Saturday was an unmitigated disaster. It was a complete and utter shitshow with absolutely zero positives. To be fair, we’ve had a decent few weeks so we were due a dud of a day.
In an attempt to salvage some dignity from the weekend, I am going to back Daylight in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. Trained by Patrice Cottier, this horse can be backed at 33/1 but I’m not sure she should be as big as that, especially if the forecast rain materialises.
Last season, this daughter of Earthlight posted some rock
solid efforts in defeat at the top table. Campaigned exclusively at 6f, she won
two of her first three starts, including a G3 at Deauville. She then finished
a 1.5l third behind Whistlejacket and Rashabar in the G1 Prix Morny, again at
Deauville, and followed that up with a fine 3l second behind superstar filly Lake Victoria in the Cheveley
Park at Newmarket.
Two Runs
This season, she has had two runs. In the first one, her
first try at 7f over this C&D, Cottier used her stablemate Kaadi as a ‘pacemaker’.
However, the entire field basically ignored her and sat 8-10 lengths behind and I
think Barzalona mistimed his challenge and got to the front way too soon.
Daylight subsequently faded into third in the last 100 yards.
On her second start of the season, Daylight ran in the French
1000 Guineas and the 1m trip probably just stretched her. She wasn’t disgraced
in seventh and in the end, she was just over 4l behind the first two. The bookies
weren’t impressed by that run though and she has been completely written off by them.
Optimum Trip
It looks like seven furlongs is this filly’s optimum
distance and that is what she gets today. Her course form figures read 133 and looking
at how she has been campaigned, I’d imagine her whole season has been geared towards
this race.
Mickael Barzalona is back on board and hopefully, he has
learned his lesson from hitting the front far too early the last time he rode.
If he can time his challenge right, and get a clear run, Daylight can hopefully
hit the frame at odds of 33/1.
2025 Prix Jean Prat Tip: Daylight e/w @ 33/1
