French jockey has chance to atone for earlier loss

Press, 26 July 1980, Page 20

French jockey has chance to atone for earlier loss

NZPA-Reuter London: French jockey Philippe Pa-; quet. who has unhappy memories of an earlier visit to Britain this year, today attempts to land one of British racing's biggest prizes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Paquet was on board the hot favourite Nureyev in the 2000 Guineas classic at Newmarket in May and drove the colt home first.: But Nureyev was dis-: qualified for interference — a sad blow to Paquet and the colt’s trainer, Francois Boutin. The Boutin-Paquet partnership appears to have a fine chance of lifting the' £124,696 ($286,000) Ascot i pride with Le Marmot, a' top-flight four-year-old. 1 Le Marmot finished second last autumn to the great filly Three Troikas in the,

Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe at'; Longchamps, and this yearii avenged that defeat by beat-i ing the filly in the Prix I Gan ay. :! The French colt has suf-< fered from foot trouble, but is said to have benefited 1 from special shoes. He is f likely to get the easy going ( he likes in his crack atu Ascot’s rich 12-furlong race. ;j Le Marmot, which will be i < attempting to score France's fourth victory in the race in eight years, is most closely I attended in the pre-post bet- i ting by another four-year- 1 old, the tough and un- t compromising Ela-Mana-:r Mou. ■ ! Jockey Willie. Carson andil trainer Dick Hern, whose: t success this season has been; I phenomenal, are associated;/ with Ela-Mana-Mou, which; I has won all his three races-i this year. His grittiness in a Itight finish, allied to greatjt

ability, makes him a most difficult horse to beat. A second Hern runner, 1 More Light, to be ridden by Brian Rouse, is not altogether out of the reckoning. Main Reef, which has yet to reproduce last year’s good form but is in with a chance on 1979 running, represents another powerful stable-and-jockey combination, Henry 1 Cecil arid champion rider, Joe Mercer. Three-year-olds have a better recent record in the : race than older horses, and they will be well represente/i today by two classic winners. Mrs Penny which won the French Oaksi will be ridden by Lester Piggott, seeking his seventh victory in the Ascot race. Tyrnavos, the<> Irish Derby winner, will be in the hands of Edward Hide, who has never won! the race. i