Boeuf off the menu as French prepare for Royal Ascot feast

Dominique Boeuf, heavily criticised for his rides on Shake the Yoke in the French 1,000 Guineas and on Helissio in the French Derby, has lost the mounts on both in Group One events next week. Olivier Peslier takes over from Boeuf on the Elie Lellouche-trained Shake The Yoke in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, while Cash Asmussen will ride Helissio, also Lellouche-trained, in the Grand Prix Prix de Paris on Sunday week.

There may also be a jockey change for Ashkalani, who spearheads the French challenge in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes and is due to have some fine-tuning today when he will work at Chantilly. Gerald Mosse, Ashkalani's regular partner, will know tomorrow whether his appeal against a four- day ban picked up last Sunday is successful. Michael Kinane is primed to take over. Other possible French runners at Ascot are Nononito (Gold Cup, Fort Nottingham (King Edward VII Stakes), Tulipa (Ribblesdale Stakes) and Titus Livius (King's Stand Stakes).