Mogul, Anthony Van Dyck Could Target Arc De Triomphe After Weekend Victories

This Sunday ParisLongchamp was hosting to Qatar Arc Trials day. Just three weeks before Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, three separate events give us some clues before the big day.

• In the three-year-old colts division, the Irish-trained Mogul made a huge impression when dominating the field in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1).

• The distaff division saw another success for the Irish as Tarnawa took the Qatar Prix Vermeille, carrying the prestigious colours of HH The Aga Khan and ridden to perfection by adopted Frenchman Christophe Soumillon.

• And in the older horse division, they contested the Qatar Prix Foy… yet another Irish winner thanks to the mighty Anthony Van Dyck.

The betting for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe following Sunday's racing :

  • Love Ireland 6/4
  • Enable England 2/1
  • Magical Ireland 12/1
  • Ghaiyyath England 14/1
  • Mishriff England 14/1
  • Tiger Moth Ireland 14/1
  • Stradivarius England 16/1
  • Mogul Ireland 20/1
  • Raabihah France 20/1
  • Sottsass France 20/1

JUDDMONTE GRAND PRIX DE PARIS

Irish-trained Mogul (Galileo) landed the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris in impressive style. Keeping it in the family: Mogul's full brother Japan himself was an outstanding winner of this very race last season!

Mogul gave his trainer Aidan O'Brien a third consecutive win in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris, having been successful with Japan in 2019 and Kew Gardens – another son of the world-famous stallion Galileo – in 2018.

Always faithful to his team, but owing to the restrictions in place due to Covid-19, Aidan O'Brien called up crack French jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot to take the ride Mogul. Pierre-Charles, nicknamed “PC” by his fans, actually won his very first Group 1 (race at the highest level) of his career in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris when riding a horse owned by the same connections, Gallante, trained by André Fabre, back in July 2014.

Mogul hasn't had the perfect career and doesn't have a solid string of successes to his name, unlike some of the champions trained by Aidan O'Brien. But he has always been held in very high regard by his connections and was regularly chosen as the number one choice for Coolmore by the stable jockey.

Having only finished 6th in the Epsom Derby in July 2020, Mogul finally claimed his first Group 1 success in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris and is now amongst the favourites for next month's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Pierre-Charles Boudot, jockey of Mogul (1st) :

« His trainer really was confident. When I had him on the phone before the course he explained to me that he was a horse that needed to be held up a bit, but had a huge turn of foot and that the longer I could wait, the better, as he doesn't do too much in front. There was no pressure and I let the others do the work. The pace was nice and constant. Turning in I had a feeling that I was going to get a run down the rail and the horse just picked them off one by one, he gave me his all just to the line, he was perfect. When I saw the pacemaker was still four or five lengths clear I knew that I would have plenty of time to make my move as he came back to me, the perfect scenario.

Coolmore is one of the biggest breeding operations in the world and it is always a pleasure, and honour to ride and to win for them. We will see if I get the ride on him in the Arc, it should be interesting! »

Mogul could find himself amongst the line-up for Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. But there is a chance Pierre-Charles Boudot may not be able to ride him and may have to side with Persian King (Kingman)recent impressive winner of the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Francis-Henri Graffard, trainer of In Swoop (2nd) :

« Before the race, I would have been happy with second place, that's a great run. We were worried that he might have been found out for a bit of speed. He just keeps grafting away and Ronan knows him, he knows to keep after him. Just as I was hoping, he has finished off really strongly. Two weeks ago I would have never thought that he would have come here in such good condition, he takes his work well. I kept him going in strong work throughout the summer, he is very straightforward and willing. I think a softer ground would play to his strengths. He holds an entry in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr1), the Qatar Prix Chaudenay (Gr2) and the Grosser Preis von Bayern (Gr1): I will have a discussion with the owners and we will come to a decision »

The horse should run in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

QATAR PRIX VERMEILLE

After Mogul's victory in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris, Ireland took a second Group 1 of the day at ParisLongchamp – the Qatar Prix Vermeille – thanks to Tarnawa (Shamardal), a filly owned by HH The Aga Khan and ridden by Christophe Soumillon.

Having been held up towards the rear of mid-division, the filly coasted through the field as they took the 'false homestretch' towed along by the O'Brien-trained Laburnum (Galileo). She then showed a lightning turn of foot to devour long time leader Dame Malliot (Champs Elysées) who set the early fractions under Frankie Dettori, his favourite position!

Tarnawa went on to cross the winning line with a healthy three-length margin over her rivals..

Today, Tarnawa – a well-bred compact filly bursting with a devastating turn of foot –could easily have reminded us of a certain Zarkava, the second last winner of the Vermeille for HH The Aga Khan…

The French-trained favourite for the race, Raabihah (Sea The Stars) finished strongly and got the better of Dame Malliot in the battle for second place having been sat in the last place as the field turned into the home straight.

Mark Weld, assistant to his father Dermot Weld, trainer of Tarnawa (1st) :

« She is a marvellous filly. The Prix Vermeille is a very, very prestigious race and she needed to be good to win there. S.he has lots of speed and class and deserves a Group 1 win She was very impressive when winning a Group 2 au Curragh last year, just like last month in a Group 3 at Cork. We have a lot of hopes for her and she is very straightforward. The whole family have got better with age, particularly the females. She is a pleasure to train and we are very lucky to have her. I have just spoken to my father and we will have a look at the next step, she holds an entry in the Prix de l'Opéra (Groupe 1), and she is comfortable over 2.000m, so that's a possibility”

The filly therefore will not take part in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Christophe Soumillon, jockey of Tarnawa (1st) :

« When I saw Cristian taking back on the favourite early on I wasn't expecting that. He normally rides her quite offensively and I was planning on taking a lead off her. So I said to myself, that not to worry, I will take another position. Frankie Dettori stayed a long time out in the middle and when I saw that it was going to bunch up I spotted Pierre-Charles Boudot up ahead in third. So I wheeled out from behind Vincent Cheminaud and took a leadoff Pierre-Charles. He brought me along perfectly into the final few furlongs. After that I only had to ask her to go about her work, it's a pleasure to ride one like that in a good race, always in my hands. We have been waiting for that for a while and its great! For the Arc, we will need to sit down and have a talk, it's a hot race this year and it's certainly not the same level as today. It's the world championships, with 18 or 20 runners, things don't happen as easily as they did today. We will have to see. She is very nice and we will have fun for the remainder of the year”

Jean-Claude Rouget, trainer of Raabihah (2nd) :

“She ran well, but now she is against tougher rivals. She is changing category, she has proved that she is the best three-year-old filly in France. We will see how she is over the next two weeks, but if she is well in herself she will run in the Arc”

QATAR PRIX FOY

The Irish Anthony Van Dyck (Galileo) set out to make every post a winning one in the Qatar Prix Foy (Group 2). Sent straight to the lead, he went on to fend off all challengers up the home straight. The win meant that the Irish secured a perfect three from three in the preparation races for next month's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Group 1).

His biggest rival, Stradivarius (Sea the Stars), was a persistent challenger. But for the long-distance specialist, today's 2.400m trip meant that he couldn't show his true quality.

Mickaël Barzalona, jockey of Anthony Van Dyck (1st) :

“We jumped off easily and I found myself in front, I left him to find a rhythm and let him go along bit by bit. I had a bit of trouble getting him to stretch out at the finish but once he sensed the attack of Stradivarius he pulled away again. I wasn't too worried because Stradivarius, as we see each time, makes up ground easily but sometimes gets caught for a bit of acceleration. He never comes in progression, getting a lead from the others. Turning in I gave him a breather before winding him up, I think my horse enjoyed that! In my opinion, he has every right to a place at the start of the Arc. He gets into a good rhythm and just keeps galloping in a straight and true line”

Bjorn Nielsen, owner and breeder of Stradivarius (1er) :

“ They have walked there and Frankie though he should have gone in front. The race has turned into a sprint and we were only beaten a neck. I don't know if he will run in the Arc, i need to speak with John Gosden but given how that race was run I wouldn't rule it out. The ground conditions on the day will not play a huge part, he goes better on good ground but can handle soft if needed”

Stradivarius could run in the Arc.

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Enable Clash Headlines Saturday Action

Khalid Abdullah’s Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will bid to break new ground on Saturday in the 70th and certainly one of the strangest editions of the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. ever witnessed.

Ascot’s midsummer showcase may be lacking in diversity and numbers, even more so after Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was withdrawn Friday, but it will be a fascinating encounter to witness, with the Juddmonte queen looking for an astounding 11th victory at this level. Her Galileo-sired opponents Sovereign (Ire) and Japan (GB) have a mere four successes in this company to boast of between them and regardless of their quality, it will rank as one of the race’s bigger upsets if she surrenders her crown. John Gosden has said it all in the lead-up and it is down to the mare and her greatest admirer Frankie Dettori now.

“She still has that exuberance she had as a 3-year-old, but she is older and has grown a little wiser,” he commented. “I see all of the mental strength and wanting to do it still there with her. She’s more measured about it now, that’s probably the best way of putting it.”

With Sovereign having punished his peers from the front in last year’s G1 Irish Derby on a Curragh track predisposed to bold front-runners, it will be a turn-up if William Buick does not attempt to repeat the antics on Saturday.

In a precursor to the recent Epsom success of Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the chestnut slammed Anthony Van Dyck by six lengths in that Classic prior to that 2019 G1 Epsom Derby hero running a distant 10th in this contest.

Interestingly, Japan’s sole outing over this track and trip came when winning the G2 King Edward VII S. impressively at last year’s Royal meeting. Only fourth in the June 17 G1 Prince of Wales’s S. on his return to this venue, he improved markedly to finish a head behind Enable when third in the July 5 G1 Eclipse S. at Sandown and it is not implausible that he could have progressed again in the interim. Ryan Moore has picked last year’s G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Juddmonte International winner and he looks Ballydoyle’s closing act in a tactical conundrum.

“Everyone knows that Enable is the one to beat and no one is going to argue that she shouldn’t be a short-priced favourite to win her third King George, which would be some feat and a measure of how good she is,” Moore commented. “Sure, she wasn’t at her best behind Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) on her return in the Eclipse, but you would have thought they would have been pretty pleased with her there as a 6-year-old having her first start in over nine months. But she has been beaten in her last two starts, time catches up with us all and that gives us all hope, especially when the opposition here is as good as it is. You have a six-length Irish Derby winner in Sovereign, a Derby winner in Anthony Van Dyck, who is very capable, indeed, when getting decent ground and my mount Japan.

He continued, “Japan’s best form to date came in his Juddmonte victory over an extended mile and a quarter, but he clearly gets a mile and a half well and I was very happy with his third in the Eclipse, just a head behind Enable. I’d like to think my horse comes in here with a career-best performance in him after his two runs this season and he has everything in his favour conditions-wise. That may not be good enough if Enable is at the level of her Yorkshire Oaks win last season, but we will give it a go.”

Aidan O’Brien was bullish about Japan’s chances on Friday. “The first day at Ascot, he got upset in the stalls and missed the break, then he got a little tired, but we were happy. We were delighted with him at Sandown and we felt he would progress big time for it,” he said. “Everything about his work since has been very good and we are where we hoped he would be. We always had it in our minds this would be Japan’s first big target. We’ve run lots of horses against Enable but we’re always trying to compete, that’s what everybody loves. It’s great having strong competition, so it’s great Enable is there. It will be Enable and Frankie and Japan and Ryan, so it will be some spectacle. The two horses and the two lads, we’re looking forward to it. The reality is it’s like one of those old matches. It’s on a great track, a stiff mile and a half, so it should be great.”

The King George is a Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In” qualifier for the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland in November.

Elsewhere, Shadwell’s TDN Rising Star Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) bids for back-to-back wins in the G2 Sky Bet York S. following a failed try at a mile and a half in the Hardwicke. Third and possibly unlucky in the G1 Juddmonte International in August, the 5-year-old appears to appreciate the Knavesmire but has questions to answer after two below-par runs in his last three.

“I would need to go back and have a proper look at what he beat in the race last year, but I know we had Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) a few lengths behind us in second and I’m not sure there’s anything of his quality in the race on Saturday,” Charlie Johnston said. “We obviously didn’t run up to expectations in the Hardwicke. But he lost a shoe and I just think the race went against him–they went hard early and it turned into a war of attrition over a mile and a half, which possibly didn’t suit him.”

Hughie Morrison pitches Castle Down Racing’s Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) into battle, with last year’s G2 Dante S. scorer having enjoyed a confidence boost when successful in the G3 La Coupe at ParisLongchamp June 25. Previously, he had been third when Elarqam was runner-up to Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. at Haydock June 7 and he remains relatively unexposed.

“We have quite a bit to find with Elarqam on ratings and a bit to find with Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}) and Regal Reality (GB) (Intello {Ger}). Hopefully he can prove everyone wrong and show he’s the best horse in the race.”

Ascot’s supporting card sees the Listed BetfredTV Pat Eddery S. host a clash between Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s July 4 Woodcote S. winner Twaasol (GB) (Adaay {Ire}) and Al Shaqab Racing’s June 20 G2 Coventry S. third Saeiqa (GB) (Shalaa {Ire}). Twaasol is trained by Owen Burrows, who said, “We’ve been very happy with him since Epsom and this is the natural progression for him. It looks as if the step up to seven furlongs will suit him. It looks a good race and we should learn a bit more about him, hopefully.”

At Gowran Park, the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Vintage Tipple S. sees the return of a potential star stayer in The Aga Khan’s Kastasa (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) who signed off 2019 with a seven-length success in The Curragh’s G3 Loughbrown S. in September.

Anthony Van Dyck Withdrawn…

Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), who was to be one of three sons of Galileo (Ire) to tackle two-time defending champion Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in Saturday’s G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot, has been declared from the race by trainer Aidan O’Brien.

“We weren’t 100 per cent happy with Anthony Van Dyck’s bloods when they came back this evening and as a result we’re not going to run him at Ascot tomorrow. It’s disappointing but we have to do the right thing by the horse.”

The 2016 G1 Investec Derby hero was set to have his third run of the season Saturday, having finished runner-up to Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Coronation Cup at Newmarket June 5 before finishing a disappointing fifth over unsuitably soft ground in the G2 Hardwicke S. at the Royal meeting two weeks later.

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Anthony Van Dyck Out of King George, Two to Challenge Enable

Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), who was to be one of three Aidan O’Brien-trained sons of Galileo (Ire) to tackle two-time defending champion Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in Saturday’s G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot, has been declared from the race.

“We weren’t 100 per cent happy with Anthony Van Dyck’s bloods when they came back this evening and as a result we’re not going to run him at Ascot tomorrow,” the conditioner told Racing Post. “It’s disappointing but we have to do the right thing by the horse.”

The 2016 G1 Investec Derby hero was set to have his third run of the season Saturday, having finished runner-up to Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Coronation Cup at Newmarket June 5 before finishing a disappointing fifth over unsuitably soft ground in the G2 Hardwicke S. at the Royal meeting two weeks later.

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Enable Has Come Forward Since Eclipse, Will Face Three Ballydoyle Rivals In Saturday’s King George

Superstar Enable will face three rivals in her bid to win an historic third King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The champion racemare began her 2020 campaign with a second-place finish to Ghaiyyath in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse.

“I was very clear with everyone before Sandown that she had found it difficult to get to racing fitness since she is now a 6-year-old mare,” trainer John Gosden told racingpost.com. “She is a big powerful lady and certainly not of the neater, lighter-framed, type. She ran very well in the Eclipse and the race has had the desired effect of bringing her on.”

After declarations, only four runners stood their ground wit
h Enable taking on an Aidan O'Brien trio of Japan, Sovereign and 2019 Investec Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.

Ryan Moore will ride Japan, while Oisin Murphy picks up the mount on Anthony Van Dyck and William Buick will ride Sovereign.

Enable would become the only horse to win three King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes with herself (2017,2019), Swain (1997,1998) and Dahlia (1973,1974) all on two wins currently.

More history could be made as Enable's evergreen jockey Frankie Dettori bids to equal Lester Piggott's record of seven victories in the prestigious Group 1.

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