G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sealiway Will Skip Irish Champions Weekend In Favour Of French Start

Dual Group 1 winner Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) will miss the G1 Irish Champion S. on Longines Irish Champions Weekend and instead contest the G3 La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte at ParisLongchamp on Sept. 4, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard revealed on Thursday.

A winner of the G1 Champion S. when trained by Cedric Rossi, the chestnut has yet to find the winner's circle this term in four starts, but after an unplaced run in the G1 Saudi Cup over the winter, ran second in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt in April and dropped to third in the G1 Prix Ganay a month later. He was most recently fifth for owners Le Haras de la Gousserie & Guy Pariente in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan at the end of May. His long-term goals include the Oct. 2 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and an Oct. 15 Champion S. defence.

“He's not going to Ireland, he's running on Sunday in a Group 3 over 10 furlongs,” said Graffard. “He is in very good form and it will be a good starting point for an autumn campaign of the Arc and Ascot.”

A multiple Group 1 winner who is lining up in the Irish Champion S. is the globetrotting Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}). Last of 14 in the Saudi Cup, the John and Thady Gosden trainee has since run second in the G1 Coral Eclipse S. to Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) in July, third in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. later that month, and was second last out in the Aug. 17 G1 Juddmonte International S.

Prince Faisal's racing manager Ted Voute confirmed the decision to run the 5-year-old on Thursday and said, “That's the plan.”

Mishriff will face Vadeni, among others.

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Verry Elleegant To Return On Arc Trials Day

Crack Australasian mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) will return to the racecourse on Arc trials weekend in either the G1 Prix Vermeille or the G2 Prix Foy on Sept. 11, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard revealed. The dark bay was last of seven in her first Northern Hemisphere run, the G1 Prix Jean Romanet, earlier this month. Depending on how the 11-time Group 1 winner performs in September in those 1 1/2-mile races will determine if she will step out in the Oct. 2 G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

“She has come on a lot from the race,” Graffard said. “She will run next weekend at Longchamp, either in the Prix Vermeille or the Prix Foy. She will come on a lot, she will be better over an extra two furlongs and on softer ground.”

Originally announced as her reason for traveling to the Northern Hemisphere, the Arc is not among Verry Elleegant's entries at present. If connections do opt for the ParisLongchamp showpiece, she would need to be supplemented on Sept. 28.

The trainer added, “We will run next weekend and then we will see what to do.”

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Baaeed Camp Mulling Other Options Besides Champion S., Including The Arc

Shadwell's undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who won the G1 Juddmonte International S. on Wednesday, was set for his career final in the G1 Champion S. at Ascot on Oct. 15, but trainer William Haggas has revealed that September's G1 Irish Champion S. and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris at the beginning of October are also in the mix.

Speaking to ITV Racing on Thursday afternoon, the trainer said, “I was thrilled to bits, I watched it home last night with Maureen [Haggas] and it was a great watch.

“Ultimately the decision is with Sheikha Hissa and I'm sure it [Arc] will be discussed and every option is open–it's got to be after what he did yesterday.

“We'll see what evolves. I think the only chance of seeing him more than once [before retirement] is if he doesn't go for the Arc and goes Irish Champion and Champion. I think you'll only see him once [more] in England, but as I say it's not my decision. We'll discuss it and as long as the horse is OK all options are still open.”

Haggas did provide an update on his 10-for-10 stable star to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, and added, “He seems fine, he's trotted up good–he's lost a bit of weight but we're happy with him and very proud.

“I'm open to suggestions, that's always been our plan to go to Ascot but plans can change. I'm not saying for a minute they're going to, but the only thing I will say is it's nearly two months now to Champions Day and that's quite a long time.”

“That's the perfect fit if he was to have another race, so that's obviously open for discussion,” Haggas said of the Sept. 10 Irish Champion S. “He's in the race and we'll just see what happens but he'd have to be in pretty rude health to be going to Ireland, so we shall see.”

Shadwell's Angus Gold told Sky Sports Racing on Thursday, “It was always William's plan to end up at Ascot. Obviously, there was a lot of talk about the Arc yesterday and would we consider that.

“I spoke to Sheikha Hissa briefly after the race and asked if she would even be thinking of the Arc, but she said she thought it best to stick to William's plan and end up at Ascot so for the moment we'll stick with that.

“I'm sure she will talk to her family when she gets home and there'll be another discussion, but that is what she said yesterday and unless William changes his mind I'm sure that is what she'll want to do.”

Since taking the G1 Prix du Moulin and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in 2021, the bay added the G1 Lockinge S., G1 Queen Anne S., and G1 Sussex S. in May, June and July, respectively. The International was his sixth consecutive Group 1 victory. The colt has now been awarded a rating of 135 off of that effort, third to only Frankel (GB) and his own sire (136) since the rankings began 18 years ago.

The BHA Head of Handicapping Dominic Gardiner-Hill said, “I will be raising Baaeed seven pounds from 128 to 135 for his success in the Juddmonte International yesterday–a figure only bettered by Frankel and Sea The Stars since the inception of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings in 2004.”

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Westover To Have ‘A Good Rest’ Before Coming Back In The Autumn

Classic hero Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who won the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the end of June, will be freshened after his unplaced run in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. on Saturday. A winner of the G3 bet365 Classic Trial in his seasonal debut in April, the Juddmonte colourbearer ran third in the G1 Cazoo Derby for trainer Ralph Beckett. The bay set a contested pace in the King George.

“I think it just wasn't our day,” said Barry Mahon, general manager for Juddmonte. “As we had said prior to the race, we were a little nervous coming into it on the back of being to Epsom and the Curragh and it was a tight enough timescale with such a horse.

“He got a bit warm in the prelims and a little excited and then in the parade ring he got in behind Emily Upjohn (GB (Sea The Stars {Ire}), which wasn't ideal.

“Then the race just didn't pan out in our favour. There wasn't a lot of pace and Westover was a little bit keen so we got left in front. It just wasn't ideal and wasn't our day.

“He'll have a good rest now, I spoke to Ralph this morning and the horse has come out of it fine. He has a couple of little overreaches on his hind leg where maybe in the first furlong or two when he crossed over to the rail something caught him from behind, but all just superficial.”

A G1 St Leger bid at Doncaster is under consideration, as well as possible appearances in the G2 Prix Niel and G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Tromphe, but connections will take a patient approach.

“That's [the St Leger is] definitely on the agenda,” Mahon continued. “And also all the other middle-distance races such as the Prix Niel and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and whatever else, but the horse is going to tell us where and when.

“We'll give him a good rest now and freshen him up for the autumn. We probably won't even talk about a race for probably a month until we've seen how he is and then we'll start working towards something at that stage.

“He's trained great all season and one of his biggest attributes has been his calm, relaxed nature and we saw on Saturday that we'd probably just pushed him far enough and he was beginning to get warm beforehand, he just needs a rest now and we'll regroup for the autumn.”

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