Magny Cours plotted for Prix de la Forêt after Cork success
Magny Cours will be aimed at the Prix de la Forêt on Arc day after the three-year-old filly produced a commanding performance in the Coolmore Stud Little Big Bear Stakes at Cork. Runner-up in a Leopardstown trial earlier in the season and a participant in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh, she returned to seven furlongs to post a clear-cut victory that has prompted connections to pursue Group-level opportunities in France.
Return to seven furlongs brings a different profile
Trained by Daniel McLoughlin and ridden by Ben Coen, Magny Cours was sent off at reasonable odds in a competitive renewal and pulled clear of her rivals by a comfortable margin. The performance underlined that the filly is better suited to seven furlongs than a mile, a view that shaped the decision to bypass further mile contests such as the Matron Stakes in favour of stepping up to high-class seven-furlong events.
Having run prominently in juvenile company in France last year, connections note her previous experience on the continent as a factor in considering the Prix de la Forêt at ParisLongchamp. With that race staging on the first Sunday of October as part of the Arc meeting, it represents a high-profile late-season target on suitable ground over her preferred trip.
Trainer reports and seasonal plan
McLoughlin has indicated that the filly has physically strengthened over the summer and is progressing into her campaign. The decision to steer clear of some mile assignments reflects an assessment that seven furlongs best suits her racing style and that the Foret offers an attractive end-of-season objective, even if it requires taking on colts and older horses.
The combination of distance, track characteristics and her prior experience in France all contributed to the plan to contest the Prix de la Forêt, where connections hope she can produce another peak performance on a big racing day.
Supporting feature: Likedbymike lands Abergwaun Stakes
The undercard at Cork produced a Listed success for Likedbymike in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Abergwaun Stakes. Trained by Michael Byrne and ridden by Colin Keane, Likedbymike justified favourite status to secure the neck verdict, giving Byrne a notable result on a day when his yard landed a Listed prize.
Byrne indicated that the filly had benefitted from a break earlier in the season and that connections will consider a fillies’ Listed engagement at the Curragh in the coming weeks as the next step. The immediate plan is to build on the confidence gained from the Listed win and map a route through the autumn programme consistent with the filly’s progression.
Festival implications and context
Magny Cours’ projected trip to Paris adds an international dimension to her profile, linking a strong Irish summer campaign with a potential autumn appearance on one of Europe’s biggest racing stages. For followers of the Guineas generation, her shift in trip from a mile to seven furlongs highlights how connections tailor campaigns as horses mature and reveals the strategic choices facing trainers balancing domestic pattern races with marquee continental opportunities.
At the same time, the Listed uncovering of Likedbymike at Cork underscores the importance of late-summer and autumn targets for fillies who may progress through Listed and Group company as they build towards the end of the season. Both performances will be noted by handicappers and pattern race planners as entries are made for major autumn meetings across Britain, Ireland and France.
Connections of Magny Cours will now turn their attention to logistics and entries for ParisLongchamp, aiming to position the filly for a competitive showing on Arc Sunday should she take up her engagement in October.
