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Coupled with Volver, the Jean Claude Rouget-trained Stacelita, Christophe Lemaire up, was the 9-10 favourite in the French Tote. Dar Re Mi was the 2-1 second favourite. Stacelita tracked the leader and hit the front soon after turning for home. Jimmy Fortune got Dar Re Mi rolling after finding an inside seam. In a duel over the last 100 yards, Dar Re Mi went one better to win by a neck and gain her third consecutive Group I win at the expense of another Oaks champion. In 2008, as a three year-old, Dar Re Mi had chased Zarkava home in the Vermeille.
The Longchamp stewards instituted an inquiry. It was ruled that jockey Fortune and Dar Re Mi had interfered with Soberania who had finished fifth. Dar Re Mi was disqualified and placed fifth. Soberania was promoted to fourth. Stacelita was declared the winner and the Monsun filly took her win streak to six, courtesy of the French stewards. The 2400-metre Vermeille was run in 2 29.10 seconds.
Madeleine Weber, wife of Lord Lloyd-Weber, was dismayed. “I don’t understand what happened. May be, we won’t come to France anymore. She won fair and square. It is a shame the records will show that our filly did not win the Vermeille.”
Bookmakers in England and Ireland paid on both Dar Re Mi and Stacelita. The Webers have lodged an appeal that will be heard by France-Galop, the French Racing Authority.
Stacelita needs to be supplemented to the Arc with a 100,000-pound payment. Trainer Rouget was surprised but expressed happiness at the fact that his filly came out of the race in top order. “She had not raced since early June. She will be a lot fitter for the Arc.”
The second Group race on Sunday was the (G II) Prix Niel, also over 2,400 metres. The race was confined to three year-olds. Five answered the starter’s call. The favourite was the Andre Fabre-trained Cavalryman at 2/5. Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Cavalryman justified the favouritism. It was Cavalryman’s third consecutive win. The time was 2 30.10 seconds. Beheshtam, owned by the Aga Khan, was second, half a length back.
Jockey Dettori spoke. “There was no strong, early pace but he was able to change gears in the straight. It was only a prep for the Arc and there’s plenty left to work on. I’m most likely to ride him in the Arc and he did a good job today.”
More than one handicapper in England has said that Cavalryman, now a 10-1 chance, represents value and is his pick in the Arc. Cavalryman has been winning in a manner suggesting that there is more to come.
The third and final Arc prep at Longchamp on Sunday was the (G II) Prix Foy. Only four ran. Vision d’Etat, the 2008 French Derby winner and the Prince of Wales champion at Royal Ascot this year, was the 4-5 favourite. Olivier Peslier was aboard the Eric Libaud-trained four year-old. The race, however, went to Spanish Moon who made it all in the 2,400-metre race. Spanish Moon, ridden by Ryan Moore, won by three parts of a length in a time of 2 28.7 seconds and was the 9-4 second favourite.
Spanish Moon, a Sir Michael Stoute trainee, was put on the ‘Arc list’ and made a 20-1 chance by the British bookmakers. In late June, Spanish Moon won the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud with Ryan Moore. There is progression and Stoute is now three-handed with Ask, Conduit and Spanish Moon in the Arc.
Sir Stoute referred to Spanish Moon’s starting stall antics that prompted the British authorities to ban him. “That win was very pleasing. He had been off since the Grand Prix. At this stage, I would say he’s probable for the Arc. It is a shame he can’t race in England. He is not dangerous. He’s just stubborn.”
Eric Libaud commented on Vision d’Etat’s performance. “It was an excellent Arc trial. He’s impeccable. He did not have a hard race. He was a little rusty and the ground was a little too firm for him.”
Jockey Olivier Peslier was laconic. “I came a bit late but he finished very well.”
Here is an update on the jockeys who have ridden in India in the recent past. In England, Richard Hughes, now serving a suspension, has 114 winners from 576 rides. A level stake of a pound on every one of his mounts would have resulted in a profit of 5 pounds and 52 pennies. Silvestre de Sousa has ridden 57 winners from 390 starts. Silvestre shows a remarkable 47.10 profit. Francis Norton has 42 wins from 378 outings for a 27.41 profit. David Allan has 28 wins from 385 starts for a 157.31 loss. Sam Hitchcott has 20 winners from 226 races for a loss of 117.96. Kieren Fallon, who started back about two weeks ago, has 14 winners from 62 starts and shows a 9.12 profit.
Here are the numbers for Ryan Moore, the British champion. Moore has 145 winners from 655 mounts. If you had bet one pound on every one of Moore’s horses, you would have lost 85.01. Moore’s horses, especially favourites, run at short odds.
Let us take a look at our Irish friends. Colm O’Donoghue has the best deal going. He rides for Aidan O’Brien and gets quality rides often. Colm has 30 winners from 284 rides for a 35.05 loss. Chris Hayes has 27 wins from 417 rides for a loss of 212.18. Dan Grant has 12 wins from 152 rides for a 49.88 loss. Niall McCullagh has ridden nine winners from 166 starts. He shows a loss of 69.50.
I got these numbers from Racing Post-statistics section. Any jockey coming to India this winter, go to Racing Post and get the numbers.
Francis Norton deserves a special mention. On Monday at Musselburgh, jockey Norton rode four winners. In the opener, Norton won with the Richard Guest-trained Clumber Place, a 50-1 outsider. In the fourth, Norton’s winner was the 16-1 King of the Moors, another Guest trainee. In the fifth, Norton connected with Micky’s Knock Off, a 11-2 chance, another Richard Guest pupil. Norton’s quadruple came in the sixth. He was aboard the Alan Berry-trained Wicked Wilma, a 11-4 favourite. It was a 211,32-1 four-bagger for Norton.
“I’ve ridden four winners in one day a handful of times. It is only the second time that I have had a four-timer at just one meeting,” jockey Norton said.
The Breeders’ Cup Board has announced that the purse for the Classic (NOV 7 at Santa Anita) will be upped to six million from five if Rachel Alexandra goes. The winner’s share will be 3.7 million with a purse of six million dollars. Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra’s primary owner, has categorically stated that the star filly will not race on Santa Anita’s pro-ride surface because of the potential for injury.
Trainer Vincent O’Brien was honoured at the Curragh last Saturday. The Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, a 1400-metre race for freshmen, was given Group I status. In only his second career start, the Kevin Pendergast-trained Kingsfort, came away victorious. Declan McDonogh was the jockey. Kingsfort beat Chabal by a neck in a time of 1 33.63 on a soft grass course. Two weeks ago, Pendergast and McDonogh won the Moyglare Stud Stakes with Termagant. Alfred Noble, the Aidan O’Brien pupil and the even money favourite, finished last. Kingsfort is by War Chant out of Princess Kris by Kris.
On Saturday, SEP 19, Balmoral Park hosts the biggest night in Illinois harness racing. There are big purses. The programme caters to horses bred in the State of Illinois. I leave for London on Sunday, the 20th. I will be at Ascot on Sat, Sep 26 for the Queen Elizabeth Mile and two other Group I races. The three winners get berths in corresponding Breeders’ Cup races in early November.
I will be in Paris on Oct 2. The Arc weekend at Longchamp is on Oct 3 and Oct 4. The Arc is on Sunday, Oct 4. My wife and I will spend an extra three days in Paris and head to Zurich for a holiday. Three days in Zurich and we fly back to Chicago.
