Zarigana heads France’s defence of ParisLongchamp’s Classic double bill on Sunday (11 May) against a powerful raiding party from England and Ireland.

While Zarigana is hot favourite for the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (1600m), the French 1000 Guineas, the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (1600m), the French 2000 Guineas, is wide open.

Master Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, out of luck in the English Guineas last weekend, is three-handed in the Poulains, his team led by Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro.

John Gosden, who trains with his son Thady, is looking to Detain to make up for the disappointment of Field Of Gold’s controversial defeat in the G1 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Newmarket.

Godolphin, who hoovered up four Classics in the space of 24 hours last weekend, counts on Aomori City to keep the good times rolling.

The main home hope in the colts’ 1600m Classic is Ridari who, like Zarigana runs in the iconic green and red colours of the Aga Khan Studs.

Victory for either, or indeed Mandanaba, who is owned by Princess Zahra Aga Khan, would lend an air of poignancy to the day following the death of her father, Aga Khan IV, in February.

Zarigana looks the real deal as she aims to emulate her grand-dam Zarkava who, like Zarigana, landed the G3 Prix de la Grotte (1600m) Classic trial and then claimed the Pouliches.

While it may be asking too much for Zarigana to match Zarkava’s achievements in going on to win the G1 Prix de Diane (2100m) and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m), her trainer believes she has a sprinkling of stardust about her. 

"She races in a slightly unusual style, carrying her head quite high, and she has this stride that makes her so powerful.

"Then, she can turn on the turbo chargers when she quickens up," trainer Francis Graffard said referring to Mickael Barzalona’s ride.

Don’t expect her to arrive on the scene until the final stages.

"Such is her ability to accelerate she can’t hit the front too early so she’ll be the last to attack," Graffard said, who is leading France’s trainers’ championship and who won the Pouliches last year with the Aga Khan’s Rouhiya.

Her unbeaten stablemate Mandanaba is two from two, stating her case for Classic glory in the G3 Prix Vanteaux (1800m) with a Listed Stakes winner in second.

Another hoping to spoil Zarigana’s big day is Better Together, trained by the legendary Andre Fabre and winner of the G3 Prix Imprudence (1400m) Classic trial in Deauville.

"She’s an interesting filly. She makes hard work of it, she doesn’t travel and she’s the first one off the bridle. But you always think she’s going to get there and she always seems to," said the Juddmonte owners’ racing manager Barry Mahon.

O’Brien has multiple runners, including Exactly, who finished half a length behind Zarigana when the pair filled second and third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac over course and distance last October.

In the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Ridari emerged as the chief French contender when landing the key recognised trial, the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau (1600m), but dangers from beyond France’s borders abound.

Such as O’Brien’s Henri Matisse who threaded his way through the field in courageous fashion to land the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m) at Del Mar in November, and won his preparation race for this Classic test over 1427m six weeks ago.

However, he came unstuck on his last trip to ParisLongchamp, finishing fifth to stablemate Camille Pissarro in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1400m) on Arc weekend.

Juddmonte’s Jonquil, who will be ridden by Oisin Murphy and is trained by in-form Andrew Balding, tuned up with an eye-catching win in the G3 Greenham Stakes (1400m) at Newbury last month.

The same silks are carried by Colin Keane aboard Detain, with John Gosden commenting: "He’s in good form and I think the track will suit him."

Others for the short list are Group 1 winner Hotazhell, representing the powerful Irish stable of Jessica Harrington, Graffard-trained Sahlan, and Misunderstood, who is aiming to land successive wins for Mario Baratti after Metropolitan’s success 12 months ago.