Horse Racing at Chantilly
by: Racing EditorPosted on:

British and Irish Raiders Target French Derby Success

Following the Irish Guineas meeting at the Curragh, the 2025 Classic season continues apace this coming weekend. Chantilly is the next stop for the most talented three-year-olds in the game as the Oise venue stages the 2025 Prix du Jockey Club.

At 1m2½f, the trip is a little shorter than that of the English and Irish Derby, but this £1.2 million event is nevertheless the nearest equivalent of the Epsom and Curragh showstoppers. Known to most on British and Irish shores as the French Derby, the near-200-year-old contest is regularly targeted by the leading British and Irish yards – often with some success.

Irishman David O’Brien was the first overseas handler to plunder the pot when saddling Assert to claim the 1982 edition. Nine further victories have followed for the British and Irish squadron, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained St. Mark’s Basilica the most recent to prevail in 2021.

Will the French Derby trophy head back across the Channel for an 11th time in 2025? If the raiding party fail, it certainly won’t be for lack of trying, with six of the final 18-runner field hailing from a British or Irish yard.

Two-Pronged Ballydoyle Attack

French Derby 2025 Betting

Given his phenomenal record in Britain and Ireland, it is a little surprising to learn that Aidan O’Brien has just one French Derby success on his CV. However, the market suggests that may change in 2025, with his Wootton Bassett colt Camille Pissarro the clear favourite in most lists. Zero from six in Britain and Ireland since his debut win at Navan, he has tended to save his best form for France. Claiming the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on his final start at two, he was last sighted finishing with a flourish to claim third in the French 1000 Guineas. On the evidence of that Longchamp effort, he has every chance of going a couple of places better over this longer trip.

Accompanying Camille Pissarro on the trip to France is Trinity College, who gets our vote as the most impressively bred colt in the lineup. Sired by super stallion Dubawi and out of the English and Irish 1000 Guineas winner, Hermosa, this good-looking bay makes stacks of appeal on paper. Thus far, he hasn’t quite delivered on that promise, with his three previous outings in pattern company yielding a fourth-placed effort and a pair of runner-up finishes. That said, he would surely have won at Epsom last time, but for veering down the camber in the straight, and may find this track more suitable. At around 16/1, he could be a popular each-way option.

Detain to Seize Prize for Gosden?

John Gosden knows what it takes to land this prize, having sent out his globetrotting star Mishriff to claim the 2020 edition. This year, the Newmarket handler sends two into battle as he bids to win the race for the first time in partnership with his son Thady.

For the Juddmonte-owned Detain, this represents a second tilt at a French Classic, with the son of Wootton Bassett finishing sixth in the French 2000 Guineas earlier this month. Only 2½l down at the line, that effort is worth upgrading as he struggled to obtain a clear passage in the straight.

Having only raced three times, the Kingman colt Bowmark is less exposed than his stablemate and may be open to considerable improvement. However, with four-time French Derby winner Christophe Soumillon in the saddle, the market prefers Detain of the Gosden duo.

Hannon’s King to Claim the Crown?

With wins in the Prix de la Foret, Prix Jean Romanet, and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, Richard Hannon is no stranger to success in France. Having struck at the major French tracks of Longchamp and Deauville, could he add Chantilly to his collection in 2025?

The Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum-owned King Of Cities is the colt tasked with doing just that. Never out of the first three in four career outings, he will need to step up on his recent second in the Listed Feilden Stakes. That is by no means impossible, but general odds of 14/1 illustrate the difficulty of the task.

Luther to Crack the Case for Fellowes

In the eyes of some observers, up-and-coming Newmarket handler Charlie Fellowes should already have one French Classic in the bag. Alas, it was not to be, with a recent appeal failing to overturn the demotion of Shes Perfect to second place in the French 1000 Guineas. Undeterred, Fellowes traverses the Channel once more with his Frankel colt Luther.


Successful at Listed level during his juvenile campaign, he ran a cracker on his first French excursion when fourth in the French 2000. Out of a mare who scored in Group 3 company over this 1m2½f trip, he appears more likely than most to appreciate the additional distance. With vanquished John Gosden number one Kieran Shoemark in the saddle, general 12/1 chance Luther provides a realistic shot at redemption for both trainer and jockey.

Can a British or Irish trainer claim one of French racing’s crown jewels? Or will a home team led by Ridari and Cualificar keep the prize on home soil? This race is  scheduled for 3:05 pm on Sunday.