August at Deauville is one of the great sights in European racing, and the Barrière summer meeting reaches its first big crescendo today with the Group 1 Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest, run this year in memory of the late Louis Romanet, who passed away in March. All times below are local French time (CEST, one hour ahead of the UK).
The Gheest, over Deauville’s straight 1,300 metres – six and a half furlongs in old money – is a proper championship leg of the European sprint season, an awkward in-between trip that has tripped up milers and five-furlong speedballs alike down the years.
It tops an eight-race card that also features the Group 3 Prix Daphnis, two Listed sprints and the Grand Handicap de Deauville, the day’s Quinté+ betting heat. The supporting races carry the names of South American partner tracks – Palermo, San Isidro, Maronas – a nice international flavour on a big day by the Normandy coast.
- 16:40 – Division (4/1) to give William Haggas a Gheest win in an open renewal.
- 16:40 – Rosy Affair (14/1 each-way) – the Boughey filly is Sporting Life’s headline value play.
- 17:50 – Moojeed (11/5) for the Graffard/Barzalona axis in the Prix Moonlight Cloud.
- 17:50 – No Tune (6/1) the each-way alternative for Christopher Head.
Meeting Context
The ground at Deauville is reported to have a bit of cut in it, which is par for the course on the Touques turf even in August. Sprints here are run on the dead-straight course, where recent Gheest history suggests racing close to one rail or the other is no disadvantage.
The British and Irish raiding party is the story of the day: Aidan O’Brien sends Guineas heroine True Love, William Haggas runs Division, Charlie Appleby saddles Wise Approach in the Gheest and Distant Storm in the Daphnis, with George Boughey, Ed Walker, Ian Williams, George Scott and Johnny Murtagh also represented across the card.
The four feature races (16:05–17:50 local, 15:05–16:50 UK time) are broadcast live in the UK – Sky Sports Racing carries French racing, and Racing Post lists the quartet in its UK coverage – so armchair punters at home are well served.
Closer to home this afternoon, our previews of Phoenix Stakes day at the Curragh (13:15), Chepstow’s centenary card (14:06) and Leicester (14:24) cover every British and Irish race today.
13:56 – Prix Osaf (Prix de Tour-en-Bessin)
A seven-runner conditions race over 1,400 metres opens the card. Small field, and one for the on-course early birds rather than a betting heat. The Verdict: watch rather than wager.
14:31 – Prix Club Hipico Santiago (Prix de Falaise)
Twelve go to post over the same 1,400 metres. A competitive fillies-and-form puzzle typical of Deauville’s supporting fare. The Verdict: another to enjoy with the coffee before the serious stuff.
15:15 – Grand Handicap de Deauville (Quinté+)
The nation’s big bet of the day: a maximum field of 20 over the straight 1,600 metres for €96,000. Key players include Un Instant (A Pouchin) for Nicolas Perret, whose trio also features Olympic Message (A Lemaitre) – Equidia analyst Freddy Boersch’s headline pick – plus Calas (C Soumillon), Babakool (M Guyon) and the British raider Supido (M Barzalona) for Ian Williams.
The Verdict: Olympic Message is the informed word locally, with Supido the interesting cross-Channel angle for a yard that travels with intent. Twenty runners on the straight track – keep stakes sensible.
16:05 – Prix Daphnis – Jockey Club Argentino (Group 3)
Twelve three-year-old milers, €73,200, and a race France Galop notes draws runners trained in France, Italy and Great Britain.
The Favourites: Godolphin’s Distant Storm heads the market talk – three Group 1 placings from six starts and last seen in 2,000 Guineas company, class the rest must find. The Value: Komorebi, a Poule d’Essai runner-up, and Campacite, only beaten for the first time in the French Derby, keep this honest. The Verdict: Distant Storm to confirm the form, but no gimmes at short prices on a quirky straight mile.
16:40 – Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest (Group 1)
The big one: 1,300 metres, run in memory of Louis Romanet. My Calyx Cen is a non-runner, leaving 11.
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Form | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| True Love | Wayne Lordan | A P O’Brien | 8-11232 | 7/4 |
| Stolen Kiss | A Pouchin | P Cottier | -71114 | 7/2 |
| Division | James Doyle | W J Haggas | 15-3235 | 4/1 |
| Wise Approach | C Soumillon | C Appleby | 131-540 | 11/1 |
| Take Charge Star | Ben Coen | J P Murtagh | 16-2582 | 11/1 |
| Samangan | M Barzalona | F Graffard | 1-2464 | 12/1 |
| Rosy Affair | Billy Loughnane | G Boughey | 11-2144 | 14/1 |
| Afandy | C Demuro | J C Rouget | 1-1214 | 14/1 |
| How Are You | C Lecoeuvre | F Graffard | 1221 | 14/1 |
| Mise En Boite | A Crastus | X Blanchet | -12231 | 22/1 |
| Summer Sail | M Guyon | P Groualle | 12-318 | 80/1 |
The Favourites: True Love heads the market for Ballydoyle, but Sporting Life’s Ben Linfoot makes the case she hasn’t scaled her Guineas heights since and may want a mile rather than a specialist sprint trip. Home hope Stolen Kiss, an outstanding fourth in the Jubilee at Royal Ascot, is France’s flagbearer and among Europe’s leading sprinters on France Galop’s reckoning.
The Value: Linfoot’s 14/1 each-way play is Rosy Affair – Group-placed fourths at Royal Ascot and the Curragh, a previous Deauville six-furlong win, and the red-hot Loughnane/Boughey partnership.
The Verdict: in a wide-open renewal I side with Division at 4/1 – consistently placed at the top level for Haggas and Doyle, with the 6½ furlongs ideal – and Rosy Affair each-way.
17:15 – Prix du Cercle – Hipodromo Palermo 150 Aniversario (Listed)
Thirteen pure speedsters over the minimum 1,000 metres for €47,600 – blink and you’ll miss it on the straight track. The Verdict: a cavalry charge best watched with small change; the confirmed field was thin on detail in the UK trade press at the time of writing.
17:50 – Prix Moonlight Cloud – Hipodromo de San Isidro (Listed)
A cracking Listed sprint over 1,200 metres for three-year-olds, with two British raiders in the mix.
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Form | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moojeed | M Barzalona | F Graffard | 5-5305 | 11/5 |
| Behike | P C Boudot | George Scott | 3-1102 | 19/5 |
| Kailani | A Pouchin | S Wattel | 048217 | 9/2 |
| No Tune | M Guyon | Chr Head | 1-3232 | 6/1 |
| Miss Chiquita | T Piccone | A Botti | -26513 | 10/1 |
| Hallo Spaceboy | K Shoemark | E Walker | 321-221 | 13/1 |
| Fire Fly | A Madamet | M Delcher Sanchez | 6213 | 15/1 |
| Kalkara | M Grandin | S Kobayashi | -231714 | 15/1 |
The Favourites: Moojeed is short enough on bare form figures, but the Graffard/Barzalona combination demands respect on Gheest day. Behike, for Newmarket’s George Scott and Boudot, is the pick of the raiders.
The Value: No Tune at 6/1 for Christopher Head, placed in three of her last four, and Ed Walker’s consistent Hallo Spaceboy at 13/1.
The Verdict: Moojeed to deliver, No Tune each-way.
18:25 – Prix de Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer – Hipodromo de Maronas (Uru)
A big-field 1,100-metre dash closes the card – one for the die-hards and the placepot rescuers. The Verdict: no strong view.
Accumulator
A features treble across the afternoon: Distant Storm (16:05), Division (16:40, 4/1) and Moojeed (17:50, 11/5). With Division and Moojeed alone you’re already north of 15/1 as a double; Distant Storm’s price was unquoted at the time of writing, so build it as a flexible multiple with your bookmaker.
Please gamble responsibly: set a budget, stick to it, and when the fun stops, stop – visit BeGambleAware.org for free support.
