Camille Pissarro flying the flag in France again for O’Brien

Aidan O’Brien is following Christophe Soumillon’s advice in sending Camille Pissarro for the Prix du Jockey Club this weekend.

The Belgian partnered the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner in the French Guineas earlier in the season, when he finished well to claim third behind stablemate Henri Matisse on his first run over a mile.

Ryan Moore will take over in the saddle, with the son of Wootton Bassett O’Brien’s number one contender this weekend as he steps up to 10 furlongs.

“He’s a lovely horse, a big, scopey horse with a good mind,” said O’Brien.

“Christophe rode him the last day and the minute he came in he said this should be his next race, so that is where he’s going.

“The French Guineas was his first time over a mile, so we weren’t really sure how far he would stay. As a two-year-old we weren’t even sure he’d get seven, but then he won the race on Arc day.

“He’s a lovely, straightforward horse who is a good traveller so this will be interesting to see.

“We always thought he was better than he showed last year, but he just never showed up really.”

Each year O’Brien has a huge crop of regally-bred three-year-olds to split up between the Classics in Ireland, France and England and he gave some insight into that process.

He said: “We feel at Chantilly you need a miler that stays, that’s the way the French Derby is now over 10 furlongs. Before you’d need a classic middle-distance horse over a mile and a half. Now you need a miler than gets nine furlongs, I think – and might get a bit further.

“Over a mile and a half you used to have a bit more time to get into a rhythm.

“The Epsom horses, if you have a real good mile-and-a-quarter horse they might get away with a mile and a half there and then coming to the Curragh, it’s a bit more straightforward, but they need to get a mile and a half well.

“When looking at the Guineas horses for Newmarket and Longchamp you need a horse with plenty of speed.

“We try to divide them up, but we get it wrong loads of times, you just have to listen to the likes of Christophe and Ryan.

“I remember when St Mark’s (Basilica) won the French Guineas, he went back for the French Derby as a mile and a quarter was as far as he wanted. I know some of them go to the Arc, but you can get a slowly-run Arc.

“I would imagine Ryan would ride Camille, but I think Christophe is riding for someone else so I’m not sure whether Wayne (Lordan) will go over or some of our other riders.”