with a late run. With Mandanaba and Shes Perfect drawn in 1 and 6, hopefully they’ll take eachother on for the early lead and they go a properly strong gallop. If they do, Godspeed will be doing her best work at the finish and if she gets the gaps, she might be able to sneak into the first four at odds of 25/1.

2025 Longchamp Guineas Meeting Tip: Godspeed e/w @ 25/1 (4 places)

-DaveStevos