David Menuisier | Horse Racing Free Tips

Wonderful Tonight To Visit Frankel

Chris Wright's dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) will visit champion sire Frankel (GB) for her first covering this year, trainer David Menuisier reported on Twitter on Monday. The 5-year-old mare has joined Wright's broodmare band at his Stratford Place Stud in the Cotswolds.

A winner at two, Wonderful Tonight rose through the ranks at three, winning the G3 Prix Minerve in August of 2020 before winding up the season with a Group 1 double in the Prix de Royallieu and the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S.

Kicking off a 4-year-old campaign last year aimed at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Wonderful Tonight won Royal Ascot's G2 Hardwicke S. and Glorious Goodwood's G2 Lillie Langtry S. before finishing fourth in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. Wright and Menuisier's Arc dreams were dashed when Wonderful Tonight suffered a condylar fracture in training three weeks out from the race and was retired.

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Wonderful Tonight Injured, Retired

Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), whose six victories included wins in last year's G1 Prix de Royallieu and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and this year's G2 Hardwicke S. and G2 Lillie Langtry S., has been retired after suffering a condylar fracture of a fetlock on Friday morning.

Christopher Wright's 4-year-old filly had been an intended runner in Sunday's G2 Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp as a stepping stone toward the Oct. 3 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, trainer David Menuisier's goal since her Royallieu win.

“She did her final piece of work this morning and was due to go tomorrow morning first thing to France,” said Menuisier. “She cooled down fine and it wasn't until two and a half hours later that she couldn't put her foot on the ground. The vets took an x-ray and she has a little condylar fracture in her fetlock, so it is game over.”

A €40,000 Arqana August yearling, Wonderful Tonight indicated her talent with a 2 1/2-length win in last August's G3 Prix Minerve. Fifth behind the eventual Breeders' Cup winner Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) in the G1 Prix Vermeille on her next start, Wonderful Tonight had 1 1/4 lengths over the classy Pista (American Pharoah) in the Royallieu before gliding over the soft ground at Ascot last October to best Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) by 2 1/2 lengths in the Fillies & Mares S. With Menuisier vocal all season about his plans to run Wonderful Tonight in the Arc, the filly indicated her wellness with wins in the Hardwicke and Lillie Langtry before checking in fourth in last month's G1 Yorkshire Oaks over ground dryer than ideal.

“It just shows how fragile they are,” Menuisier continued. “She was in great form and we were just waiting to see if they got any rain at Longchamp before we made the final decision–fate decided for us, really.

“I'm just thankful we had her for the time we did. I'm taking her to the hospital this afternoon and I'm just relieved we can save her. She'll be a lovely broodmare and that's all we can think of really–that and the good times that she gave us. Words fail me, they really do.”

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Olivier Peslier to Ride Wonderful Tonight in the Arc

Former French champion jockey Olivier Peslier will ride multiple Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October, her trainer David Menuisier announced on Tuesday. The regular rider of the bay is William Buick, who will most likely be aboard one of Godolphin's duo of Classic winners Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) or Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the ParisLongchamp cornerstone.

“I think he is one of the best in the business,” said Menuisier of the veteran Frenchman. “He has the experience on his side, and he's ridden the filly as a 2-year-old when he won on her at Saint-Cloud.

“The plan was to keep him on last year. But I think it was a fracture of the jaw that sidelined him, so when she went to Longchamp [initially for the Prix de Thiberville last July] I had to use somebody else.

“Tony Piccone rode her–and because he rode her well, we kept the continuity. But Tony Piccone has gone to Hong Kong, and won't be back until October–and we felt it would be better to use somebody who, first of all, won the Arc several times. He's also ridden [in France] all year, and knows Longchamp like the back of his hand.”

Added the trainer, who is hoping to use Peslier in Wonderful Tonight's Arc prep races too, “I've known Olivier for 10 years. He's a friend, and I trust him 110% to do the job. Who wouldn't be keen [to ride Wonderful Tonight]? She has a live chance–well, we feel she's a live chance, in the Arc. Obviously he's delighted to have been called up.”

The 4-year-old filly is riding a four-racing winning streak, having triumphed in the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. at Goodwood on July 31. Her winning thread started with a 1 1/4-length victory in the G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp on Arc Day and continued in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. on Oct. 17. Resuming at Royal Ascot, Wonderful Tonight added the G2 Hardwicke S. to her haul on June 19.

Although her next targets have not been confirmed, the Aug. 19 G1 Yorkshire Oaks is a possibility and Peslier is likely to be aboard Menuisier's star pupil regardless of which contest is selected.

“It's part of the plan,” added Menuisier. “He's made himself available to ride the filly wherever she goes.

“Thinking of the big one down the line, I think it would be good if he could have sat on her at least once and, in an ideal world, twice before the Arc.

“I don't want the filly to have too many hard battles before the big day–so she'll get to the race as fresh as she can, knowing that we're not having a summer break.”

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Le Havre’s Wonderful Tonight In Charge In The Lillie Langtry

After the rain missed Saturday's fast-ground G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., Goodwood had an abundance of it in the interim to ensure that things fell in the favour of the re-routed Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) ahead of Saturday's G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. Too keen early tracking the leader Makawee (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) on the soft going she needs, Christopher Wright's G1 Prix de Royallieu, G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G2 Hardwicke S. heroine was eventually allowed to stride to the front by William Buick approaching three out. Crossing to the stand's rail, the 4-5 favourite was clear with quarter of a mile remaining but in the end had to work to score by two lengths from the vastly-improved Tribal Craft (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), with the smart Albaflora (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) nine lengths away in third. “She is a lot stronger this year and has more speed, so this mile and six is the end of the world for her,” trainer David Menuisier said. “You have to break her stride the whole way, so you could probably get away with dropping down in trip to 10 furlongs now. She will probably have a run in the [Aug. 19 G1] Yorkshire Oaks, or maybe at Deauville in the [Aug. 22 G2 Prix de] Pomone, then likely the [G1 Prix] Vermeille [at ParisLongchamp Sept. 12] and of course the [Oct. 3] Arc.”

Buick echoed those sentiments and said, “I know she has won over this trip before in Paris last year, but I think she's a bit speedier now. She doesn't need to be running over this trip again. She's energetic and I was delighted to get a lead on her. We went slow and she took it up a fair way out, but has stuck on all the way to the line. She is a very good mover, so there is no real reason why she should want soft ground. Her form suggests she is better on it, but if it was good-to-soft or good ground, I wouldn't be worried. If the ground came up like this in the Arc, she is a class filly and you would have to give her a chance.” Oisin Murphy said of Tribal Craft, “It was a career-best and I am thrilled. Tribal Craft definitely improved for a change of tactics–being dropped in really suits her and she relishes these conditions.”

Wonderful Tonight, whose career trajectory took an upward turn when winning Deauville's 12 1/2-furlong G3 Prix Minerve on heavy ground last August, is a daughter of Salvation (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) who also produced the stakes winner Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}). The second dam is the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Birdie (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), who was responsible for three black-type performers headed by the GIII Providencia S. scorer Hostess (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}). Birdie is kin to the listed-winning Fickle (GB) (Danehill), in turn the dam of the G3 Dahlia S. winner Tarfah (Kingmambo) who produced the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Epsom and Irish Derby hero and established sire Camelot (GB). Salvation's unraced 2-year-old colt Ak Ishan (Fr) (Recorder {GB}) was a €70,000 purchase at Arqana Deauville October by Haras de Montfort & Preaux, while she also has a yearling filly by the same sire.

Saturday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR LILLIE LANGTRY S.-G2, £300,000, Goodwood, 7-31, 3yo/up, f/m, 14fT, 3:13.05, sf.
1–WONDERFUL TONIGHT (FR), 135, f, 4, by Le Havre (Ire)
1st Dam: Salvation (GB), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Birdie (GB), by Alhaarth (Ire)
3rd Dam: Fade (GB), by Persepolis (Fr)
(€40,000 Ylg '18 ARAUG). O-Christopher Wright; B-SARL Ecurie La Cauviniere (FR); T-David Menuisier; J-William Buick. £170,130. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Fr at 14f+, G1SW-Fr & Eng, 10-6-1-1, $832,231. *1/2 to Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), SW-US, MSP-Fr, $376,306. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Tribal Craft (GB), 132, m, 5, Mastercraftsman (Ire)–Snoqualmie Star (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O-Mr J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £64,500.
3–Albaflora (GB), 132, f, 4, Muhaarar (GB)–Almiranta (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O/B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. £32,280.
Margins: 2, 9, 5. Odds: 1.80, 16.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Divinely (Ire), Makawee (Ire), Believe In Love (Ire), Cabaletta (GB). Scratched: Golden Pass (GB), Traisha (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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