David Menuisier’s Heartache Tonight will seek soft ground as she returns from a brief break at the height of summer.

The three-year-old is an own sister to the stable’s former star Wonderful Tonight, a multiple Group One winner who also ran in the colours of Christopher Wright.

Wright and Andy MacDonald jointly own Heartache Tonight, who won her sole two-year-old start and then kicked off this season with a third-placed run in the Group Three Prix Cleopatre at Chantilly.

A good fourth, beaten only a length and a half, followed in the Group One Prix Saint-Alary, after which she headed to Epsom for the Oaks as a 28-1 shot.

There she ran a gallant race and led for a spell before losing ground two furlongs from home and eventually finishing sixth on ground quicker than ideal.

Connections have given her an easier time since but she is limbering up to run again and has a range of entries on both sides of the Channel.

After incredibly wet weather the ground is drying again, however, and Menuisier will seek cut in the turf when he decides which race to target.

“Heartache Tonight is absolutely fine, she’s had a break and is back in training,” he said.

“She’s entered on Sunday in the Prix Minerve at Deauville, but we’re looking at the weather forecast and I’m not sure if there’s enough rain for the weekend.

“She’s also in on the 19th (of August) in the Prix De Pomone at Deauville and possibly also in the Galtres at York and the Yorkshire Oaks.

“We’re not too sure where she’s going next, where the rains falls in an ideal world!”

Of the Epsom run he added: “She ran really well considering how quick the ground was.

“She had them pretty stretched out at the bottom of the hill and then the ground was just too quick for her to quicken again, but it was a very good display and I was really happy with her.”

David Menuisier will keep the Goodwood door ajar for Heartache Tonight, although the talented filly is more likely to run in France next month.

The Pulborough-based trainer has left the daughter of Recorder in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes, although as she builds up to a possible Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe tilt, the three-year-old is being primed for a return to action at Deauville.

Owned by Chris Wright and Andy MacDonald, Heartache Tonight was a close-up fourth to Jannah Rose in the Group One Prix-Saint Alary at ParisLongchamp in May, before finishing sixth to Soul Sister in the Oaks.

Menuisier stated that he would then give her a summer break and look towards the autumn, but she was handed a surprise entry for a possible step up to a mile and three-quarters for the Group Two Lillie Langtry on August 5.

However, Menuisier insists it is only a speculative option and said: “We put her in the race just to have a look at it, but without any real interest at the moment.

“It wouldn’t be a target as such. Unless circumstances turn really favourable, it wouldn’t really be on the radar. We have kept her in to have a look, but we’ve no real interest.

“The circumstances would be softer ground and if the field was absolutely shattered and then you wouldn’t have to maybe think about it.

“It goes without staying she should stay, there is a lot of prize money and it would be an interesting race to win. That’s why we have kept her in.”

Heartache Tonight also holds an entry in the Yorkshire Oaks later next month, but the trainer is favouring a Group Three contest over an extended mile and a half for her return.

Menuisier added: “The main target would be to come back in the Prix Minerve at Deauville on August 13.”

David Menuisier is confident a step up in trip can help Heartache Tonight hit the big time when she races in the UK for the first time in the Betfred Oaks on Friday.

A €160,000 purchase as a yearling, she is a half-sister to two-time Group One-winner Wonderful Tonight, Menuisier’s former stable star.

The daughter of Recorder now has the chance to step out of her sibling’s shadow and she heads to Epsom with an encouraging book of form in France to her name, placing in the Prix Cleopatre and beaten less than two lengths when a close-up fourth in the Prix Saint-Alary last time out.

Despite bringing that Group One form to the table, Heartache Tonight is still available for the Oaks at odds as big as 33-1.

But her handler is not fussed by her outsider status, with Cristian Demuro set to continue his association with the filly having ridden her in all three starts so far.

“I don’t mind being overlooked, that is the story of my life, but it won’t stop her from running well,” said Menuisier.

“It was a great effort in the Prix Saint-Alary and she has been craving the step up to a mile and a half. We decided to keep her at one-mile-two to try to gain more experience and more tactical speed and we are delighted so far.

“Cristian Demuro will come and ride. We get on well and he’s our go-to man when we go to France. He absolutely loves the filly and the schedule wasn’t too busy for him, so he’s really delighted to keep the ride on her.”

So far, all of Heartache Tonight’s appearances have come on ground described as soft or slower, but Menuisier is hopeful she might not be as ground dependant as her illustrious mud-loving half-sister ahead of her bid for Classic honours.

“We’re just hoping the ground isn’t too quick, we’re hoping for genuine good ground,” continued Menuisier.

“She seems different to the half-sister – she was really designed for soft ground and had a very high knee action.

“Heartache tonight is a bit more elegant, she moves much better, so we like to believe she might not need it as soft. Obviously she will handle soft/heavy conditions later in the year probably better than most, but if she could handle quicker ground then that is a definite plus.”

The handler also feels her performance in the Prix Saint-Alary shows she has the potential to match Wonderful Tonight’s achievements on track.

Menuisier added: “At the moment she is showing the right signs and is a little bit above Wonderful Tonight as she would have been unable to perform good over one-mile-two at Group One level in the spring.

“So whether the finished article will be ahead of the sister, it would be lovely to think so, but she has a serious challenge ahead of her, so we will see.”