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Two foreign entries face home team in Grand Prix de Paris Imperial Monarch is currently the understudy to Camelot at Ballydoyle and, after making way for his star stable companion in the Group 1 Irish Derby, has a crack at the big time in Saturday's Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris. Unlucky when one of the worst victims of the traffic issues in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly June 3, the Group 3 Sandown Classic Trial winner should have a more straightforward trip in this select field. "French races can be quite messy and it's hard to get a very accurate guide on the form, but hopefully he can run a big race," jockey Joseph O'Brien commented. "I don't see the course at Longchamp posing much of a problem, but he's stepping up in trip, and that's probably a question mark. You'd imagine he'd stay the extra two furlongs on pedigree, but you never know until they go and do it. "He's always felt like a very good horse, and he's been given some time to come to himself. He won very nicely at Sandown and I think you can write off the race at Chantilly, so hopefully we can get off on the right foot this time." Main Sequence, who beat Thursday's Group 3 Bahrain Trophy hero Shantaram in the May 12 Group 3 Lingfield Derby Trial on the Polytrack, lost his unbeaten record when second to Camelot in the June 2 Group 1 Derby at Epsom. Kept back for this subsequently, the Niarchos family homebred may be compromised by likely testing conditions. "He's in good order, but I would be a little bit concerned about the ground," trainer Daiv Lanigan told PA Sport. "I think he'll run unless it became extreme or something, so we'll see what happens. He likes a nice, strong pace and to pass horses. We wouldn't want it to turn into a sprint, but a nice even pace all round. "It's his last chance to run against three-year-olds, so it would be nice if he could win, as it's going to be tougher for him against the older horses. We'll get this out of the way before we make any other plans, but we don't want to be too hard on him this year, as he'll stay in training next year all going well. He's strengthening all the time, and I think next year is really going to be his year, so if we can campaign him this year with that in mind I think that will be in the best interests of the horse." Of the home team, Saint Baudolino spearheads a trio from the Andre Fabre stable successful on 11 occasions. After winning Chantilly's Group 3 Prix de Guiche over nine furlongs May 11, the Godolphin homebred lost out by just three-quarters of a length to Saonois in the Prix du Jockey-Club. He had Nutello, Top Trip and Hard Dream back in third, fifth and seventh, respectively, with Imperial Monarch in eighth and Albion in 12th. The latter, previously second in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud May 5, also hails from the Fabre stable and is bred to appreciate this distance more than his barnmate. That also applies to the third Fabre runner Last Train, the sponsoring Juddmonte Farms' representative who was third in a 10-furlong conditions event at Chantilly May 18 and runner-up in a 10 1/2-furlong contest here June 2. His sire, Rail Trip, won this race six years ago, and he is a half-brother to Powerscourt. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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