It's unusual to find the €1,500,000 Prix du Jockey Club (2100 m.), France's equivalent of the Epsom Derby, being run in May instead of its customary slot of the first week of June. A glance at the date on which the race was contested during the last dozen years does not reveal any such occurrence, but that is how the chips have fallen this time. It would be tough to look through all the records back to 1836 but this writer ventures to suggest it has never happened in the past 50 years at least. Anyway, at 3:45 p.m. local on Sunday, May 31st, 14 colts are scheduled to line up at the start for the feature, the fourth race of an 8-event card, on the magnificent Chantilly racecourse, some 50 kms. north of Paris.

Last year's renewal of this prize fell to a British-trained runner (The Grey Gatsby), but none of that ilk is to be found amongst the acceptors this time around. All the runners are French-trained barring a trio entered by Ireland's globe-trotting Aidan O'Brien, who has yet to add this particular trophy to the glittering silverware on his mantelpiece. There is no "stand-out" participant and several of the runners are relatively lightly-raced improving types – winner-spotting will require judging which one is the most likely to progress.

One who will be missing from the line-up will be the high-strung Epicuris (by Rail Link), whose refusal to enter the starting stalls in the recognised classic trial, the Prix Greffulhe, saw trainer Criquette Head-Maarek once again summoning horse behavioural expert Nicolas Blondeau to work on the talented colt's fragile nerves. She was keen on having Blondeau, who has assisted the great Goldikova with her issues in the past, present at the start of the race, but this request was denied by the stewards under the rules. Hence Epicuris will pack his bags for Epsom instead, where Blondeau's presence at the gate is allowed. Incidentally, the Juddmonte standard-bearer successfully jumped out in a trial last week.

Ground conditions are not expected to play a major part in determining the result and the anticipated going will be "good".

A couple of unbeaten colts embellish the line-up and these are Qatar Racing's Prix Greffulhe winner, Sumbal (by Danehill Dancer), and Hspirit's Prix La Force victor, Silverwave (by Silver Frost). The former was being considered for a while for the Investec Derby, where he would have had to be supplemented at a cost of £75,000. That suggests connections, including trainer Francis Graffard, are quite sanguine about his chances and Andrea Azteni will jet in from England to guide the grey, who is ideally drawn in stall 5. A note of caution – at the time of writing it appears that there is still a small chance that he will defect to Epsom.

As Silverware has never disappointed, winning by open lengths at each of his four starts, he too has as good a chance as any. The team behind these successes consists of schooler Alain Couetil and rider Adrien Fouassier, both unfamiliar to many international fans of the sport, but that in no way detracts from the colt's appeal. In fact, a victory for the bay would provide a welcome boost to the ranks of the unheralded members of the racing fraternity.

At the other end of the bloodstock world in terms of name recognition are the Aga Khan and Alain De Royer-Dupre, respectively owner/breeder and trainer of Karaktar (by High Chaparral). Unbeaten at  both his efforts this term, including in the informative Prix Noailles, this colt is on the upgrade and is the current favourite, although not drawn favourably. One of the stars of the international jockey firmament, Christophe Soumillon, will be at the controls.  Earlier in the week, the Aga Khan's racing manager Georges Rimaud commented: "It will be interesting to see how he goes against better competition and in a bigger field."

With a sequence of five consecutive wins in his past performance records leading up to this race, War Dispatch (by War Front) must be respected. Jean-Claude Rouget has taken an unconventional route with the grey American-bred, successfully bringing him out of winter quarters as early as January (on the "all-weather" surface at Cagnes Sur Mer). A February repeat at that track was followed by a Group 3 triumph at Chantilly earlier this month; in fact, he is the only runner in the field with winning experiences at the home of the Prix du Jockey Club. Ioritz Mendizabal will ride.   

Juddmonte runners are always to be scrutinized when they turn up in classics and New Bay (by Dubawi) can certainly put his last runner-up effort in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains-French 2000 Guineas behind him and go one better here. After all, he is a ward of Andre Fabre, whose outstanding record includes three wins in the Prix du Jockey Club - Peintre Celebre (in 1997), Lope de Vega (in 2010) and Intello (in 2013). New Bay will have Vincent Cheminaud aboard – he will need to ride a tactical race from his wide draw if he has to make an impression.

That brings us to the Irish challengers. As mentioned in these columns before, the 2015 season has been a mixed one for Ballydoyle and several of O'Brien's fancied runners have flopped when expected to prevail. Highland Reel (by Galileo) has a fair number of lengths to make up on his initial unplaced effort this term if he is to have a say in affairs here and will try and do so under the guidance of Joseph O'Brien. Meanwhile, Ryan Moore has opted for Cape Clear Island (by Fastnet Rock), who will be making his fourth public appearance of 2015 and has found one better on the last couple of occasions but is not without a shot. War  Envoy (by War Front) will have Colm O'Donoghue hoping to pull off a surprise.