ParisLongchamp | Horse Racing Free Tips

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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Frankel’s Hurricane Lane Lethal In The Grand Prix De Paris

Unbeaten other than when losing both front shoes in the G1 Epsom Derby, Godolphin's Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) continued his rampage through the European calendar with an emphatic six-length success in Wednesday's G1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp. Given a tow to the two-furlong marker by Ballydoyle's The Mediterranean (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the impressive G1 Irish Derby hero set sail by that rival there and powered to the line as Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) followed him at almost the same distance as he had when third in the June 26 Curragh Classic. Third was the G2 King Edward VII S. winner Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), 1 1/4 lengths away with the best of the French being the fifth-placed Baby Rider (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}). “What a horse,” jockey William Buick said. “First of all, I'd like to thank France Galop and all the medical team for allowing us to come–we weren't quite sure we were going to make it on Monday with the situation, but they got us through. The horse is a superstar and it was very smooth, smoother than Ireland as there was a much better rhythm. For him, the pace felt normal which is the sign of a good horse and you could see from the 400-metre marker his turn of foot. He has a very good mind and is a beautiful horse. This track is perfect for him and he liked the ground, which is on the easy side of good–it's taken the rain very well–so I'm sure the team will consider him for the Arc in October.”

Now that Hurricane Lane has upped the ante, it will take a special performance from stablemate Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in next Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco S. to elbow him out of the picture for the Oct. 3 showpiece and send him to the G1 St Leger instead. Since changing distance in 2005, this has become a key stepping stone to the big one over the same course and distance but interestingly only the 2006 winner Rail Link (GB) has doubled up. Arguably none have entered this contest with the profile of Hurricane Lane and very few have exited with as much upside as the chestnut who eclipsed the wide-margin wins of Zambezi Sun (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in 2007 and Montmartre (Fr) (Montjeu {Ire}) the following year. ParisLongchamp was hit with 45mm of rain since the start of Tuesday and so he proved himself adaptable here, with his Irish Derby win coming on a lively surface.

Hurricane Lane's debut over a mile on heavy ground at Newmarket in October was the sole piece of evidence that he possessed Classic quality heading out of the winter, but he enhanced his credentials when staging a winning return in the Apr. 16 Newbury conditions event that has featured Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), Star of Seville (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) and Light Shift (Kingmambo) in recent times. Beating Maximal (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Tasman Bay (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in that 10-furlong contest, he increased his stock with a gutsy display in York's G2 Dante S. over that trip May 13 before failing to give his true running at Epsom and finishing well adrift of Adayar and Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Showing that to be an aberration, he left the latter for dead at The Curragh and it was the form of the Kildare highlight that shone through here with Wordsworth providing back-up.

Charlie Appleby has a quandary now as he plots the course of his two star 3-year-old colts. “He's obviously been a very exciting horse to deal with and he's only been beaten once in his life and that was in the Derby when I felt inexperience caught us out,” he said. “Today's performance has franked him as one of the best 3-year-olds in Europe and he's an exciting horse. As we always do, we'll allow the dust to settle but you would have to be thinking about him as a serious contender for the Arc. We'll give him a bit of a break now, because he's run in an English Derby, an Irish Derby and then backed it up two and a half weeks later in a Grand Prix de Paris.”

“He deserves to have a break, but whether he can give himself a break is another thing,” Appleby added. “He ran in the Grand Prix because he'd come out of the Irish Derby so well. He has a great constitution. He has a great mind and he shows his wellbeing in the mornings. A huge team effort goes into the way the horses are running at the moment and I'm delighted for his Highness Sheikh Mohammed.”

Olivier Peslier said of Wordsworth, who continued to build an admirably consistent profile in the race his full-brother Kew Gardens (Ire) won in 2018, “He has ran well, despite not taking me along early. I had to shake him along to get him to follow the winner, to make sure I didn't get caught for toe. After that, he was very courageous and put in an excellent effort to finish second. He will be better suited by something a bit longer like the St Leger. He needs a little time to get going, but he is quite talented.”

James Doyle said of Alenquer, “The draw wasn't ideal. As we know, it's not easy historically from the wide draw at Longchamp over a mile and a half. I rode him to come home and he's finished off very well. We were on the back foot a little bit and I had a little look up around the 800 metres out and I thought we had a bit of a mountain to climb. If the pace had held up, it would have given me a chance but they did sort of steady at halfway and made it very difficult for me to get into it. But I'm very proud of him, he's run a solid race and he's got the trip well.”

Hurricane Lane is the second foal out of the Listed Prix Denisy winner Gale Force (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), with the first being his full-sister Frankel's Storm (GB) who was runner-up in the Listed Junioren-Preis as a juvenile. The second dam Hannda (Ire) (Dr. Devious {Ire}) was responsible for the G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. heroine Seal of Approval (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), who in turn produced the G3 March S. and G3 Princess Royal S.-placed Promissory (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and also the G3 Oak Tree S. third Instance (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

Hannda is a half to the G3 Concorde S. winner Hamairi (Ire) (Spectrum {Ire}), the Listed Testimonial S. scorer and G3 Ridgewood Pearl S. runner-up Hanabad (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) and to the dam of the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial winner Hamariyna (Ire) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) and G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil winner Hunaina (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). The third dam Handaza (Ire) (Be My Guest) is a half-sister to the G3 Blue Wind S. scorer Hazarista (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}) and the G3 Athasi S. winner Hazariya (Ire) (Xaar {GB}), who is in turn the dam of the G1 Epsom and Irish Derby hero Harzand (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Gale Force's unraced 2-year-old colt by Harzand's sire is named Sweet William (Ire), while she also has a yearling filly by Australia (GB).

Wednesday, ParisLongchamp, France
GRAND PRIX DE PARIS-G1, €600,000, ParisLongchamp, 7-14, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:33.59, vs.
1–HURRICANE LANE (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Gale Force (GB) (SW-Fr & SP-Eng), by Shirocco (Ger)
2nd Dam: Hannda (Ire), by Dr Devious (Ire)
3rd Dam: Handaza (Ire), by Be My Guest
(200,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Normandie Stud Ltd (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. €342,840. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Eng, 6-5-0-1, €1,183,050. *Full to Frankel's Storm (GB), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Wordsworth (Ire), 128, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Chelsea Rose (Ire), by Desert King (Ire). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €137,160.
3–Alenquer (Fr), 128, c, 3, Adlerflug (Ger)–Wild Blossom (Ger), by Areion (Ger). (€18,000 Wlg '18 ARQDE; 80,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-M M Stables; B-Gestut Romerhof (FR); T-William Haggas. €68,580.
Margins: 6, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 1.70, 17.00, 2.90.
Also Ran: The Mediterranean (Ire), Baby Rider (Fr), Bubble Gift (Fr), Northern Ruler (Ger), Cheshire Academy (Fr), Saiydabad, Cash Equity (Fr), Sir Lamorak (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Invincible Spirit’s Babylone Takes The Malleret

Already the leading trainer in the G2 Prix de Malleret with nine wins, Andre Fabre made it a perfect 10 on Wednesday as Haras Voltaire's Babylone (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) scored at ParisLongchamp. Held up on the rail racing worse than mid-division by Mickael Barzalona throughout the early stages, the 9-1 shot who had beaten a subsequent winner in a 10-furlong conditions event here June 10 was extricated from a pocket passing the two-furlong pole. In front a furlong later, the bay held the strong challenge of Adhafera (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) to score by a neck. “She won very well last time where she showed that she needed a mile and a half and she is coming around at the right time,” the owners' racing manager Laurent Benoit said. “She kicked very nicely at the finish and we'll see how she comes out of this. I don't know where she will run again, Andre Fabre will decide but it could be that the [Sept. 12 G1 Prix] Vermeille is a target for the autumn.”

Babylone, who had beaten the subsequent G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches third Kennella (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) when breaking her maiden over seven furlongs at Chantilly in September and who had been second on her seasonal bow over 10 furlongs back at that venue May 17 prior to her success here last month, is out of a daughter of the Niarchos Family's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Denebola (Storm Cat). Also runner-up in the G1 Prix de la Foret, she is in turn the second dam of the G1 Prix de Diane winner Senga (Blame) and Pista (American Pharoah) who captured the G2 Park Hill S. and was runner-up in the G1 Prix de Royallieu. The third dam is the celebrated Coup de Genie (Mr. Prospector), winner of the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Prix de la Salamandre whose descendants include Bago (Fr) (Nashwan), Maxios (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) and the four-times grade I heroine Emollient (Empire Maker). The dam Typique (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was bought for €450,000 at the 2016 Goffs November Mares Sale, also has the unraced 2-year-old filly Assyrian Queen (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and a yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire).

Wednesday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE MALLERET-G2, €130,000, ParisLongchamp, 7-14, 3yo, f, 12fT, 2:32.87, vsf.
1–BABYLONE (FR), 123, f, 3, by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
1st Dam: Typique (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Denebola, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Coup de Genie, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Haras Voltaire (FR); T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona. €74,100. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, €105,820. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Adhafera (Ire), 123, f, 3, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Rusty Slipper, by Lemon Drop Kid. (€220,000 Ylg '19 ARAUG). O-Ralphy Meahjohn & Ecurie des Monceaux; B-Ralphy Meahjohn (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €28,600.
3–Ricla (GB), 123, f, 3, Adlerflug (Ger)–Highphar (Fr), by Highest Honor (Fr). O/B-SARL Darpat France (IRE); T-Carlos Laffon-Parias. €13,650.
Margins: NK, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 9.00, 14.00, 5.70.
Also Ran: Forever Be (Ire), Cima Star (Ire), Natsukashi (Fr), Love Child (Ire), Khalidiya (Fr), Anasia (GB), via Sistina (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

The post Invincible Spirit’s Babylone Takes The Malleret appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Hurricane Lane Returns In Paris

Since the change of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris trip to 12 furlongs in 2005, there is a sense that the Bastille Day feature has grown in stature and in this year's edition the quality has inched up again due mainly to the fact that Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) is here. It is 10 years since a winner of the G1 Irish Derby appeared in this race and that was Treasure Beach (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who was fourth behind another of Andre Fabre's record 13 winners in Meandre (Fr) (Slickly {Fr}), but Godolphin's June 26 Curragh Classic winner looks in a different league to that former Ballydoyle representative and he sets a lofty standard on Wednesday. If able to reproduce the form of his half-length defeat of Lone Eagle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with the re-opposing Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) seven lengths adrift, Hurricane Lane will probably be out on his own but there are some serious lurkers in this field who could close the gap.

One is M M Stables' Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who beat Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Lone Eagle in the Apr. 23 G3 Sandown Classic Trial which remains one of the strongest pieces of 3-year-old form this year. His subsequent win off an absence in Royal Ascot's G2 King Edward VII S. June 18 means that he needs to step up and his outside draw has done him no favours.

Another who went to Royal Ascot was Sir Lamorak (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), but while Wordsworth was contesting the G2 Queen's Vase he was running to a similar figure under topweight in the King George V H. over this trip. Previously pulled out of the G3 Chester Vase due to the rain-softened ground, he remains under the radar but showed with his 3 3/4-length success in a 10-furlong Leopardstown handicap Apr. 11 that he possesses the kind of acceleration to make a mark in this company.

Gestut Schlenderhan's Northern Ruler (Ger) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) beat the May 24 G2 Prix Hocquart winner Bubble Gift (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G3 Prix du Lys over this trip at Chantilly June 20 and is dangerously unexposed having been a third supplementary entry on Saturday. Zak Bloodstock's Bubble Gift may have been a touch unlucky in that contest and trainer Mikel Delzangles is expecting improvement off that effort. “Bubble Gift came out of the Prix du Lys Longines well,” he commented. “He goes on all ground and he has already won at ParisLongchamp, which will certainly be an advantage. All the lights are on green and we are ready to run.”

Another outsider is Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard's Baby Rider (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who took the G2 Prix Greffulhe over 10 1/2 furlongs at Saint-Cloud May 1 before disappointing when only 14th in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club over that trip at Chantilly June 6. “In the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, Baby Rider couldn't get his breathing together and logically he was then unable to accelerate at the finish,” trainer Pascal Bary said. “It would be ideal to have good ground and after the supplementation of the Irish Derby winner and Epsom Derby third Hurricane Lane, our task is complicated even further. There are some excellent horses still in the race but one thing is for sure, Baby Rider is in great form and will run a big race.”

Also on the card is the G2 Prix de Malleret over the same mile-and-a-half trip, which is diverted from Saint-Cloud and features The Aga Khan's highly-regarded Khalidiya (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who needs to bounce back from a deflating 16th in the G1 Prix de Diane over 10 1/2 furlongs at Chantilly June 20. From Britain is the Joseph Tuite-trained Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who beat the subsequent winner Chiasma (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 5 1/2 lengths over a mile and a quarter at Goodwood May 22. In the 14-furlong G2 Prix Radio FG, or Prix Maurice de Nieuil as it is better known, there is a fascinating rematch between Haras de la Gousserie's Skazino (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and The Aga Khan's Valia (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). Two lengths separated them in the G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier over 300 metres further here last time May 24, but Skazino has a three-pound penalty this time and the filly should be sharper for that reintroduction.

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