A BRILLIANT weekend of flat racing with the two-day Arc festival at Longchamp flanked by some competitive cards on the home front, headlined by Ascot, Newmarket and the main day of the year at Redcar.

Let’s start off in Paris and to be fair it’s always a tough call to give a confident selection for this meeting because of the disparity of the going descriptions with the French regularly getting it wrong.

This afternoon, if the going is truly good to soft as given (showers forecast yesterday through tomorrow morning) I fancy a huge run from TENNESSEE STUD (12.23) in the opening Qatar Prix Chaudinay over just shy of two miles.

Joseph O’Brien has always held this three-year-old in high regard and that view was backed up by a strong finishing third in the Betfred Derby at Epsom and a close up fourth in the Irish version, on both occasions the colt was just outpaced at a crucial stage in those Group One events before staying on well. This step up in trip looks a natural course to take and I fancy he can power home to beat stable mate Emit.

My other tip for day one of the meeting comes in the form of the lightly raced RIDARI (3.25) in the Group Two Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein. This son of Churchill has progressed throughout the season, but just hasn’t had his conditions or luck in the run, being caught behind a soft pace on a number of occasions before coming home in style when his conquerors had flown.

However, there is every reason to believe that there is a whole lot more pace in this contest and as long as Barzalona has him in the right place and we get the expected heavy showers I fancy the son of Churchill will have his rivals covered entering the distance with Andre Fabre’s Alcantor the biggest danger.

Barzalona should also get a real tune out of the progressive three-year-old Daryz in the feature race on Sunday, the Qatar Prix De L’Arc de Triomphe (3.05) and I shall be having a saver at double figure odds on this unlucky in running second in the Prix Prince D’Orange, set to reverse that form with Japanese raider Croix du Nord upped to a mile and a half for the first time in his career. However, I think that both of them could find the filly MINNIE HAUK too hot to handle. These two are drawn next door to each other in stalls one and two so may have to use up a bit of petrol early on to garner a good position. That may well suit the selection more than the colt as she needs to race prominently. I feel she is more of a grinder than a quickener and I want to see her in the first four all the way around before Christophe Soumillon asks her to go about her business from at least three furlongs out and take the finishing kick out of the equation for a number of his rivals.

Back to today and Redcar’s William Hill Two-Year-Trophy doesn’t seem to have an awful lot of strength in depth to it this year. With plenty of rain that was expected Thursday through yesterday and this morning the ground looks sure to be very testing which will definitely be in the favour of recent winner Ayr Ardisia who relished the soft ground that day. He needs to take another step forward here, but that is entirely possible. The nod though goes the way of the bay filly ISLE OF FERNANDEZ (3.20) at a double-figure price. She too seems best with plenty of give and from her low draw in five can take up her normal prominent position and looks a huge player.

This year’s renewal of the Straight Mile Handicap Final at 4.30 doesn’t look as competitive as normal and with my ante-post fancy having been taken out of the race I have decided to fall back on side with LEADENHALL who has been threatening to win a race of this nature all season. A winner off a mark of 78 at Haydock in August, the selection has been kept busy since then with his most eye-catching effort coming two outings back on soft ground at Ayr when a never nearer sixth of 14 beaten a shade over five lengths by Thunder Roar. As long as there is plenty of pace on here, I can see this five-year-old going close to landing this nice pot.

Like his sire, Farhh, VOLTERRA (3.56) loves to get his toe into the ground so plenty of rain would do him a service in the Listed Guisborough Stakes over seven furlongs. I expect Shane Gray to pop his partner out quick style and try to run his rivals into the ground with that round action ploughing through the turf.

Over at Ascot, the going should be on the soft side of good and that should suit TWILIGHT JET (4.10) returning to his best distance of five furlongs after not getting involved in a couple of class two six furlong handicaps here and at Goodwood. The handicapper has dropped him 5lbs for those down the field performances and he just gets the nod over Rosario (knocking on the door for Roger Teal) and Harvanna.

The BetMGM Challenge Cup Handicap over seven furlongs is the big betting race on the card and Native Warrior looks sure to go close to supplementing his late rush victory over the course and distance last month in the Schweppes Handicap. However, he is fully 8lbs higher here and will need everything to drop right again under Jamie Spencer from off the pace. The third home that day, Mirabeau, has a chance of reversing those placings with a nice pull in the weights, but an even better play at double figure odds could come in the form of the well handicapped outsider APIARIST (3.35). Well backed to win at Ayr last time out, he made a promising mover three furlongs out and then faded when behind Thunder Roar. His trainer said the tacky ground was to blame that day, but with showers forecast throughout this afternoon that should not be the case here and he has a solid turn around in the weights to make him a very interesting each-way play at huge odds.

A repeat of his fifth in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot would make KERDOS (1.50) a massive player in the BetMGM Rouse Stakes, while CATHEDRAL (2.40) may cause a minor shock in the Group One BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. She was behind one of her rivals here, Fallen Angel, in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown and should have come forward from that run following a two-month break and will be suited to this stiff mile.