The 100th Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Could Be an All-Time Classic
The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s most prestigious all-aged horse race, is just over a fortnight away. This year marks the 100th renewal of the 2,400-kilometer contest that is traditionally staged on the first Sunday of October at Paris’ Longchamp Racecourse. With a star-studded line-up, the 2021 edition has the makings of an all-time classic.
Adayar: Can the Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes winner add the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to his CV? ©BritishChampionSeries
Last weekend many pieces of the l’Arc de Triomphe jigsaw fell into place. The winners – and in some cases also-rans – of the St Leger, Irish Champion Stakes and three recognized Arc trails at Longchamp can now all be placed into the picture.
Hurricane and Adayar on the Right Path
At Doncaster on Saturday Hurricane Lane was a comfortable winner of the St Leger. Victory in the one-mile-six-furlong classic race took his career record to six wins from seven starts. Hurricane Lane’s only defeat came in the Derby when stablemate Adayar proved too strong.
Adayar went on to frank the Derby form by taking the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot. However, he missed an intended outing on Sunday with an infection in his hind leg.
Taking stock after the St Leger victory trainer Charlie Appleby told the waiting press: “Hurricane Lane has gone and won well there. We’ll let the dust settle and see how he comes out of it then start to formulate plans.”
Turning his attention to Adayar, Godolphin’s private trainer added: “He missed a couple of gallops and missed this weekend but he’s back on song and looked great this morning. As it stands, at the moment, Adayar is the main Arc contender. I’d say we could just be looking towards Hurricane Lane joining him as well. Those are nice conversations to have!”
Tarnawa Favorite to Take Revenge on St Mark’s Basilica in Paris
45 minutes before Hurricane Lane’s St Leger romp St Mark’s Basilica had taken the Irish Champion Stakes in controversial circumstances. Winning his fifth consecutive start – all at Group 1 level – the Aidan O’Brien-trained horse drifted alarmingly throughout the closing stages of the Group 1 Leopardstown contest carrying a luckless Tarnawa out with him.
The stewards held an enquiry but could not decisively conclude the three-quarters of a length winning margin represented the distance Tarnawa had lost by being forced wide throughout the final furlong.
Form students did note Tarnawa, successful in last season’s Breeders’ Cup Turf, was held up a long way off the pace for much of the race. With this contest two-furlongs shorter than the l’Arc de Triomphe trip, and trainer Dermot Weld making no secret of the l’Arc de Triomphe being his star mare’s year-long target, it is no surprise she is the current favorite for Europe’s showpiece race.
Will the Sun Shine on Teona?
Last Sunday there were three recognized l’Arc de Triomphe trials all staged over the big-race 12-furlong (2,400-meters) trip: The Prix Niel, Prix Vermeille, and Prix Foy. None went the way the formbook suggested.
The biggest shock was the defeat of English and Irish Oaks heroine, Snowfall, at odds of 1/5. The filly was no match for the late-developing Teona. In the aftermath of the Prix Vermeille her trainer, Roger Varian, told Sky Sports Racing:
“I’m delighted, speechless really. Everything went smoothly. I thought Olivier [Peslier – jockey] did a great job on the filly and she settled well.”– Roger Varian, Racehorse trainer
Underlining his high opinion of his daughter of 2009 l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sea The Stars and her liking for fast ground Varian added:
“She showed what she can do, what she’s capable of. We’ve always had massive faith in this filly, and we were disappointed how the first half of the season went for us. I do think she’s a filly who appreciates a sound surface, so she’d want this sunshine to continue for another few weeks.”
Ballet off to Belmont
Teona leads inside the final furlong to lower the colors of Snowfall in the Prix Vermeille and put herself into the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe picture. @scoopdyga/France-Galop
Bubble Gift may have won the Prix Niel but, in scrambling home by a nose in a small field, bookmakers were unimpressed. The locally trained horse is a dismissive 50/1 in the current l’Arc de Triomphe betting lists.
Bolshoi Ballet was a late withdrawal from the Prix Niel due to a vaccination irregularity. The Irish-trained horse has now been rerouted to America and will contest Saturday’s $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont Park. It is unlikely Bolshoi Ballet will return from New York to run in Paris a fortnight later. Consequently, his current l’Arc de Triomphe odds are 66/1.
The most intriguing winner at Longchamp last Sunday was the Japanese-trained Deep Bond. Racing in Europe for the first time and bringing a moderate two-from-10 winning record to the contest, he made all and outstayed the Irish-trained Broome, a horse with solid credentials.
Will Chrono Provide Japan with a Genesis Moment?
Japan has repeatedly tried to capture the l’Arc de Triomphe and failed. They have finished second four times – in 1999 with El Condor Pasa, 2010 with Nakayama Festa, and both 2012 and 2013 with Orfevre.
In 2021 a second Japanese runner, Chrono Genesis, will give the country one of their best chances to date. The five-year-old mare is a multiple Grade 1 winner in her native Japan. In May she was a luckless second in Meydan’s Longines Dubai Sheema Classic. Encountering a troubled passage, she failed by just a neck to collar Mishriff.
With £11 million in banked earnings and a breathtaking victory in last month’s Juddmonte International Stakes, Mishriff is another l’Arc de Triomphe contender who could make his mark on Europe’s biggest race.
Connections are yet to finalize plans for their superstar with the Champion Stakes followed by the Breeders’ Cup or Japan Cup being a potential roadmap. However, they have not ruled out a tilt at the l’Arc de Triomphe. If Mishriff is confirmed for the race William Hill bookmakers will surely be forced to cut his current 14/1 quote to ribbons.
Current Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe ante-post prices: 3/1 Tarnawa; 7/2 Adayar; 5/1 Hurricane Lane; 11/2 Snowfall; 12/1 St Mark’s Basilica; 12/1 Chrono Genesis; 12/1 Teona; 14/1 Mishriff; 16/1 Deep Bond.
