Menuisier Hoping Heartache Can Continue Wonderful Story

Eric Clapton has already inadvertently provided owner Chris Wright and trainer David Menuisier with one Group 1-winning filly in the form of Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) and now it's up to The Eagles. 

Former record company boss Wright has a long history of naming his horses after song titles, and when it came to the half-sister to the multiple group winner, the selection of Heartache Tonight (Fr) (Recorder {GB}) seemed fitting. There may well have been a little heartache involved, too, as at the time she was signed up as a private purchase at Arqana's October Yearling Sale, her elder-sister had only recently exited stage left, her season and career curtailed by injury. By that stage, however, Wonderful Tonight had already won the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 QIPCO British Champion Fillies & Mares S., as well as the G2 Hardwicke S at Royal Ascot and the G2 Lillie Langtry S. at Goodwood, her local track.

Now in her place at Menuisier's Sussex stable is her three-year-old sibling, who on Friday will become her trainer's first runner in a British Classic. Like Menuisier, Heartache Tonight was born and bred in France, but they have both migrated across the Channel. Despite Britain now being the filly's permanent base, she has raced solely in her native country in her three starts to date. 

By the Sumbe sire Recorder, a son of Galileo (Ire) bred by Her Late Majesty the Queen, Heartache Tonight is out of the Montjeu (Ire) mare Salvation (GB) and was herself bred by Sylvain Vidal, the former head of Haras de Montfort & Preaux, where the Sumbe stallions reside. 

Menuisier demonstrates his trademark sangfroid when it comes to lining up at Epsom. “We're keeping our feet on the ground,” he says. 

“The main plan has always been and will still remain the autumn for this filly. She will have a break after this and she will be trained for the Arc. If she's not good enough we can bring her back. That said, I wouldn't run [in the Oaks] if I didn't think she has a chance, but I personally feel no pressure about Friday.”

No box-walking for the trainer, then, and he is justified in his belief that his filly, who runs in the colours of Chris Wright in partnership with Andy MacDonald, deserves her place in the line-up. 

Heartache Tonight was the easy winner of her sole start at two, which came on heavy turf and over nine furlongs at Lonchamp. She returned to Paris in April for the G3 Prix Cleopatre, in which she was beaten just over a length when third behind Crown Princesse (Fr) and Elusive Princess (Fr). All three were pitched straight into Group 1 company for their next start in the Prix Saint-Alary and finished second, third and fourth behind Jannah Rose (Ire), with a length and a half separating the quartet. 

“I think that the two trials she ran in were interesting races and they came across as being of a good level,” says Menuisier. “When we ran in the Cleopatre, she was the only filly making her seasonal debut in the race and it was only her second race ever. We don't train on turf here, we train on wood chip, so it was her second time on the grass and I thought she ran a strong race.

“She was always going to need the run. A furlong and a half out she looked like she was getting swamped but then she had a little breather and picked up again, so that was a really good performance.”

He continues, “We decided to aim high and I said at the time that we would only run in the Saint-Alary on soft ground, because I think that she would have lacked a little pace to have won over 1m2f on good ground. 

“It was a bit of a stop-and-start race, but it was the same again, and when they quickened, she looked like she was getting swamped again, but then she picked up and rallied and was only beaten a length and a half. The second and the third were the fillies who finished just in front of her in the Cleopatre, so the form repeated itself and the filly gained experience. She was really green at Saint-Cloud but she's learning all the time and we feel at home that she has improved more since the Group 1 than she did between the Group 3 and the Group 1. So, we'll see.”

Stepping up to the mile and a half of the Oaks test, rather than remaining at the shorter distance for the Prix de Diane, especially now that the ground has dried out significantly, will suit Heartache Tonight, according to her trainer. 

“I think she wants 1m4f to compete at the top level. It's great to go and run in France but every time it is a long journey. We're only 45 minutes from Epsom so it's perfect to run here.”

It is only natural to draw comparisons between half-sisters, especially when they emanate from the same stable, but Menuisier outlines one key difference in the make-up of Heartache Tonight.

He says, “This filly is very similar to her sister in many ways. She has a strong temperament but she is so much easier to train than Wonderful Tonight. This one is pretty bombproof, and I'd be surprised if she was fazed by the preliminaries. When she ran at Longchamp, she stayed in Chantilly and travelled over to the racecourse in the morning, and it was quite busy at the track and the stables were packed but she didn't turn a hair. She was sleeping flat out in her box before the race. She has the constitution to go to war in the big races.”

Menuisier adds, “It's a fantastic story for everybody really. What is the chance of having two sisters competing at Group 1 level, especially when you buy them at the sales? It's pretty exceptional.”

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Wonderful Tonight To Visit Frankel

Chris Wright's dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) will visit champion sire Frankel (GB) for her first covering this year, trainer David Menuisier reported on Twitter on Monday. The 5-year-old mare has joined Wright's broodmare band at his Stratford Place Stud in the Cotswolds.

A winner at two, Wonderful Tonight rose through the ranks at three, winning the G3 Prix Minerve in August of 2020 before winding up the season with a Group 1 double in the Prix de Royallieu and the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S.

Kicking off a 4-year-old campaign last year aimed at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Wonderful Tonight won Royal Ascot's G2 Hardwicke S. and Glorious Goodwood's G2 Lillie Langtry S. before finishing fourth in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. Wright and Menuisier's Arc dreams were dashed when Wonderful Tonight suffered a condylar fracture in training three weeks out from the race and was retired.

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Wonderful Tonight Injured, Retired

Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), whose six victories included wins in last year's G1 Prix de Royallieu and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and this year's G2 Hardwicke S. and G2 Lillie Langtry S., has been retired after suffering a condylar fracture of a fetlock on Friday morning.

Christopher Wright's 4-year-old filly had been an intended runner in Sunday's G2 Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp as a stepping stone toward the Oct. 3 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, trainer David Menuisier's goal since her Royallieu win.

“She did her final piece of work this morning and was due to go tomorrow morning first thing to France,” said Menuisier. “She cooled down fine and it wasn't until two and a half hours later that she couldn't put her foot on the ground. The vets took an x-ray and she has a little condylar fracture in her fetlock, so it is game over.”

A €40,000 Arqana August yearling, Wonderful Tonight indicated her talent with a 2 1/2-length win in last August's G3 Prix Minerve. Fifth behind the eventual Breeders' Cup winner Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) in the G1 Prix Vermeille on her next start, Wonderful Tonight had 1 1/4 lengths over the classy Pista (American Pharoah) in the Royallieu before gliding over the soft ground at Ascot last October to best Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) by 2 1/2 lengths in the Fillies & Mares S. With Menuisier vocal all season about his plans to run Wonderful Tonight in the Arc, the filly indicated her wellness with wins in the Hardwicke and Lillie Langtry before checking in fourth in last month's G1 Yorkshire Oaks over ground dryer than ideal.

“It just shows how fragile they are,” Menuisier continued. “She was in great form and we were just waiting to see if they got any rain at Longchamp before we made the final decision–fate decided for us, really.

“I'm just thankful we had her for the time we did. I'm taking her to the hospital this afternoon and I'm just relieved we can save her. She'll be a lovely broodmare and that's all we can think of really–that and the good times that she gave us. Words fail me, they really do.”

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Three-For-Three In 2021, Snowfall Goes For Breeders’ Cup Berth In Thursday’s Yorkshire Oaks

Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's dual Group 1-winning filly Snowfall (JPN) is set to take on six rivals at York in the 1 ½-mile Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1) on Thursday. The Darley Yorkshire Oaks winner will receive an automatic berth into the US$2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

Snowfall, a 3-year-old daughter of Deep Impact (JPN) out of the Galileo (IRE) mare Best In The World (IRE), is three for three this season. The Aidan O'Brien-trained filly returns to York where she began her 2021 campaign with a win in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes (G3), before cruising to a record-breaking 16-length victory in the Cazoo Oaks (G1) at Epsom in June. Snowfall followed up on that success with another wide-margin victory in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (G1) at The Curragh on July 17. She is joined by stablemates Divinely (IRE), last seen finishing fourth in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (G2), and La Joconde (IRE), the outsider of the field.

Trained by David Menuisier and ridden by William Buick, Wonderful Tonight (FR) steps up to Group 1 competition for the first time this season. The 4-year-old daughter of Le Havre (IRE) won the Qatar Prix de Royallieu (G1) at ParisLongchamp and QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) last October. This year, Wonderful Tonight captured the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot in June before winning the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (G2) at Goodwood on July 31.

Menuisier had alternative options in France for his star filly but has decided to head to York.

He said: “Obviously I'm hoping there's a bit more rain, but if the ground is good we'll give it a go.

“I've been in Deauville for four or five days and I've found that the ground is pretty chopped up. The weather forecast is not that positive for downpours and I'm sure the ground will be better in York than it is in Deauville.”

Connections of Albaflora (GB) will be hoping their 4-year-old filly can improve against Wonderful Tonight. Owned and bred by Miss Kirsten Rausing, Albaflora finished fifth in the Hardwicke Stakes and third in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes. It would be a first win in this race for trainer Ralph Beckett and jockey Rossa Ryan, if successful.

John Gosden has won this race five times. Now training in partnership with his son Thady, the duo saddle Loving Dream (GB), with jockey Frankie Dettori set to ride. The 3-year-old daughter of Gleneagles (IRE) was last seen when winning the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot on June 17.

Finishing three-quarters of a length behind Loving Dream that day at Ascot was Shadwell Estate Company's Eshaada (GB). The lightly raced Group 2 placed 3-year-old filly, trained by Roger Varian and ridden by Jim Crowley, completes the field.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Darley Yorkshire Oaks winner to start in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, which will be run at 1 3/8 Miles on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

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