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Blue Point’s Rosallion Brilliant In The Lagardere

   Beautiful sunshine bathed ParisLongchamp on its biggest day and Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere proved a fitting opener to the action with Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}–Rosaline {Ire}, by New Approach {Ire}) dominating the closing stages of this up-to-scratch renewal. Brilliant in Ascot's Listed Pat Eddery S. in July but disappointing when third in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster last month, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred was truly on song here to provide Sean Levey with all the good vibrations in this qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Anchored in rear early from his compromising wide draw, the Richard Hannon-trained relative of some of the owner-breeder's best recent performers was finally unleashed 300 metres from the finish as Ryan Moore sent Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) for home. Accelerating impressively as he had done at Ascot to swamp that rival inside the last half furlong, the generously-priced 6-1 shot had a length to spare at the line as the too-keen previously-unbeaten TDN Rising Star and even-money favourite Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) wound up 1 1/2 lengths behind in third.

“He felt exceptional today,” Levey said of the live 2000 Guineas contender who was providing his first-crop sire sensation with his first Group 1 winner and setting a new track record into the bargain. “At Doncaster, when I asked him he didn't know what to do on that soft ground and he's still so babyish. He has a great mind though and he'll keep learning. He had to overcome a lot today from that draw and was a bit confused when I restrained him, especially in the false straight. I was always going to win today. He had his ground and that's how good he is.”

Rosallion, who had struck on debut over 6 1/2 furlongs at Newbury just before Royal Ascot, had set almost the benchmark in terms of British-trained juveniles in the Pat Eddery, where the likes of Al Musmak (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) had trailed in his wake. Hannon had kept the faith after the Champagne and was relieved with this justification, completed in course-record time ahead of the previous 1:18.40 set by this race's winner Naaqoos (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in 2008.

“It was very sticky ground at Doncaster and he hated it, but I was so disappointed–I couldn't believe he got beat. We scoped him afterwards and everything was fine and the only thing I can put it down to was the ground. Sean was as gutted as I was at Doncaster–I don't think he said a word to me after he got beat in the Champagne S. He couldn't believe it either, that's the sort of horse he is. Today was a recovery mission and you don't generally come to the Lagardere on a recovery mission, as it takes an extremely good horse to win it but he showed today that he's the horse we thought he was.”

“We'll look forward to the Guineas now for next year,” Hannon added. “I wouldn't rule out the Breeders' Cup, but I'm very happy to look forward to the Guineas. I haven't had much luck at the Breeders' Cup, obviously it's got to change at some stage but I think it's unlikely.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Unquestionable and the pace-setting Henry Adams (Ire) (No Nay Never), who finished fourth, “The trip was okay and both will be fine at a mile. Ryan said Unquestionable could be a horse for America, so we will look at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf after seeing how they are. Unquestionable is definitely a Guineas horse, we will see which one next year.”

Yann Barberot said of Beauvatier, who recorded the race's fastest individual split between the two and the one at :10.56 but who was too free throughout the early stages, “We have been helped by the quick ground, but you need a colt with a lot of speed to win the Lagardere and he is not made for speed. In future, he will run over 1600 metres or even 2000 metres. I am very happy with him, he performed well. He found himself a bit behind at the start of the race, because he was impeded by the Andre Fabre-trained horse who pulled a lot.”

 

Pedigree Notes

Rosallion's unraced dam Rosaline is one of the progeny of the owner-breeder's sensational producer Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), whose seven black-type performers include this year's G1 Queen Anne S. hero Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Ajman Princess (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). Rosaline is a full-sister to the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein victor Ostilio (GB), while other Reem Three notables are the G3 Bengough S. winner Cape Byron (GB) by Blue Point's sire Shamardal and this year's Listed Heron S. winner Captain Winters (GB) whose sire Lope De Vega is also by Shamardal. The third dam is Jumaireyah (GB) (Fairy King), herself responsible for the G2 Celebration Mile and G3 Sovereign S. winner and GI Arlington Million runner-up Afsare (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Next up from Rosaline is a yearling colt by Make Believe (GB).

 

 

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX JEAN-LUC LAGARDERE (GRAND CRITERIUM)-G1, €400,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-1, 2yo, c/f, 7fT, 1:18.23 (NTR), g/s.
1–ROSALLION (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Blue Point (Ire)
1st Dam: Rosaline (Ire), by New Approach (Ire)
2nd Dam: Reem Three (GB), by Mark Of Esteem (Ire)
3rd Dam: Jumaireyah (GB), by Fairy King
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (IRE); T-Richard Hannon; J-Sean Levey. €228,560. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP-Eng, 4-3-0-1, €281,758. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Unquestionable (Fr), 126, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Strawberry Lace (GB), by Sea The Stars (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€340,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG). O-Al Shaqab Racing, Coolmore & Westerberg; B-Mme Camille Vitse, Mme Axelle Vitse, Mme Valentine Vitse & Guillaume Vitse (FR); T-Aidan O'Brien. €91,440.
3–Beauvatier (Fr), 126, c, 2, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Enchanting Skies (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€160,000 Ylg '22 ARQAUG). O-Philippe Allaire & Haras d'Etreham; B-Ecurie des Monceaux, Qatar Bloodstock Ltd & Mme Barbara M Keller (FR); T-Yann Barberot. €45,720.
Margins: 1, 1HF, 1. Odds: 6.10, 7.10, 1.00.
Also Ran: Henry Adams (Ire), Zabiari (GB), Native American (Ire), Jayarebe (Fr), Ballymount Boy (Ire), Evade (Fr), West Man (Ger). Scratched: Johannes Brahms (GB). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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End of an Era as Newsells Park Stud Offers Shastye’s Last Colt

“We're in the home straight,” says Julian Dollar and, though the long-term manager of Newsells Park Stud is all too aware that the home straights that matter are those on racecourses around the world, for his team it's all about getting the crop of 2022 to the yearling sales in great shape. So, as the wagons roll to transport those youngsters from Royston to Newmarket, it's a home straight of a kind, with the winning post this week being that famous ring at Tattersalls.

No matter the experience of the folk behind the yearlings for sale, there is always a degree of trepidation in the build-up, and at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale the stakes are perhaps higher than anywhere else. For the last five years straight, and for a number of other editions of the sale before that, Newsells Park Stud has been the leading vendor at Book 1, with that success maintained throughout the sale of the stud in 2021 to Graham Smith-Bernal by the Jacobs family. This year's draft of 31 looks as strong as ever.

A chapter will be closed on Tuesday on an extraordinary run at Tattersalls for the great mare Shastye (Ire) (Danehill), the dam of Group 1 winners Japan (Ire) and Mogul (Ire), Group 2 winner Secret Gesture (Ire) and Group 3 winner Sir Isaac Newton (Ire), all of whom are by Galileo (Ire). Shastye died last year after at the age of 21 foaling a colt by Dubawi (Ire), who sells as lot 96. A May foal, he will have plenty of hopes resting on his bay shoulders considering not just the racecourse performances of his half-siblings but also their sale-ring records: eight of Shastye's offspring have previously sold at Tattersalls for a collective 14,430,000gns.

“I don't think we'll ever find another one like her,” says Dollar of Shastye. “Obviously that was quite emotional for all of us last year when she produced the Dubawi colt. It was just great to see them both out in the nursery paddock on that first day, and they looked so happy. And then suddenly we got a call that all was not well. She was haemorrhaging and we lost her, and it was a really sad day.

He adds, “But she left us with a lovely Dubawi colt, and he was always the apple of Graham's eye. He actually did some hand-feeding, giving him a bottle for a few sessions. So he quickly made a bond with the colt and I never thought actually he could bear to part with him, but sensibly, he's a businessman, and we are taking him to the sales.”

Newsells Park's flagship stallion Nathaniel (Ire) is represented by three yearlings in Book 1, with the colt in the Newsells draft being a brother to the 2022 Derby winner Desert Crown (GB), bred by Gary Robinson, and consigned as lot 316 on Wednesday.

“We've got a couple of very nice fillies by Nathaniel in Book 2 that could arguably be in Book 1,” Dollar says. “But this colt is a very good-looking horse, very good mover. I like him a lot and he's been entrusted to us through Gary Robinson's Strawberry Fields Stud, who asked us if we'd take him on in January. So we've had him with us for a while, and he's a nice person, and nice to do anything with. Hopefully he'll be well received.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the stud will offer a Kingman (GB) half-brother to another of its resident stallions, Without Parole (GB), on behalf of breeders John and Tanya Gunther. Without Parole himself has his first yearlings for sale this year, including three in Book 1, while Newsells Park will offer two by him in Book 2, both of whom are half-brothers to stakes winners.

“The Without Parole foals were very well received and we hope the yearlings will be as well. Those that we've got have really developed well from foals to yearlings. They're very much like their dad, which is good. They've got great minds and they're really easy to work with and very trainable,” he says.

“Sadly, it was a tough year for us last year, because not only did we lose Shastye, but we also lost [Without Parole's dam] Without You Babe. So both Shastye's and Without You Babe's foals were brought up by foster mares and I don't know if it's a result of that, but they've both got the most incredible temperaments.”

Despite Andreas Jacobs of Gestut Fahrhof no longer being directly involved with Newsells Park Stud, he still has an association in that he is selling two smart yearlings in the farm's draft in Book 1.

“The vast majority of the yearlings are born and bred here,” Dollar says. “We always have a couple of guests, if you like. It's nice to keep a strong relationship with Andreas Jacobs, and he's entrusted us with two yearlings this year, a colt by Wootton Bassett [lot 179], who's very classy, and a very well-bred Mehmas filly [lot 520] whose two half-siblings, the only two other foals that the mare has had, are stakes winner. She's hit the board in spectacular style twice.”

He continues, “We've also always had a link with Al Shahania, and they've selling a cracking Siyouni colt out of Vorda [lot 178]. He's everything you'd want a Siyouni to look like, for me. And then there's Sea The Moon colt out of Teppal [lot 147] is what who is a big, strong, scopey horse with a lot of class.

“But otherwise, pretty much everything else is bred on the farm. And we have that confidence that we know the mares. We know their other progeny. We know these progeny from day one. And when people ask us about them, we can tell them with confidence what they're like. It helps.”

On that theme, Dollar admits that, although almost the entire Newsells Park yearling crop is at the sales over the next few weeks, there is the potential for the operation to race more homebreds in future.

He says, “We always had to make a profit if we possibly could, and look after our bottom line. And we still do have to do that, of course we do. Graham expects us to do that as much as we possibly can but I think there is more scope for Newsells to race fillies especially. We're prepared to put confidence behind them and race them. I'm not saying what we've done in the past has been wrong, because we've been lucky enough to buy some nice mares, Shastye among them, Yummy Mummy and others. But there is a big advantage in understanding families, and putting those horses into training with the right trainers. Obviously, operations like Juddmonte are brilliant. Having those families going back generations, understanding those families, putting them with trainers who also trained that family for generations, has a big advantage. And I'd like to see us developing a few more of our families. I know Graham very much feels that way.”

Despite admitting to being a “pessimist at heart”, Dollar has drawn some encouragement from results from the first half of the European yearling sales.

“Arqana read like a very strong sale,” he says. “Donny was okay, Baden-Baden was okay. We sold a couple of horses in Somerville, which I'd never done before, but the traffic through Somerville was extraordinary. Over the years, we've always seen that the prices at the top remain strong, and we've always felt that if we want to play in this business, commercially, we've got to be playing at the top level because that's where the big money is.”

He continues, “But this is the most amazing business, isn't it? You sort of scratch your head and think, well, how is this happening? A year ago we'd just lost Her Majesty the Queen, and I always felt that our business was almost held together by a 90-odd-year-old lady. But you turn it around, nine months later, and the King and Queen are at Royal Ascot and they have a winner, and there's huge warmth for them both, and then they turned up at Doncaster for the St Leger, and had a live contender who ran a great race, and they seemed to be really enjoying it. And suddenly you think, well, we're still going strong, and everybody still loves and appreciates racing in this country.

“We still have the best racing, and we still seem to breeding some extraordinary good horses. So long may it continue. And while it does, I think we're going to be the focus of buyers from all over the globe. I'd love us not to be such an export market. In the long run, I don't think that's good. But it is where we are at the moment, and I'd rather have that than nobody be interested in buying our stock.

“But as long as we've got top-class stallions, and as long as we've got fellow breeders of the quality of Juddmonte, Cheveley Park, et cetera, we're in pretty good shape.”

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German Oaks Heroine Muskoka Shows The Way At Arqana’s Arc Sale

After an action-packed day at ParisLongchamp, Arqana's Arc Sale beckoned at Saint-Cloud Saturday evening, and the unique nature of the sale, which annually offers buyers the chance to purchase horses with entries on Arc Day proper, proved an irresistible draw.

One of two horses to make seven figures on the night and top the sale was G1 Preis der Diana heroine Muskoka (Ger) (Sea The Moon {GB}), who was knocked down for €1.3 million to leading buyer BBA Ireland. The price was the highest at the Arc Sale since 2016 when G3 Prix d'Aumale winner Toulifaut (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and G2 Rockfel S. victress Spain Burg (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}) made €1.9 million and €1.5 million, respectively.

Sold as lot 38 as part of leading vendor OH Consignment's draft, the Classic-winning filly was bred by Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten of Liberty Racing. She is engaged in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Opera on Sunday.

BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe said, “I've bought her for one of my clients that has horses-in-training and breeds horses worldwide. She'll run in the Prix de l'Opera tomorrow and we'll then decide on a plan for her future. You don't have the opportunity to buy a Group 1 winner every day, so we're very happy. Her trainer has done an excellent job with her and she has a great pedigree for breeding.”

An €80,000 graduate of the BBAG September Yearling Sale, Muskoka also has wins in the G3 Brummerhofer Stuten-Meile and Listed Henkel Stutenpreis to her credit besides her G1 Preis der Diana victory in 2023. Trained by Henk Grewe, she formerly raced in the colours of Stall Golden Goal. Her dam is a half-sister to dual French Classic winner Brametot (Ire), who stands at Gestut Ebbesloh. Under the third dam is influential German sire and top runner Monsun (Ger).

BBA Ireland purchased four head for a total of €2,050,000 and an average of €512,500. Blue Point (Ire)'s two-time winner Mondrial (GB) (lot 53) was a €370,000 buy from Jean-Claude Rouget, while the G3 Prix de la Grotte third Palerma (Fr) (Alex The Winner) (lot 3) cost €230,000 from the consignment of Nanon Scandella-Lacaille. Rounding out the quartet was the listed-winning Kizuna (Jpn) colt Yoozuna (Ire) (lot 23) at €150,000 from the Wertheimer et Frere draft.

 

 

Initially a seven-figure buy back by her vendor, G3 Prix d'Aumale heroine Freville (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}) (lot 25) was later reported sold at €1 million as a private sale from Haras du Cadran in partnership with Ecurie Melanie for 50% of her ownership. The Christopher Head trainee holds an entry in Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.

Bred by Franklin Finance and raced by Gerard Augustin-Normand, the dual winner is a granddaughter of the Listed Prix Miss Satamixa winner Fresles (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}), herself a half-sister to G3 Prix Andre Baboin hero Celtic Rock (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). Freville is also distant kin to Group 1 winners Luna Wells (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and notable sire Linamix (Fr) (Mendez {Fr}).

Starspangledbanner (Aus), who sired Friday's G2 Rockfel S. winner Carla's Way (Ire), was also responsible for the third highest lot on Saturday with lot 44, Laulne (Fr), successful in the G3 Prix Six Perfections and placed twice more at that tier this season. Consigned by Yann Barberot, the bay, like Freville, was another Franklin Finance-bred, who earned group distinction in Augustin-Normand's silks. Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International Agency purchased the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte entry-holder for €750,000.

 

 

One of the bloodstock stories of the year has been the noteworthy success of the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing, and a pair of lightly raced Dubawi (Ire) colts both offered by Wertheimer et Frere will now carry the Wathnan colours.

Kovanof (GB) (lot 17), a dual winner in France, hammered for €420,000. Third in the Listed Prix Pelleas this year, the 3-year-old is out of G3 Prix Cleopatre victress Terrakova (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Terrakova, in turn, is out of GI Breeders' Cup Mile superstar Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), and thus a half-sister to stakes winner and G1 Prix Rothschild third Goldistyle (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Earlier in the sale, Silawi (Ire) (lot 9) attracted a winning bid of €380,000. A winner in seven starts–one fewer than Kovanof–the 3-year-old placed second in the G3 Prix du Lys in June. A half-brother to the dual group placed Fasol (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), he is a son of G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine winner Silasol (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}).

Wertheimer et Frere was the second leading vendor with eight lots sold for a gross of €1,552,000 and an average of €194,000.

Part of the OH Consignment like Freville, Winning Spirit (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) (lot 22) caught the eye of Nicolas Clement and EDC Agency at €430,000. A full-brother to group winner Whispering Angel (Ger) and the stakes winner Wangari (Ger), the dual listed winner was third in the G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen as a juvenile and he was second in the G2 Derby Italiano this year.

 

Other lots of note were the Jerome Reynier-consigned stakes winner Zarakem (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) (lot 39) who made €500,000 on the bid of NBB Racing and Haras d'Etreham; Peter Schiergen trainee and multiple group winner Calif (Ger) (Areion {Ger}) (lot 32) was sold for €400,000 to Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock; and Friday's Listed Prix Montenica scorer Shalromy (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}) (lot 19), who is a two-time stakes winner and group placed, caught the eye of Narvick International Agency also for €400,000.

Of the 32 horses that sold from 42 offered (76.2%), 26 made six figures or more for a gross of €9,811,000. The average and median also outpaced last year's figures at €306,594 (+5%) and €245,000 (+14%), respectively. In 2022, 27 horses grossed €7,880,000 for an average of €291,852 and a median of €215,000.

Arqana President Eric Hoyeau and Executive Director Freddy Powell said after the sale, “We are very pleased with the results from the sale this evening. The figures from this type of auction are closely linked to the lots offered, and for this we would like to thank all our vendors for their trust and the quality of the horses sold through us. In response to this exceptional catalogue, buyers made numerous purchases for Europe and the United States for fillies, as well as purchases for Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Australia for colts. We wish the best of luck to all those who have runners tomorrow.”

 

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ParisLongchamp: “The race holds no terrors.” Confident Rouget Waits for Arc Impact

As the only trainer to bring a winner of the “new” Prix du Jockey Club to the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and succeed, Jean-Claude Rouget can be forgiven his aura of zen ahead of the all-important Paris rendezvous for Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) on Sunday. While the yard's Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) took more than a year to complete the difficult double, late September's freak heatwave means that the 2023 edition of this autumn jewel is not the dire test it habitually represents for the Classic generation. Showing alacrity that only the elite are capable of in June's Chantilly Classic, Gousserie Racing and Ecuries Serge Stempniak's unbeaten colt can again employ that power play with conditions to suit and a draw that is a pure gift for this GI Breeders' Cup Turf qualifier.

Rouget is a veteran of keeping his head in such situations and he was typically steady in his pre-race assessment this week. “We're not going to do anything special,” he said. “He's quite calm in the morning and while it's true that in a race, like all good horses, he's more exuberant we shall just handle it as we always do. The track is going to be fast enough so everyone will be able to find a position and I'm not really worried that there isn't going to be any pace.”

“Ace Impact, given his stride devouring-action, should relish these conditions,” Rouget added. “We can't be absolutely certain that he'll stay the trip, but the manner in which he finishes his races allied to the fact that his sire had the required stamina lend me to feel fairly optimistic. The fact that he's discovering Longchamp for the first time isn't a worry, as the colt is a straightforward ride once he settles. The race holds no particular terrors! I'm just hoping for a race run at a proper gallop.”

The Flame Still Burns…

   In the days of the old 12-furlong Prix du Jockey Club, it was Pascal Bary who held sway with five winners but surprisingly none of them managed to provide him with the Arc victory he so covets. Surprisingly, his top-class 1998 Chantilly Classic hero Dream Well (Fr) (Sadler's Wells) cut no ice that year at Longchamp while his best Jockey Club hero  Sulamani (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) beat High Chaparral (Ire) in the 2002 Arc but failed to get past Marienbard (Ire) (Caerleon). Perhaps the fairytale victory will come during his twilight via his longstanding supporter and friend Jean-Louis Bouchard's TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}). This lightly-raced and probably still-improving colt is tried and tested over the course and distance on similar ground and the manner of his G1 Grand Prix de Paris display lingers in the memory.

“He really likes Longchamp, because it's a track that allows him the time to produce his potential,” Bary reflected. “He's a horse that likes to take his time and at Longchamp he can do that because there's the long straight. He's a horse that can be a bit cold at the beginning of a race, but he develops throughout the race as he goes further and he showed in the Grand Prix de Paris that he accelerated really well in the final straight.”

“Having such a horse at the end of my career is something very fortunate,” the trainer added. “Jean-Louis Bouchard is very upbeat ahead of Sunday, we have a magnificent colt and are heading to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a chance. Obviously, we are heading there with a mix of pleasure and enthusiasm and if not this year, it will be next year! He will be an even better four-year-old.”

Japan's Long Wait To End?

Over the past two seasons, it is clear that Japan sits at the forefront of the international racing world and most would agree that it is only a matter of time before the country achieves the Arc glory it has strived for with such admirable determination and patience. While the 5-year-old mare Through Seven Seas (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) seemed the unlikeliest of flagbearers for the nation when winning a Nakayama handicap in January, she has since used a win in the G3 Laurel R C Sho Nakayama Himba S. as a springboard to the big time.

That came when pushing the world's best Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) to a neck in Hanshin's G1 Takarazuka Kinen at a huge 55-1 and she has reportedly thrived since arriving in France. It is ironic that in a year when Equinox would have had his ideal ground to finally satiate Japan's hunger for his prize, his rider Christophe-Patrice Lemaire could still be in for the ultimate glory ride on what could be a supersub of supersubs.

Trainer Tomohito Ozeki is on the verge of history, notoriety and immortality and he knows it. “For any trainer, the Arc is a huge goal which seems somewhat removed, but it is now staring me right in the face,” he said. “Everything has gone well in her training. She has acclimatised really well to a new environment. Through Seven Seas has reached her optimum level as a five-year-old. In her younger days she showed a lot of temperament, ate little, was very thin and lacked strength. The mare was roughed off for the season after last August and she has strengthened up as a result. I believe in the mare.”

A Solid Cast…

Representing the brilliant-to-watch G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., the race that Aidan O'Brien said was “turned into a St Leger”, are the respective monarchs of two of the most successful breeding and racing operations in the sport in Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}). While Hukum's illustrious brother Baaeed (GB) ended his career in anti-climax in the soft ground that blurred his brilliance, Shadwell's latest flame could have done with plenty of the rain that undermined his sibling in last year's G1 Champion S. Instead he has none and a very difficult wide draw, so perhaps his desire for attritional warfare will go unrequited.

Juddmonte's Westover was a respectable sixth in the sapping, deep going in this 12 months ago, but a quartet of big shows at the top level this term demonstrate what an expert job Ralph Beckett has done with a colt that could have gone the wrong way. While he has a far-from-straightforward number one draw, Rob Hornby may have in his mind what his mount did when ridden forward by Colin Keane on a sound surface in last year's G1 Irish Derby.

Just what the G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) is capable of is a tantalising mystery and he thankfully continues the long mission to at last marry the dear old Doncaster Classic and this ultimate prize. Had the former Ballydoyle legend Alleged not encountered the rock-hard Royal filly Dunfermline (GB) in that Classic prior to winning his first Arc in 1977, this would have been a story long since concluded. However, the stark fact is that in the extensive interim period there have been many in the Continuous category who have looked as good as him coming here only to have failed by some margin.

Thankfully for Germany, their own search for an Arc winner is already a past success story and the country is now a regular and rightly-respected presence in the race. In the hero of the 154th G1 Deutsches Derby, Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), it has another contender along with that Classic's runner-up Mr Hollywood (Ire) (Iquitos {Ger}) who remains unexposed and potentially problematic for his adversaries. Fantastic Moon seemed to beat Feed The Flame fair and square in the course-and-distance G2 Prix Niel three weeks ago, while TDN Rising Star Mr Hollywood is not far off the standard of Westover based on his battle with the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Zagrey (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

Then there is the spectre of the reigning G1 Champion S. hero Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}), whose five-length dismissal of Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in Sandown's G3 Brigadier Gerard S. last May was a performance consistent with what is required to win one of these. Among those who rate as “outsiders”, Sir Michael Stoute's fully-mature charge is the stand-out during an era that is favouring experience over youthful zest.

Raiders Take Aim At Beauvatier In The Lagardere…

   Sunday's action at ParisLongchamp begins with an open-looking renewal of the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, in which Philippe Allaire and Haras d'Etreham's TDN Rising Star Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) puts his unbeaten record on the line against the usual collection of British and Irish challengers. Stall seven is no problem, but seven overseas peers in attendance could be as he bids to show he is more than just a very effective group 3 bully.

There is no arguing with his string of precision strikes, starting with the edging out of the high-class Ramatuelle (Justify) in a Saint-Cloud showdown in May followed by an upstaging of the subsequent G3 Prix des Chenes winner Zabiari (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Deauville's Listed Prix Roland de Chambure in July. Even his defeat of Evade (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the course-and-distance G3 Prix la Rochette in early September stands up well, but the trouble for Yann Barberot and co. is that he has no direct line to the likes of fellow TDN Rising Star Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) from Ballydoyle or the still-exciting Hannon trainee Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}).

Where Rosallion is concerned, it is a question of whether the version that ran away with Ascot's Listed Pat Eddery S. turns up or the one that flopped in third in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred grandson of his remarkable broodmare Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) has been done no favours drawn in 10 in a race where that really matters, so he will have to be every bit as good as he looked when dismissing the subsequent impressive winners Al Musmak (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) on the King George card.

“It looks like it's going to be fast ground out there which will be much more to his liking,” Hannon said. “We were very disappointed at Doncaster and we hope he is going to show what he can really do. They went very slow at Doncaster and he just didn't look like the horse we saw at Ascot or we've seen at home, so hopefully we will see him in a much better light.”

One of the live outsiders is Wathnan Racing's unbeaten Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale S. scorer Native American (Ire) (Sioux Nation) from the Richard Fahey stable responsible for Wootton Bassett who captured this in 2010 and who is the sire of three runners in this renewal. “They would be similar horses and both undefeated going there,” the trainer said. “I think Wootton Bassett had won four before going there. He was slightly more experienced, but this horse will have improved a lot now. He's going to be a better three-year-old than two-year-old, but we've been really pleased with him since the Curragh.”

Another Turn-Up Due In The Marcel Boussac?

If there is one race on the Arc card that has proven difficult for favourites, it is the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac with no market leaders successful since Ballydoyle's Ballydoyle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2015. Since then, there have been recorded returns of 8-1, 10-1, 25-1 and 28-1 which perhaps reflects the changing of the season and the flux in these juvenile fillies' fortunes as a result. As a rule, proven sequence winners like Newtown Anner Stud Farm's G2 May Hill S. and G3 Prestige S. winner Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) can find it hard, especially after having to travel, but with the sun shining like summer she could still have an edge despite her horror draw in 10 of 10.

Aidan O'Brien's sole favourite on the card is his representative here Opera Singer (Justify), who is unbeaten over this mile trip and who came into her own when taking The Curragh's G3 Flame of Tara S. in August. Drawn best of the main contenders in two, she carries the confidence of Ryan Moore. “This Justify half-sister to Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna , both group one-winning juveniles, took a big step forward when winning at the Curragh last time. She looked a serious filly there and, although the likes of Darnation and Les Pavots clearly have to be respected, I reckon she has a big chance here to follow in the family footsteps,” he said.

Interestingly, the aforementioned Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never) is a half-sister to a duo by Camelot (GB) that the Ballydoyle handler has recently had through his hands in Sir Dragonet (Ire) and Sir Lucan (Ire), but Haras d'Etreham and Craig Bernick's TDN Rising Star is not surprisingly more about speed and precocity than those middle-distance colts. After a string of creditable efforts over five and six furlongs, the Francis-Henri Graffard trainee is two-for-two over seven with a latest triumph in Deauville's G2 Prix du Calvados but on strict form has to improve again upped another furlong.

In general, winners of this tend to be already battle-hardened fillies, with Wuheida (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in 2016 the last to come off a debut win and succeed. That augurs badly for Albert Frassetto's highly-regarded Ribaltagaia (Blame), but what the Gianluca Bietolini-trained Lyon Parilly winner lacks in experience she more than makes up for in star potential if the manner of her performance in that 6 3/4-furlong maiden is anything to go by.

Can Blue Rose Bloom Again?

Dominant in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on this fixture 12 months ago, Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) seemed an unstoppable force by the time she had extended her sequence in the G1 Prix de Diane in June. Now approaching the G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines, Yeguada Centurion SL's homebred has had her wings clipped to a degree with two defeats marring her otherwise admirable record. While the latter probably came as a result of insufficient stamina in the 12-furlong G1 Prix Vermeille, the prior reversal was marked by a sluggish display in the G1 Nassau S. over this 10-furlong trip.

Only fourth having been hampered in that Goodwood feature won by the more straightforward Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the dual Classic heroine is on a retrieval mission but Christopher Head is confident she is going to go out on a high in 2023. “I think that's pretty much going to be the end of the season for her,” he said. “She's going back to the 2,000, she's had a tremendous season and we can't wait to see her this weekend.”

With the possibility that Blue Rose Cen may fail to fire and Al Shira'aa Farms' G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Jannah Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) being drawn in 12, this could open up. There was only a head between that Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained 3-year-old and Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in the G2 Prix Alec Head at Deauville in August and that subsequently impressive G2 Blandford S. winner has the upper hand from stall three.

Princess Has a Question To Answer In The Abbaye…

Uncharacteristically tame defending her crown in the G1 Flying Five at The Curragh when last seen on Irish Champions Weekend, Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) looks to bounce back on her first tilt at the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Having dodged this burn-up 12 months ago in favour of a build-up to the Breeders' Cup, John Quinn is keen to have a go this time on the back of a season which can be seen as slightly underwhelming. That may be a harsh summary given that her current campaign has yielded a win in Goodwood's G2 King George S. and three placings at this level, but then she was such a force in 2022 anything other than a repeat was always going to engender a touch of deflation.

“She's doing fine and has been well since the Curragh,” Quinn said. “I've been happy with her the last 10 days. She did a little bit of work on Tuesday morning and moved well and Jason [Hart] was happy with her. She looks well, it didn't work out at the Curragh but Sunday is a different day.”

Of her draw in stall 14, he added, “She missed the break at the Curragh and slipped coming out and at least in 14 she has a bit of space where she can manoeuvre. I was hoping to get somewhere in the middle, like 10 or 12, so I'm not going to cry over 14. This is a nice flat track, she has good form on flat tracks and we're looking forward to Sunday.”

Of the 3-year-olds, The Rogues Gallery's Listed Scarbrough S. winner Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is dangerously progressive albeit from the widest draw in 19. Others in the mix are the Flying Five hero Moss Tucker (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and Clipper Logistics' TDN Rising Star Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) who needs to arrest a decline having failed to fire since opening her season with an impressive win in the G2 Temple S.

Rogue Lightning's trainer Tom Clover said of the post position, “It is a bit of a graveyard draw, but he's in really good form. We're not drawn too far from Highfield Princess, so hopefully that gives us some pace and he can run a really nice race.”

Kinross Poised For Foret Defence...

The draw is all-important in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, particularly when there are 14 in the line-up as is the case this year, so Marc Chan's ever-reliable TDN Rising Star Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) has an immediate headstart in two as he bids for back-to-back wins in the seven-furlong contest. This has been dominated by British raiders since Make Believe (GB) prevailed for France in 2015 and one of his main rivals, the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), has a nightmare scenario from stall 13. In nine is Kinross's 2022 1000 Guineas-winning compatriot Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), who will need to go forward from there as she continues her road back.

Chan's racing manager Jamie McCalmont said of Kinross, “Knowing Frankie as long as I've known Frankie, he's not really one to become emotionally attached to horses but one thing is for sure, he really does like this horse and is fond of him. I remember last year by the time that race was run, the English crowd had got a fair few drinks in them and when they went back into the winner's enclosure the crowd were chanting 'oh Frankie Dettori'. It was pretty cool. Let's hope they are all singing again.”

The post ParisLongchamp: “The race holds no terrors.” Confident Rouget Waits for Arc Impact appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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