Green Spirit and Narissa Set to Collide in the Prestigious Prix de la Grotte

The stage is set for an exciting day of racing at ParisLongchamp, accompanied by domestic action from Ffos Las. A thrilling encounter between the talented Green Spirit and Narissa is anticipated in the highly anticipated Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp. Christopher Head trains Green Spirit, who demonstrated remarkable improvement last season with four consecutive wins, including victories at Group 3 and Group 2 levels. Although she was beaten by Diamond Necklace in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc Day, she is expected to set the standard on her return, ridden by Maxime Guyon. Narissa, who has consistently finished behind Green Spirit, including a third-place finish in the aforementioned Group 1, will need to have made significant progress over the winter to close the gap. The duo is currently priced at 8/1 for the French 1000 Guineas. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who has won the last two renewals of this race, also fields Anashkaya, partnered with Christophe Soumillon. Evolutionist, trained by Karl Burke, cannot be overlooked after a superb performance in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile. All eyes will be on Nighttime as he puts his Classic claims on the line in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau at 2:50 pm. The Christopher Head-trained colt won three of his five starts as a two-year-old and finished the campaign with an excellent second behind Puerto Rico in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. This form justifies his position as the favorite, and the step up to a mile is likely to suit him. Regal Resolve poses the main threat for the dominant Francis-Henri Graffard yard, having been supplemented for this race after winning two lesser races on the all-weather at Chantilly. Elastic, who claimed a Listed contest at Saint-Cloud last month, has a fitness edge over his rivals, while Campacite has top-level placed form for Jean-Claude Rouget. A competitive field is expected in the Amroth Bay Static Caravan Sales Maiden Hurdle, featuring Doujadou and Into The Blue among 11 participants. Rebecca Curtis, who won this prize with Newton Tornado last season, trains Doujadou, who has shown promise and is expected to improve with racing. Into The Blue, an interesting newcomer for the Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville combination, boasts an impressive pedigree and should be monitored in the market. The Sam Thomas-trained Knead A Win is top-rated on a mark of 122 and has solid claims if fit enough after an absence. The Group 3 Prix Noailles at ParisLongchamp has a history of producing stellar winners, including Calandagan in 2024. This year, Spece Waltz is well-fancied for Andre Fabre, while Joseph O'Brien's raider Hardy Warrior is of interest from a home nations perspective. Map Of Stars and Marquisat are likely to be popular among bettors for the Listed Prix Lord Seymour, with James Doyle taking the ride on the former for Wathnan Racing. On home soil, the progressive Manigod could be the one to beat in an open-looking Tommy Williams Memorial Handicap Hurdle at 3:50 pm at Ffos Las.