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Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval will bid to go one spot better than when bumping into Paddington in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood when contesting the Group 1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp this afternoon.
The consistent four-year-old has performed with credit in all four starts this term and produced a fine effort in defeat when getting within a length and a half of superstar Paddington at Goodwood last-time-out.
Connections of Facteur Cheval will be hoping the testing conditions on the Sussex Downs will not have left their mark as he attempts to topple Prix du Jockey Club and Jacques le Marois runner-up Big Rock as both seek a first top-level success.
Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Gary Barber, said: "We're looking forward to it but I'm a little bit nervous because he had a very hard race last time, plus he had a trip,"
"Even though it's back in four and a half weeks which sounds like a reasonable amount of time, in the back of my mind I'm hoping he doesn't react to that last race, it certainly knocked out Paddington.
"He is facing a pretty darn good horse in Big Rock. We have a very big, strong horse and Mickael Barzalona is going to get on him this time. We are hopeful for a good race because Big Rock likes to go off in front and we need to have a target. The races where he hasn't run quite up to scratch this year are when he got too far behind in a paceless race."
A good effort in this afternoon's mile Group 1 could see Facteur Cheval return to the UK, with a bid at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot later in the autumn potentially setting up a mouthwatering rematch with Goodwood conqueror Paddington.
Irwin added: "I'm planning on coming over for the Queen Elizabeth and I see Paddington might run in that one as well, so that would be a hell of a contest.
"Both horses love it soft to heavy and at that time of year, you might get a racetrack like that. That will be a good contest and the layout of that straight course at Ascot, going uphill, favours a miler that has got the stamina and can go at least another furlong, which we have proved that we can do, and it could be a pretty exciting contest."
Also, amongst his rivals is the in-form Fast Raaj, who bids to complete the hat-trick after backing up a Listed victory at Nantes with a ready success in the Group 3 Prix Messidor at Chantilly. Jean-Claude Rouget will be hoping Erevann can produce a similar performance to what his dam did when landing this for the same connections back in 2015, while the consistent Sauterne bids to go a few spots better than when third in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville in late July.
Christopher Head's Big Rock currently heads the betting at a general 10/11 for this afternoon's Group 1 Prix du Moulin, with Facteur Cheval second in the market at a general 5/2.
