Aidan O'Brien has chosen to send Sagitta 2,000 Guineas favourite Stravinsky - 4 to 1 with William Hill - to France for the Group One Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp today, a stable spokeswoman confirmed yesterday.
The Ballydoyle trainer had also declared his impressive York winner for the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury the same afternoon but after flying over to Paris yesterday to walk the course O'Brien decided to go for the French option.
The going at Longchamp is currently described as very soft with a penetrometer reading of 4.0.
Aljabr, Godolphin's unbeaten two-year-old with Frankie Dettori riding, John Gosden's Prix Morny second Exeat (Olivier Peslier), and Eddie Lynam's Rolo Tomasi (Cash Asmussen), are the other foreign raiders declared for the French seven-furlong contest.
The locally trained Kingsalsa and Zirconi, complete the line up in the big two-year-old prize.
Paul Cole's Evening World is among seven runners in the Group Three Prix du Prince d'Orange over 10 furlongs on the same card.
Richard Quinn's mount faces some stiff competition with the French Derby third, Sestino, looking the one to beat despite being unraced since the end of May.
Gosden's Rainald (Dettori) and Brian Meehan's Yulara (Thierry Thulliez) both run in the sevenfurlong Listed Prix du Pin.
Cumani Raids Milan
Luca Cumani mounts a three-horse raid on Milan tomorrow when Ratatuia and Mukasol make their juvenile debuts on the card.
Ratatuia, to be ridden by Mirco Demuro, may face stiff competition from Tuscania and Tirolean Dance in the Premio Coolmore over an extended seven furlongs.
And it will be much of the same for Mukasol (Fernando Jovine) in the Premio Havresac II which is contested by useful types such as Chichicastenango, Quirico and Endless Hall. Ripon winner Buzzy Bomb (Jovine), third here in the spring, may also be up against it in a valuable mile and a half conditions race.
Calci, the Derby Italiano sixth, looks the one to beat.
Poteen, formerly at Newmarket with Luca Cumani but now trained in France by Jean de Roualle, runs in the Woodbine Mile in Canada tomorrow. Last year's 2,000 Guineas third will be ridden by Olivier Peslier and is one of three French raiders in race.
The others are Criquette Head's Marathon (Olivier Doleuze) and Francois Doumen's Jim And Tonic (Gerald Mosse). In a race notable for a strong United States challenge, Sheikh Mohammed's US performer Elusive Quality, is the current 5 to 2 favourite in the 12-runner field.
