Arc Hero Sottsass Retired to Coolmore Stud

2020 G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}-Starlet’s Sister {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) has been retired and will take up stallion duties at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, owner Peter Brant announced on Tuesday. A colourbearer for Brant’s White Birch Farm initially with Coolmore buying a 50% interest earlier this year, the 2019 French highweight’s fee will be announced later.

“A world champion at three and now an Arc winner at four, I have decided to retire Sottsass after what he has achieved,” said Brant. “He has retired sound and right at the top of his game–this is important to me. I am looking forward to breeding some of my best mares to him. Coolmore purchased 50% of him earlier in the year and he will stand there for 2021.”

Bred by Ecurie des Monceaux in France, the chestnut was knocked down for €340,000 at the 2017 Arqana August Yearling Sale on the bid of Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock for Brant. Put into training with Jean-Claude Rouget, Sottsass broke his maiden at second asking at Clairefontaine and captured the Listed Prix de Suresnes in his second run at three. In only his fifth career start, Sottsass defeated that year’s G1 French Guineas hero Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, setting a new race record last June. The chestnut added a win in the G2 Prix Niel that September, and was a very good third in the 2019 Arc.

Besides his swansong at ParisLongchamp in 2020, Sottsass also captured the G1 Prix Ganay this term and was a close second in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron. He retires with a mark of 12-6-1-1 and $3,900,437 in earnings.

“Back in 1971, I was working on a film in Paris and was lucky enough to witness Mill Reef win his Arc,” Brant added. “I think it is the ultimate race to win and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have fulfilled a lifelong dream. Sottsass has an incredible turn of foot as he showed when readily disposing of Persian King in the Prix du Jockey Club. He smashed the race record time and knocked nearly a second off the 1m 2 1/2f track record at Chantilly previously held by dual Arc winner Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}). We were concerned that the testing conditions on Sunday might blunt his speed but he overcame them and showed his true greatness.

“Being a half-brother to Sistercharlie who had run second for us in the Prix de Diane, Sottsass was always going to be of interest to us as a yearling and we were delighted when the individual matched up to his pedigree. Being by France’s leading sire Siyouni and out of a daughter of Galileo only added to his appeal. The rest as they say is history as Sistercharlie has gone on to win seven Grade I races in the USA for Chad Brown and Sottsass has proved himself the ultimate champion.

“Jean-Claude Rouget has done a masterful job with Sottsass and it gave me great pleasure to share in his first Arc success.”

Said Rouget, “He’s a good looking horse with a good temperament, a classy horse and goes to stud in the best way after a great win in the Arc. The decision has been made now as they want to protect him for a stallion career and I think it was best not to go to the Breeders’ Cup as the track would have been too sharp for him. He is quite a big horse with a big action. It would have been a risk.”

Added the trainer of the colt’s early career, “I go slowly with my horses. He was promising after he had a bad trip first time out. He won his second race easily. He had a bad race first time out at three and, after he won his listed race easily, he won the Prix du Jockey Club. The Arc was the target this year. It was not easy with COVID-19 to do good planning, but we do it and we did well. I am very happy for him not to run again. He was a very courageous horse.”

The third consecutive group winner and third foal out of Starlet’s Sister, Sottsass follows on the hooves of Eclipse Champion Turf Female Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), who counts a GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf laurel amongst her seven Grade I wins and played bridesmaid in the 2017 G1 Prix de Diane. Rounding out the trio of GSWs for Starlet’s Sister is My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), a GSW in both France and America, who races for Brant. Sottsass is also a half-brother to the 2020 Arqana Deauville Select Yearling Sale topper, a €2,500,000 filly by Dubawi (Ire) purchased by Oliver St Lawrence, as well as €400,000 Arqana August yearling Radiant Child (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) who is three and a Fastnet Rock (Aus) juvenile colt who went for €700,000 to David Redvers at the same sale in 2019.

Out of GI Del Mar Oaks third Premiere Creation (Fr) (Green Tune), Starlet’s Sister is a full-sister to G3 Prix Cleopatre heroine Leo’s Starlet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and a half-sister to SW and MG1SP Anabaa’s Creation (Ire) (Anabaa). Farther back in the pedigree are champions Noalcoholic (Fr) (Nonoalco) and Leonnatus Anteas (Stormy Atlantic).

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FOX Sports to Broadcast Arc

FOX Sports will present live coverage and analysis of Sunday’s G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the New York Racing Association announced Friday. Sunday’s broadcast will air on FS1 from 9:30-11 a.m. ET, with the Arc featuring 6-year-old mare Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) for a record third win in the race. Coverage will also include the G1 Prix de l’Opera Longines for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 1/4 miles on the turf. Both races are part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series, with the winner of the Arc earning a guaranteed spot in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf, and Prix de l’Opera heroine stamping her ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Turf. Post time for the Arc is 10:05 a.m. and the Prix de l’Opera 10:50 a.m.

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TDN International Editor Kelsey Riley Talks Arc On Writers’ Room

In addition to all the Stateside action this weekend–the final leg of the Triple Crown, Fall Stars Weekend at Keeneland and 11 Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” events–the biggest race of the year in Europe will also be run with Sunday’s G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris. Wednesday on the TDN Writers’ Room podcast presented by Keeneland, TDN International Editor Kelsey Riley joined the crew as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about the much-anticipated showdown between Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), how heavy rains may impact the running and much more.

Asked whether or not the Arc is a two-horse affair as the bettors have surmised, Riley said, “Oh no. It’s very much an open race, and the major development this week has been the rain that’s falling in Paris. Right now, the course at Longchamp is listed as ‘very soft’, which is the same as what it was last year when Enable ran second, and there’s more rain still forecast to come … So you have a horse like Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who’s been the best stayer in Europe the past couple seasons. I think that the soft going will help his chances a bit. It’ll turn the race into a bit more of a stamina contest.”

Stradivarius, currently a distant third choice for the bettors behind Enable and Love, is not the only potential upsetter on Riley’s radar.

“Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was third in last year’s Arc over this same soft going and ran a very game race there,” she said. “He won a Group 1 race [the Prix Ganay] in France earlier this year. His trainer, Jean-Claude Rouget has spoken very highly of him this week coming into it, saying this is the best he’s ever had him, and that they’ve had this as their key target ever since he finished third last year. Another horse that I find a little interesting is Rouget’s ‘other’ horse, the only other 3-year-old filly in the race besides Love, Raabihah (Sea The Stars {Ire}). She was very impressive winning her first two starts this spring, and Jean-Claude, right from that point, was saying, ‘This is our Arc filly.'”

The success of fillies and mares has been a consistent theme throughout Arc history. Riley was asked about why they’ve competed so frequently and done so well against males in the race.

“With the weight scale in France this time of year, the 3-year-old fillies get a big weight break for the Arc,” she said. “They carry 121 pounds, which is what Enable carried when she won her first Arc. Three-year-old colts carry 125, older mares 128 and older horses 131 pounds. It’s also down to the fact that, especially at this time of year in Europe, there are fewer opportunities at the Group 1 level for [fillies and mares] over the mile and a quarter to a mile and a half. In both Britain and France, there are only two Group 1 races for fillies and mares from the summer onward.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers discussed the Horseracing Safety Integrity Act passing the U.S. House of Representatives, broke down the 11-horse GI Preakness S. and reacted to Improbable (City Zip) taking charge in the older male division. Then, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, they analyzed the Kentucky Supreme Court decision that puts the future of historical horse racing machines in doubt and tried to figure out why alternative forms of gaming continue to grow while racing’s handle declines. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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Telecaster Camp Eyes Arc Bid

Castle Down Racing’s Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who won the G3 La Coupe on June 25 and the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville two starts later on Aug. 30, is a potential contender for the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, trainer Hughie Morrison announced on Tuesday. The 4-year-old colt also won the G2 Dante S. last term.

“It’s definitely a possibility that he could go,” said Morrison. “Nothing really sprang out of the trials to put us off. The filly who won the [G1 Prix] Vermeille [Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal)] was impressive, but connections said afterwards that was her day. On quick ground the Vermeille was run three or four lengths quicker than the Foy. You might not be able to take that literally, but given all the results I think we have a right to be there.

“It was heavy when we won at Deauville so if it was soft that would be in our favour, I think–we wouldn’t want it quick, but hopefully at that time of year it wouldn’t be anyway.

“It all seemed to click last time, he seems to have taken the race very well. We’re realistic, but the owner quite rightly feels finishing third in the Arc might be viewed better than a Group 1 anywhere else in the world at this time of yea–bar the [Oct. 17 G1] Champion S.”

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