Tim Carroll 's Bio

Tim started off as a jockey in Australia before pursuing a media career. He is a highly experienced and respected racing presenter who has been based in England since 2005. Tim has travelled the world covering many of the major meetings, including Royal Ascot, The Epsom Derby, The International meeting from Sha Tin, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Saudi Cup and The Breeders. He is currently a presenter for Sky Sports Racing, specialising in both the local and international scene. Tim is a regular contributor to the At The Races Website where his twice weekly tipping column on Hong Kong racing has gathered a strong following.

Deauville Racecourse – Track Analysis (Prix Jacques le Marois Day)

Situated on the North Coast of France, Deauville – long hailed as French Racing’s mid-summer haven – while being one of four French tracks to host G1 races on the flat, is not short of action, comes every August, both on and off the track. Its auxiliary Yearling Sales, in particular, is traditionally a prime marketplace for major owners and breeders to replenish their racing stock – and certainly scout for the next superstar on turf. Deauville Racecourse is comprised of two turf tracks – round and a straight course – both of which are relatively flat with only minor undulations.

The round course is oval in shape with right-handed sweeping bends and a circumference of 2200m, along with a straight run in of approximately 420m. The straight mile course conducts races from 1000m to 1600m and joins the round course at the top of the home straight. In addition, there is a polytrack on the inside of the turf course, 2000m in circumference.

There are eight races for coverage on Prix Jacques le Marois Day, three on the all-weather, three on the round course and two on the straight course.

For the polytrack races, the 1500m Class 3 Handicap, they jump from the top of the back straight with a long run of nearly 500m before the first bend, thus there is little importance placed on the draw but speed horses are better served drawn low to middle.

For the two 3yo Handicap over 1900m, they start from a chute just after the winning post on the left-hand side of the course, cross the turf strip, then re-join the all-weather oval through the first turn. There is no apparent barrier bias, but with the all-weather track enveloped inside the turf strip, its turns are invariably tighter, and therefore forwardly-placed runners are better suited to low to middle draws in larger fields.

For the turf races, there are three races on the round course. The 2000m Listed Prix Nureyev and the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club, low draws are slightly favoured, but recent data suggests the advantage is only marginal. For the 2500m G3 Prix Minerve, they start from just over half way up the straight, but barriers are of little importance. The round course is fair to all runners, but keep in mind they tend to, but not always, run middle distance and staying races in France at a moderate tempo, which can make it difficult for those at the back to pick up the leaders in larger fields.

For the feature race 1600m G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and the 1400m G3 Prix Francois Boutin, both of them are on the straight course.It is relatively flat, but with barrier one being on the grandstand side and with the stalls usually on that side, most races will see the field come down the grandstand rail or the centre of the track, therefore middle to low draws are usually advantageous, although in smaller fields it makes very little difference. Large fields can see the runners split into two or even three divisions, with the higher drawn runners frequently opting to go to the far side rail.

For the last ten renewals of the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois, most of the recent winners have stayed true to form for the straight course and come down the centre or the grandstand side. Favourites have performed well, having won four of the last ten renewals. The 3YOs have a good record, having won six of the last ten editions.

Last year’s Prix Jacques Le Marois was run on Good to Soft ground with a field of eleven going to post. BIG ROCK took up the running, closely followed by TRIPLE TIME and HI ROYAL. On leaving the stalls INSPIRAL was a tad tardy out of the gates and was restrained early. BIG ROCK ensured the race was run at a solid gallop and at the halfway mark there was already a few in behind being urged along. As they approached 600m from home, BIG ROCK was a length clear with TRIPLE TIME chasing as both LIGHT INFANTRY MAN and INSPIRAL started to pick up strongly from further back. Over the concluding stages BIG ROCK still led, but INSPIRAL was up for the challenge and laid down the gauntlet on his inside, pulling away in the shadows of the post to win by over a length from BIG ROCK with LIGHT INFANTRY MAN a further length-and-a-quarter back in third, in a time that was 1.02 seconds slower than standard. 

The weather forecast for Deauville during the week is suggesting clear days in the lead-up and on race day. If the forecast is correct, then it’s likely to have Good in description.

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