Al Wukair to Bounce Back in the Prix Jacques Le Marios
  Above: Frankie Dettori replaces the injured Gregory Benoist on Al Wukair
International Race Fan

Al Wukair to Bounce Back in the Prix Jacques Le Marios

There are only 6 runners in the years Prix Jacques Le Marios but it looks a fascinating race on paper. Andre Fabre fields 3 runners this year and he looks favourite to collect the prize for the seventh time and the best of his runners could be Al Wukair.

When the ante-post market opened up for this race it was Andre Fabre’s Al Wukair that was put in the favourite for this race, but he has been usurped by Jean-Claude Rouget’s Taareef. More surprisingly is that he is as big as 6.1, only third in the betting on the PMU and has also been side-stepped by the media, in favour of Godolphin’s Thunder Snow.

The improved Taareef gave Al Wukair 8lb’s and a 2 length beating in the group 3 Prix Messidor, just 4 weeks ago. Al Wukair went off the 7/10 favourite, but never got involved in the race until it was too late. That race was Al Wukairs first run since the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, a break of 10 weeks and it looked no more than a prep for something else down the line.

A much improved performance can be expected this time around and a much bigger price too. He is currently available at 3/1 with the UK bookmakers, which is a great price and he could also be a bigger price on the PMU. The only reservation would be the soft ground, which he has never raced on. His sire, Dream Ahead gives hope that the soft ground should be fine for him as he was a 9 length winner of the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket as a juvenile.

The danger to Al Wukair could be Thunder Snow who has won two group 1’s in France already, in his only two starts here, he is coupled with Inns Of Court at 1.8 on the PMU, but can be backed out-right at 9/2 with the UK bookies. He was impressive on soft ground at Saint-Cloud as a juvenile, winning the Criterium International by an easy 5 lengths.

Recommended Bets
Al Wukair, 3/1, top-up at 4+ on the PMU
Thunder Snow (saver), 9/2