Prix de l’Abbaye and Prix Couvert potentially on cards for Tees Spirit.
Derby Dash winner Tees Spirit is being aimed at two prestigious races at ParisLongchamp, but one might come too soon.
The four-year-old, who took his tally of wins this season to five after claiming the Abergwaun Stakes last time out, is entered in the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp in early October and the Prix Couvert on September 11.
Trainer Adrian Nicholls believes the Prix de l'Abbaye is the more likely of the two races, a contest that eluded him during his time in the saddle.
"He's in the Abbaye so we may take our chance in that. We could go somewhere before, but it might come a little bit quickly," he said.
"He's in the Prix Couvert in France, the Abbaye trial, but it might come round a little quick.
"He's a horse that I know is better fresh and his last two runs have come pretty quickly, so it might be a good idea to freshen him up and go straight to the Abbaye."
It would be no mean feat if Nicholls is to replicate his father Dandy Nicholls, who trained Continent to win the Arc day sprint in 2002. However, the Yorkshire handler is willing to roll the dice for Tees Spirit's final outing of the season and he believes the son of Swiss Spirt will be campaigning in all of the recognised sprinting contests in 2023.
"The track will definitely suit," he continued. "The ground will be a bit of an unknown because lets be honest who knows what the ground is going to be.
"Usually it is mostly soft and he's won with cut in the ground in the past. Whether he'll be as effective on real soft ground is an unknown, but it will be his last run of the season, so we'll give it a try and if he doesn't like it he doesn't like it.
"Next year I think he's going to be a force to be reckoned with and he's progressing nicely all the time. He's mixed it with the best handicappers in the Dash and he's mixed it with some of the best in Ireland as well so he's clearly progressing.
"I would say he's going to be very high in the handicap now, so I would think he'll start somewhere like the Palace House and all of those sort of races come to mind for him."
