Johnston expresses doubts over Attraction

Attraction is one of 15 left in Sunday’s Prix Jacques Le Marois after today’s forfeit stage, but she is not certain to run after trainer Mark Johnston expressed his concern about conditions at Deauville.

The dual Guineas winner will be aiming for a fourth Group One success this weekend, but recent rainfall has left the Middleham handler with reservations, and he will look at the course before committing his star.

“We have been concerned about the ground. It’s very difficult with French tracks because things change so rapidly,” Johnston told At The Races.

“They have warm weather over there – it was 28 degrees yesterday – but they’ve had a fair bit of rain and they water virtually every day regardless of the weather, so it makes it very difficult to predict.

“You could even find in France that you have got quite a dramatic change in the ground from morning to afternoon.

“We are going to have to get over there and have a look at the conditions.”

Attraction, whose last victory was in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, lost her unbeaten tag when runner-up to Soviet Song at the Newmarket July meeting. She will going for her ninth career win in the mile event at Deauville.

Another top-class filly in the field is last year’s winner, Pascal Bary’s Six Perfections, who was most recently sixth in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Six other horses from England remain in the race – Blatant, Byron and Kheleyf from Godolphin, plus Majestic Desert, Hurricane Alan and Salselon.

Andre Fabre’s St James’s Palace Stakes runner-up Diamond Green, who will be seeking to supply jockey Gary Stevens with another French Group One win after Somnus’s victory in last Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest, has also held his ground.

The provisional field is completed by French-trained runners, with Formalhaut and Ledi from Bary’s stable as well as Ershaad, My Risk, Baqah and the Maurice de Gheest second Whipper.