France’s top all-weather performer No Lunch has Finals Day in his sights after recording a seventh consecutive Polytrack victory in the Listed Prix Saonois at Cagnes-sur-Mer.
The Prix Saonois formed part of the sprint/mile Polytrack Challenge alongside Deauville’s Prix Irish River and Prix Luthier, with No Lunch taking all three Listed contests by an aggregate of seven lengths, in addition to a Cagnes-sur-Mer conditions race last month.
Trained by Christophe Ferland, the son of Dubawi burst onto the scene last winter with three impressive all-weather victories, culminating with a four-and-a-half length verdict over G1 winner Tribalist in a conditions race at Chantilly.
Ferland said: “No Lunch was short of fitness in his prep race at Cagnes-sur-Mer in January, but he still had enough quality to win and then progressed nicely ahead of the Prix Saonois. He proved his ability again over the weekend and has come out of the race very well.
“I would not like to say that he is unbeatable on the all-weather but for sure it appears to suit him very well. We are happy to keep him on the surface as there are some nice races to target during the winter months, although it is a shame there are no suitable races for him on the all-weather in Europe after April.
“My thinking at the moment is that he will go to Newcastle over Easter for the Mile race. We will make the entry and see how the race shapes up. I won the Marathon with Funny Kid when it was at Lingfield, which was a memorable meeting for France as we had three winners on the day.”
There were several notable performances in the UK, with Heathcliff gaining a deserved success in a seven-furlong class two handicap at Lingfield Park. Placed in his three previous starts for James Fanshawe, the five-year-old has a revised rating of 95 as he aims to improve on his seventh in last season’s Sprint final.
The same Good Friday contest could be on the cards for El Bodon, who secured another class two prize at Kempton Park when repelling veteran campaigner Intervention by a head. Now rated 101, Jane Chapple-Hyam’s sprinter needs one more run to qualify for Finals Day.
All Moonshine is a name to follow in the Fillies & Mares division for Andrew Balding and Kirsten Rausing. A novice winner at Southwell and Wolverhampton earlier in the season, the daughter of Oasis Dream has a rating of 87 after readily making all in a mile handicap at Kempton Park.
Irish handler Stephen Thorne has a couple of contenders lined up for Good Friday and may have another after Take Heart defied a mark of 91 in an extended 10-furlong handicap at Dundalk. Successful at Glorious Goodwood in 2024 for Johnny Murtagh, the six-year-old has performed with credit in his two other starts at Dundalk this season.
Billy Loughnane and Tony Carroll continue to dominate the all-weather jockey and trainer standings. Loughnane is 21 clear of closest challenger Luke Morris, while Carroll has extended his lead over Ian Williams to 16.
