Staged a week earlier than its customary slot, Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club is threatening a serious case of oneupmanship over the Derby this year due to the presence of a true A-lister in the line-up.It is rare that the Chantilly Classic draws the very best from outside it's own country's frontier, but in enticing Constitution River away from Epsom it could end up with the trump card of Europe's “Derbys” in 2026.We've come a long way since the “sad, mad, bad” reaction of the press to Celtic Swing's diversion to France all those years ago and, as Aidan O'Brien stated this week, this 10 1/2-furlong monument is an enticing prize in it's own right.Why not Constitution River to France? He's by Wootton Bassett, whose rise to prominence began here, he was bred here and fits this race like a glove. This is also the Classic that since it changed trip in 2005 has produced the highly influential sires Shamardal, Le Havre, Lope De Vega and New Bay, three of whom overcame wide draws.Ballydoyle's prodigy will also have to prevail from far out, with the draw gods seeing to it that he will have to prove all of his worth in a scenario perennially dreaded by connections of this Classic's runners. But this is a rare animal we are talking about here, a colt who couldn't help but show his raw material in a Dee Stakes that already stands apart in terms of achievement within a recognised Classic trial. Just ask the boffins at Timeform, just look at what the clock says about it as well as how it appeared to the naked eye.He looked smart as a two-year-old, going through his tests at Newmarket, Galway and The Curragh with genuine promise and winding up a Group 2 winner having bossed the Futurity in Kildare, but few could have imagined where he'd end up.Maybe those closest to him also didn't expect what he delivered at Chester, although reading between the lines at the time it is obvious he had hinted at something special heading to the Roodee. Ryan Moore will have faced far harder tests of his horsemanship than what could still be a potential “steering job” even from out there. A horse that possesses true gate speed such as the favourite can always overcome and with the very able Hawk Mountain in the neighbourhood any disadvantage could have already been negated by the first turn.“We felt for his progress going forward this was the right thing to do and the Prix du Jockey Club is a very important race now,” Aidan O'Brien relayed this week. “He is obviously drawn wide and whether any other Jockey Club winners have come from being drawn that wide I'm not sure, but it is what it is. It will be interesting.”In any other year, Hawk Mountain who is also by Wootton Bassett would be an appealing favourite given he has already mastered one of Europe's leading juvenile tests in the Futurity Trophy. Coming back this year to take this track's G3 Prix de Guiche without giving the impression he was in any way concentrating on the job in hand, he is one we can't say we know the bottom of as yet.“We have always had a very high opinion of Hawk Mountain really,” O'Brien added of the second-string, who is drawn in 11. “Christophe Soumillon was very happy with him in the Prix de Guiche, but found him very babyish still in the cheekpieces so he advised trying a pair of blinkers and that is what we are going to do. Christophe knows the horse and has ridden him on this track and we always think that is a big advantage.”Also out wide is the true baby of the race, Daryzan (Zarak), whose illustrious half-brother has gone even more stratospheric than when he made his impressive debut at Saint-Cloud earlier this month. At the moment, if it's The Aga Khan Studs and Francis Graffard it seems pretty much unstoppable, but this is a quantum leap in terms of experience and it could be that we see the best of this homebred later in the summer.The famous silks will also be carried by another son of Zarak in Dolmalan, who hails from the Mikel Delzangles stable and who is unbeaten after two starts including the Listed Prix de Suresnes here in April. In that contest, he gave Ballydoyle's third representative Montreal (Sea The Stars) a considerable headstart and cut him down with a potent kick that will come in very handy in this.“Dolmalan is from the family of Dalakhani and Daylami, it is one of our great bloodlines so it is no surprise that he shows so much class,” the operation's Nemone Routh said. “He is quite strongly stamped by his sire, more so than by his dam. He has shown a real change of gear and in his latest victory, from the 400 to the final 200 metres, he clocked 10.30 seconds. That is faster than Daryz which says it all!”Representing the form of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains is Komorebi (Pinatubo), who was runner-up there having won the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau over the same course and distance in April. Interestingly, since the distance was shortened Andre Fabre's three winners Lope De Vega, Intello and New Bay all came off wins or placed efforts in that ParisLongchamp Classic. “Komorebi ran a really nice race in the Poulains and should appreciate better ground,” he said. “Both his starts so far this season have been over a mile, but he showed last time that he could go further.”Adding spice are Darius Racing and Michael Motschmann's unbeaten Gostam (Saxon Warrior), the Poulains third Hankelow (Night Of Thunder) and Christiane Head and Mauricio Delcher Sanchez's G3 Prix Noailles winner Pearled Majesty (Persian King).Criquette Head captured this in its old guise as a 12-furlong test in 1986 with Bering and is now on the other side of the fence. “When Haras du Quesnay was sold and all the horses went through the sales ring, the mare came into the ring with her foal at foot and was already carrying this horse, which was a mating that we ourselves had decided upon,” she explained. “Later, I bought back the foal because it is a family I am deeply attached to. Mauricio had exactly the same impression when he first saw the horse. That is how we became partners around him.”“Stopping training was difficult, of course and I still miss it today,” she added. “Today, I am an owner and I let the trainers work. I know too well what this profession represents to interfere unnecessarily. Mauricio knows this horse perfectly. He is the one who shaped him and brought him to this level. The colt was not easy at first, he was somewhat immature, and Mauricio has done a fantastic job with him.”“When I was a trainer, neither the draw nor the ground ever frightened me. If a horse is good enough, he can win under any conditions. I won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe from stall number 22, so I have never believed in excuses. Of course, winning the Jockey Club as an owner would be wonderful. I would be over the moon, but the most important thing is that the horse comes back safely from his race.”There are four other Group races on the Sunday card, with last year's Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Cualificar (Lope De Vega) tackling the accomplished veteran Goliath (Adlerflug) in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly; Francis Graffard's once-raced Demah (Mehmas) taking on seasoned pros in the G2 Prix de Sandringham over a mile; another from that yard in the unbeaten Behrayna (Sea The Moon) up to 12 furlongs in the G3 Prix de Royaumont; and last year's Prix Maurice de Gheest hero Sajir (Make Believe) setting the standard in the five-furlong G3 Prix du Gros-Chene.There is also Classic action at Dusseldorf, with the G2 German 1000 Guineas featuring the Brit Timeforshowcasing (Showcasing), the French raider Indifferente (Siyouni) and Polish hope Only Luck (Lucky Vega) taking on the home team headed by the G3 Schwarzgold-Rennen runner-up Wintersonne (Too Darn Hot).The post Classic Calling For Constitution River appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.