No Love In Rain-Hit Arc

With France blighted by persistent rain and more in the forecast, there will be no Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Sunday’s €3,000,000 G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the withdrawal of the G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine left 14 to attempt to mount a challenge to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). As well as being graced with that news, Juddmonte’s superstar mare also drew a favourable berth in five as she looms ever closer to her historic bid for a third renewal of the ParisLongchamp feature. Her stablemate Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) fared far worse from the draw and Bjorn Nielsen’s champion stayer will exit from stall 14 with only the supplemented Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) positioned wider. Ballydoyle’s streamlined force also includes the likely pace-setter Sovereign (Ire) in 10, Japan (GB) in 11 and Mogul (GB) in three, with Ryan Moore now switching to the latter of the remaining Galileos. Jean-Claude Rouget’s duo Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Raabihah (Sea the Stars {Ire}) will break from four and two respectively, while Andre Fabre looks for a ninth renewal with the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp hero Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in seven as he tries the longest trip of his career.

Sottsass, who was third last year, is bidding to fulfil a long-held ambition of owner Peter Brant who said, “I can only say of any race in the world, I would most like to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, mostly because it’s kind of the European championship in many ways. He’s won on all different kinds of grounds–soft and firm. I think he broke the track record for the French Derby and he won impressively beating Persian King, who’s proven himself to be a very good horse. It’s a very good field and I think he’s an excellent horse. I think Jean-Claude Rouget has really pointed the horse to this race and as he does many times, he picks a spot that he’s going to run to. He’s a very sound horse, I don’t think he’s been overtrained or undertrained and I think he goes to the race well. Last year the grass was a bit new and it wasn’t a really good course to run on. I think Enable suffered running on that course, but there were great horses in the race and it was a great race.”

Gestut Schlenderhan’s G1 Deutsches Derby hero In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who has been the subject of a gamble after the ground turned testing, is drawn in one and bids to become the first winner from that rail draw since Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) in 2008. Showing the same dramatic surge of acceleration to be second in the Sept. 13 G1 Grand Prix de Paris as he had when taking the July 12 Hamburg Classic, the lightly-raced homebred was reported in rude health by trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. “His whole family–as well as his sire–adored soft conditions, so hopefully he isn’t a complete outlier,” he told the Racing Post. “There was some cut in the ground at Lyon when he ran there in June and he ran well. He had his final gallop on Monday morning on a very soft track and it didn’t bother him, so I don’t expect it to be a problem. He needed the run last time and has come forward plenty since then. I’m very happy with the shape he’s in.” Jockey Ronan Thomas also told the Post, “The Grand Prix de Paris was a very interesting race, as it brought together the various form lines of all the European Derbys. He’s a big horse and wasn’t completely comfortable coming down the hill on fast ground, but once he found his stride he finished in quite remarkable fashion, especially in the final 200 metres. In his work so far, he hasn’t struggled with soft ground and he has remained very well-balanced, while his action is more fluid than on quick ground.”

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Nassau Anchors Goodwood Festival on Thursday

It is the turn of the fillies and mares on Thursday, with the G1 Qatar Nassau S. headlining a fascinating third day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. It features a clash between two fillies whose limits are far from set at present, with Shadwell’s Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) taking on the year-younger Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The former steps up from a mile for the first time, having captured the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot June 16 and G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 10 in the manner of a filly that will improve for a step up to this 10-furlong trip. Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s racing manager Angus Gold said, “She’s been an absolute star this year–it’s lovely to see her not only fulfil the potential, but exceed what we hoped. We were hoping to make her a stakes winner and it’s been a real thrill. Stepping up in trip now will be interesting, but everyone who has ridden her has always felt she would get it. Obviously you never know for sure until they try, but I’m very hopeful she will stay it–the way she has always finished off her races.”

Fancy Blue was runner-up to Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh June 13 prior to outbattling Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) and that rival in Chantilly’s G1 Prix de Diane over 10 1/2 furlongs July 5. While there were four fillies involved in a blanket finish to that Classic, it looked every bit a top-class renewal and trainer Donnacha O’Brien is in accord. “In a tight finish between four horses you can usually mark it down a bit, but they were definitely the right horses involved that day and they pulled clear of the rest of the field, so it looks like very strong form,” he said. “Fancy Blue is very genuine, tries hard and takes her work well,” he added. “She’s a very uncomplicated and talented filly who relaxes and is able to quicken. She gets a mile and a quarter very well and is closely related to High Chaparral, so there’s plenty of stamina in her pedigree and she will probably get a mile and a half in time. There are a great bunch of fillies around at the moment,” Donnacha added. “Among the 3-year-olds you have Love, who looks special, and then of course you’ve got Enable and Magical and a few of the those turning up at Goodwood this week, including ours.”

Last year’s winner Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) comes back with identical race conditions to suit, but possibly faces tougher opposition and has to reverse the form of the G1 Eclipse S. with the similarly-accomplished international mare Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), having finished 1 1/4 lengths behind that Ballydoyle rival when fifth in the July 5 Sandown feature. Oisin Murphy is again on board and commented, “I think she has improved since her last race and August is always her favourite season. We tried the Eclipse, because Sandown has a long straight and with the COVID situation it has been a little bit tricky to train the horses. We found there that she might struggle with the uphill, now we are heading to the Nassau S. with the long straight and flat course. We understand the great importance of the race, we have seen Midday win three times and we are the only horse to have a chance to win twice in a row.”

Aidan O’Brien has booked Frankie Dettori for Magic Wand, who was electric when taking the Curragh’s G2 Lanwades Stud S., or Ridgewood Pearl, over a mile June 13. “She’s a lovely filly who takes everything in her stride and this looks a nice race for her in the middle of the summer,” the Ballydoyle handler said. “She’s very straightforward and we’re very happy with her.”

Earlier on the card, the G2 Qatar Richmond S. and G2 John Pearce Racing Gordon S. provide ideal build-up to the main event with the Gordon seeing the first post-Derby run of Bjorn Nielsen’s English King (GB) (Camelot {GB}). A lot went against the Ed Walker trainee when fifth in Epsom’s July 4 blue riband, but his ability to handle difficult terrain is well and truly proven having won the June 5 Listed Lingfield Derby Trial and he has quickening ground conditions to aid his cause further. “He’s in great form. The ground should suit, he should handle the track and he hasn’t missed a beat since Epsom,” Walker said. “We will see how it goes at Goodwood, but we would be hoping to go for something like the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris. It is shaping into a great race, but everything seems to be this year because it has all been condensed. Hopefully he can prove to us he deserves to take on the best, but we will certainly learn a bit more this week.”

Re-opposing English King is Ahmad Al Shaikh’s Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}), who was closest to Epsom’s runaway winner Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) when 5 1/2 lengths adrift and he has course form having won the Listed Cocked Hat S. over 11 furlongs June 14. “The course and the drying ground should suit him and all being well, a reproduction of his Epsom form should give him every chance,” trainer Andrew Balding said. Also coming back from the Derby is ‘TDN Rising Star’ Mogul (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was sixth behind his ebullient stablemate with Ryan Moore picking him. Aidan O’Brien said, “He seems to have come out of the Derby well and we’ve been very happy with him since. He’s a big, strong, powerful horse who is made like a miler and he’s not the easiest to get fit. He carries weight and we’re just trying to get it off him. We think racing is going to bring out the best in him. We think he gets a mile and a half, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to go back in trip.”

In the Richmond, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s Yazaman (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is for once without The Queen’s Tactical (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) for company and looks for compensation for two runner-up efforts behind that peer in the five-furlong Listed Windsor Castle S. June 17 and G2 July S. over this six-furlong trip at Newmarket July 9. Fourth in the July was Shadwell’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Qaader (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), who had previously finished runner-up in Royal Ascot’s G2 Coventry S. June 20 when another TDN Rising Star Admiral Nelson (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was only eighth as the 5-2 favourite.

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Enable Faces Six In Eclipse Return

Racing’s star mare Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will make her keenly-anticipated 6-year-old debut against six rivals in Sunday’s G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. Her G1 Prince of Wales’s S.-winning stablemate Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was not declared by John Gosden, but the field is still strong with Godolphin’s impressive G1 Coronation Cup hero Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Ballydoyle’s G1 Juddmonte International winner Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) engaged, with the latter set to carry the colours of his part-owner Masaaki Matsushima. Restricted this year as a 4-year-olds and up race, the 10-furlong contest also features the G1 Nassau S. heroine Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) to add more Japanese interest and the similarly high-class mare Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

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