Alain De Royer-Dupre sent out last year’s winner but Zarak has come up short at the highest level so far. CLOTH OF STARS has also yet to win a Group 1 but has made a fine start to the year winning a couple of Group races over 1m2f and Andre Fabre’s colt is fancied to go on to better things this season. He’s preferred to stablemate Maniaco and the other Godolphin runner Hawkbill. The latter made a winning reappearance last season before landing the Eclipse at Sandown but seems best with cut in the ground while the German raiders Potemkin and Guignol won soft Group 1 races in Italy and Germany respectively at the end of last year. Erupt won the Canadian International over 1m4f in October but found Silverwave too good in the Grand Prix Saint-Cloud over the same trip here last summer.
Zarak (FR) 2-1fav (9-0) 4th of 13, 2 3/4l behind Vivlos (8-9) at Meydan 1m 1f Grp 1 Yielding in Mar.
Hawkbill (USA) (9-0) 3rd of 9, 1 3/4l behind Guignol (9-6) at Munich 1m 4f Grp 1 (1) sft in Nov.
Cloth Of Stars (IRE) (8-13) won at Chantilly 1m 2f Grp 2 stks gd in Apr beating Mekhtaal (8-13) by nk, 11 ran.
Silverwave (FR) (9-0) 12th of 14, 24 1/4l behind Satono Crown (9-0) at Sha Tin 1m 4f Grp 1 gd in Dec.
Potemkin (GER) (9-1) won at Capannelle 1m 2f Grp 1 (1) hvy in Nov beating Robin Of Navan (8-13) by 1 1/2l, 9 ran.
Erupt (IRE) 12-1 (9-0) 2w,bid1/4,duel,prv bst, won at Woodbine 1m 4f stks gd in Oct beating Dartmouth (9-0) by 1l, 9 ran.
Guignol (GER) (9-6) won at Munich 1m 4f Grp 1 (1) sft in Nov beating Racing History (9-6) by 1 3/4l, 9 ran.
Maniaco (8-13) 3rd of 11, 1 3/4l behind Cloth Of Stars (8-13) at Chantilly 1m 2f Grp 2 stks gd in Apr.
