American Pharoah’s Above the Curve Best In The Saint-Alary

Second best in the May 4 Listed Cheshire Oaks, TDN Rising Star Above the Curve (American Pharoah) made sure she was front and centre where it mattered in Sunday's G1 St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp. Sent up to track the steady pace by Ryan Moore in a close second, the 7-5 favourite was committed with 300 metres remaining and stayed on to deny Place du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) by a length, with Queen Trezy (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}) the same margin away in third. “They went steady and that was against her–it turned into a sprint, she's still babyish and is still learning and there is plenty to come,” Moore said of the Joseph O'Brien-trained winner.

Above the Curve, who had earned TDN Rising Star status at the expense of Thoughts of June (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a maiden over this trip at Leopardstown Apr. 6 before losing out to that rival on easier ground tackling an extended 11 furlongs at Chester, could be heading back to Ireland for next start according to Hermine Bastide, representing Coolmore. “She has entries in all the big fillies' races including the Prix de Royallieu and the Prix de Diane, but her next race is likely to be the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh,” he said. “She is a lovely filly and Joseph is delighted with the performance. Maybe she will be bred to St Mark's Basilica in the future. She is lightly-raced and there is probably more room for improvement, she has a lovely temperament and ticks all the boxes.”

Trainer Yann Lerner said of Queen Trezy, “She is so cold it's unbelievable. We fitted her with sheepskins to motivate her, but still she was caught for speed and doing the bare minimum. On the other hand, it is sometimes an advantage for a horse to be so relaxed and it helps on big occasions when you have to deal with the pressure. There is no doubt that a mile and a half will be her game, but I think we will try the Prix de Diane first.”

Above the Curve's dam is an unraced daughter of the revered Mariah's Storm (Rahy), which makes her a half-sibling to Giant's Causeway. Already responsible for the G3 Irish 1000 Guineas Trial and G3 Weld Park S. third Thinking of You, Fabulous is a half to the “Iron Horse's” G2 Cherry Hinton S.-winning sister You'resothrilling which links her to the Galileo clan of Gleneagles (Ire), Happily (Ire), Joan of Arc (Ire) and Marvellous (Ire). Also connected to that sire's G1 Irish Champion S.-winning sire Decorated Knight (GB), she has been bred to Justify for the past three seasons, with 2-year-old and yearling fillies followed by a colt foal.

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
ST MARK'S BASILICA COOLMORE PRIX SAINT-ALARY-G1, €250,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-29, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:06.25, g/s.
1–ABOVE THE CURVE, 126, f, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Mariah's Storm, by Rahy
3rd Dam: Immense, by Roberto
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Joseph O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €142,850. Lifetime Record: SP-Eng, 4-2-1-1, €180,600. *Full to Thinking of You, MGSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Place du Carrousel (Ire), 126, f, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Traffic Jam (Ire), by Duke of Marmalade (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€260,000 Ylg '20 ARQSEP). O-Al Shaqab Racing & Ballylinch Stud; B-Ballylinch Stud, Alexis Adamian & Mme Fan Adamian (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €57,150.
3–Queen Trezy (Fr), 126, f, 3, Almanzor (Fr)–Elodie (GB), by Dansili (GB). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€125,000 Ylg '20 ARQSEP). O-Eric Feurtet, Mme Marion le Menestrel & Haras d'Etreham; B-Eric de Chambure & Riviera Equine SARL (FR); T-Carlos & Yann Lerner. €28,575.
Margins: 1, 1, NK. Odds: 1.40, 2.40, 4.80.
Also Ran: Sippinsoda (Fr), Wild Beauty (GB), Blue Wings (Fr). Scratched: Prosperous Voyage (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Frankel’s L’Astronome Battles To Hocquart Success

He had to fight to extend his winning sequence on his black-type bow on Thursday, but Al Asayl France's L'Astronome (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Tymora, by Giant's Causeway) proved equal to the task when eking out a narrow verdict over Galaxie Gold (Fr) (Dariyan {Fr}) in a thriller for ParisLongchamp's G2 Prix Hocquart. Sent off the 7-10 favourite for the 11-furlong test, having shown abundant promise so far and having scored over slightly shorter at this track last time Apr. 28, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained chestnut was unable to get a lead from the outset with Christophe Soumillon committed to going on before halfway. Tackled on both sides in what would have been a long last furlong for connections, he refused to allow Ecurie d'Haspel's rail-runner the glory and thrust his neck out to prevail by a head, with 3/4 of a length back to the G3 Bavarian Classic scorer Lavello (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) in third.

“I think it was a nice performance,” Graffard said. “Christophe feared he might be caught for speed with this horse and so took up his responsibilities. He said the horse is still green and immature and was asked to do something he had never done before, so this education will certainly help him in the future. The horse was courageous and brave and he is now three-for-three this season. The owners will enjoy this and we will now concentrate on our target, the G1 Grand Prix de Paris on July 14th. Hopefully the ground will be even faster and he will appreciate the extra furlong.”

Galaxie Gold is also unexposed and trainer Damien de Watrigant was considering a rematch in the Bastille Day feature. “We are delighted with the performance and frustrated to lose by so little,” he said. “Anyway, we were taking quite a few steps up in class there and the result is positive. The horse seemed quite impressed to run on such a big course and will learn from the experience. The owner now has a partner, so they will discuss his future and there are still some questions to be answered like will he stay a mile and a half and be back for the Grand Prix de Paris?”

L'Astronome, who becomes the 64th group winner for his sire, is a half-brother to the G2 Coventry S.-placed Eltezam (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), with the second dam being the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup heroine Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector). She produced the Listed Prix Zarkava winner and G2 Prix Corrida runner-up That Which Is Not (Elusive Quality), whose G3 Ballysax S.-winning son Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) could be even bigger things for the pedigree in the upcoming Derby. Shiva is also the second dam of the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 Champagne S. winner Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), as well as being a half-sister to the G1 Oaks heroine Light Shift (Kingmambo) who is responsible for Piz Badile's G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Eclipse S.-winning sire. This is also the family of the triple grade I-winning Main Sequence (Aldebaran) and the G1 Prix Ganay hero Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Tymora's colt foal is by Galiway (GB).

Thursday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX HOCQUART-G2, €130,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-26, 3yo, 11fT, 2:20.61, sf.
1–L'ASTRONOME (GB), 128, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
     1st Dam: Tymora, by Giant's Causeway
     2nd Dam: Shiva (Jpn), by Hector Protector
     3rd Dam: Lingerie (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Al Asayl France (GB); T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Christophe Soumillon. €74,100. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, €110,500. *1/2 to Eltezam (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), GSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Galaxie Gold (Fr), 128, c, 3, Dariyan (Fr)–Galaxie des Sables (Fr), by Marchand de Sable. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€28,000 RNA Ylg '20 AROCT; €47,000 RNA 2yo '21 ARQJUN). O-Ecurie d'Haspel; B-Haras d'Haspel (FR); T-Damien de Watrigant. €28,600.
3–Lavello (Ire), 128, c, 3, Zarak (Fr)–Laura (Ger), by Montjeu (Ire). O-Gestut Ittlingen; B-Gestut Hof Ittlingen (IRE); T-Markus Klug. €13,650.
Margins: HD, 1 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.70, 10.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Garachico (GB), Selwan (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Arc Hero Torquator Tasso ‘Working Well’ Ahead of Return

Marcel Weiss, trainer of the reigning Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), has provided an upbeat bulletin on the 5-year-old ahead of his eagerly-anticipated return to action at Baden-Baden on Sunday. 

Torquator Tasso shocked the racing world by becoming the longest-priced winner in Arc history when returning a 72-1 chance in a race where he had Dermot Weld's globetrotting mare Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) and Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in behind. 

The poster boy of German racing will return in the G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft at Baden-Baden, a track he tasted top-notch success at last term when snaring the 149th Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden before his memorable triumph at ParisLongchamp, and Weiss has described his stable star as having done very well over the winter. 

Speaking to TDN Europe, he said, “Torquator Tasso has wintered very well, settled down even more. He has been working very well, the preparation has been going according to plan and we are very hopeful for Baden-Baden, even though he is not yet at a 100%.”

Weiss has a big red circle around the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and will chart a path back to ParisLongchamp in the autumn with the aim of Torquator Tasso defending his crown.

Mapping out the campaign, he said, “The further plan is to go into the G2 Hansa-Preis at Hamburg, then there will be either Ascot [for the King George] or Berlin before we are planning for the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and then onto the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.”

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Outstrip’s Nadette Annexes ParisLongchamp’s Listed Prix Finlande

Team Valor International and Marco Saviozzi's 3-year-old filly Nadette (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}–Ciboulette {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) was two places behind subsequent G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) when fifth going one mile at ParisLongchamp in last month's G3 Prix de la Grotte and stepped forward to collect a career high in Thursday's Listed Prix Finlande upped to nine furlongs back at the Bois de Boulogne venue. The 32-5 chance, who also ran fifth in last term's G3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville, found a smooth rhythm off the pace in sixth after the initial exchanges. Rowed along in early straight with 500 metres remaining, she quickened smartly for control entering the final furlong and was not for catching under mild urging in the closing stages, keeping on strongly to easily hold Bahasa (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) by 1 1/2 lengths. The hitherto undefeated Yukata (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} was a head away in third, a short head in front of 'TDN Rising Star' Raclette (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in fourth.

“She ran a good race in the [G3] Prix de la Grotte and that is good form as we saw this last Sunday in the [G1 Poule d'Essai des] Pouliches,” said winning trainer Romain Le Dren Doleuze. “I was confident beforehand as I knew that she would love the extra furlong and the faster ground. She has an entry for next month's [G1] Prix de Diane and I have an idea as to what we should do next, but I will talk with the owners before revealing any future plans.”

Nadette is the second of four foals and lone scorer produced by a multiple-winning half-sister to Listed Lure S. victor Kencumin (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}). Her second dam Cumin (Fusaichi Pegasus), herself a full-sister to dual Grade III placegetter Obsequious, ran third in the G3 Prestige S. and is a granddaughter of MG1SW European Horse of the Year User Friendly (GB) (Slip Anchor {GB}). The April-foaled bay is kin to a 2-year-old colt by Kendargent (Fr) and a yearling filly by Al Wukair (Ire).

Thursday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX FINLANDE-Listed, €55,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-19, 3yo, f, 9fT, 1:54.30, g/s.
1–NADETTE (FR), 123, f, 3, by Outstrip (GB)
1st Dam: Ciboulette (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Cumin, by Fusaichi Pegasus
3rd Dam: User Cat, by Storm Cat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€50,000 Ylg '20 AROCT; €17,000 2yo '21 ARQJUN). O-Team Valor International & Marco Saviozzi; B-Herve Dardenne (FR); T-Romain Le Dren Doleuze; J-Theo Bachelot. €27,500. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-0, €68,400.
2–Bahasa (Ire), 123, f, 3, Siyouni (Fr)–Indonesienne (Ire), by Muhtathir (GB). O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (IRE); T-Christophe Ferland. €11,000.
3–Yukata (Ire), 123, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Blue Kimono (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-White Birch Farm, Michael Tabor & Susan Magnier; B-White Birch Farm (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €8,250.
Margins: 1HF, HD, SHD. Odds: 6.40, 23.00, 2.40.
Also Ran: Raclette (GB), Jouza (Ire), Katoucha (Fr), Mascaret (GB), Peshmerga (Ger), Everest Rose (GB), Zaracampa (Fr). Video, sponsored by TVG.

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