Weekend Winners: Fleur De Lys selections as L'Homme Presse faces Protektorat at Lingfield

The Weekend Winners team are back to preview Sunday's Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield, live on Sky Sports Racing.

Host Kate Tracey is joined by BetVictor's Sam Boswell and Declan Rix from attheraces.com to pick out their selections for the weekend's showpiece. They also look ahead to the Cheltenham Festival with some ante-post insights.

The class two affair sees six runners go to post over a two-mile-and-six-furlongs trip. Odds-on favourite L'Homme Presse is set to go up against Dan Skelton's Protektorat for the £85,850 prize fund in Surrey, weather permitting.

Kate Tracey…

"When you've got a horse that has had issues like L'Homme Presse has had throughout his career, one thing you can't be risking is having them only 80 per cent fit for their reappearance. That is something that I'm not too perturbed by whatsoever - you're asking for trouble if you're sending a horse that's had issues not 100 per cent fit.

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"The only time he's been beaten after a break was his career debut, which can be forgiven for any sort of horse. He's the highest-rated horse in here, yet because of the penalty structure he's still only carrying 11st 6lbs, so Protektorat is carrying 11st 10lbs and has 5lbs to find on L'Homme Presse from their official ratings.

Sam Boswell…

"You've got real quality in the race and the field. I kind of wanted to have a stab at a horse that is potentially still on the upgrade.

"Is Protektorat a bit of a spent force at nine? He doesn't feel like he'll ever fulfil his potential, I thought at one stage he would be a Gold Cup contender and was proven wrong.

"On his first start, it's all about getting L'Homme Presse back on track. I don't think he'll lose anything for not winning this."

Declan Rix…

"I'm with L'Homme Presse. I think it'll be great to have him back, but Sam is right to point out that he's coming back from a bit of an injury. I did go back and have a look at various stable tours at the start of the season. It sounds like it wasn't a serious injury, and they gave him all the time in the world.

"We shouldn't forget he's been entered up in quite a few races earlier in the season, the King George and Single Creeks, but it sounds like while he's been fit at home, he just hasn't been sparkling. I'm hoping connections are going to be rewarded for their patience.

"This guy won a rehearsal chase off 164 and was running a huge race in the King George in what was the very best of Bravemansgame. I went back and watched that race last night and it was a seriously good run given the amount of times he jumped left in the race, it was crazy.

"I think two miles and six furlongs is a good fit, the weights of the race are a good fit, as is going left-handed. Connections are clearly eyeing up the Gold Cup which is fair, but I'm surprised he wasn't left in the Ryanair given he was coming to maybe the end of his tether in the King George. They're going for gold and good on them."

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