Last Saturday, Longchamp witnessed top-class, competitive yet dramatic racing on day one of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe festival weekend. Kyprios provided one of the highlights when veering from the far side of the track to greet racegoers in the stands on his way to his G1 Prix du Cadran (4000m) victory.
Ten Group One and three Group Two races featured from the nineteen races at Longchamp last weekend.
Saturday, Day One of the two-day Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meeting, was run on a very soft track after showers throughout the week and steady rain on Friday into Saturday. After dawning overcast the cloud broke with pleasant autumn conditions.
Two Group One (G1) races' and three Group Two's (G2) were the highlight of the card. A valuable sale's race also provided an exciting finish.
The British based William Haggas trained Sea La Rosa was the first of the thoroughbred G1 winners. Whilst there were many outstanding race victories over the two days', this one went down as probably the most deserved. On appearance she is one of the smallest horses in training, but she has staying ability and a massive heart. Winning her previous two races at G2 level, including the Prix de Pomone at Deauville over 2500m carrying a weight penalty, she recorded her maiden G1 which was a deserved victory.
Kyprios became the first horse to complete the Ascot Gold Cup-Prix du Cadran G1 double in the same season since the 'Cadran' was moved from the spring to the Autumn. He proved to be the outstanding stayer currently in training. This also gave Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien his first victory in the race having been one of the few G1 races in France he was yet to win. Under the testing conditions, with the field completing in very long intervals, Kyprios had a big lead entering the home-straight for the final time and despite extreme wayward actions of drifting from the inside rail across the spacious Longchamp course to the outside fence he still won by a whopping 20L.
There was an incident at Saint Cloud on Friday which subsequently resulted in the partnership between Christophe Soumillon and Aga Khan Studs ending earlier this week. Erevann may have been the last Group winner for the combination, landing the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (G2) over 1600m. As a three-year-old, successful in four of his five starts (only defeat was an excellent third in the Prix Jacques le Marlois (G1) at Deauville in August) he showed ability as a horse to note in 'mile' Group One races next season. The question is – who will be riding him?
The Prix Dollar was won by the Shadwell owned Anmaat, trained by Owen Burrows in England. A very well-placed horse throughout his career having gone through his grades with ten starts, he is yet to miss a place and six wins and looks to be a four-year-old reaching peak maturity. A G1 around 2000m could be well be within his ability next season where in France, the Prix Ganay or Prix d'Ispahan immediately come to mind.
In a thrilling finish Al Qareem won the Prix Chaudenay for the three-year-old stayers over 3000m and gave Ryan Moore the first of two winners on the programme. The Haras de Bouquetot-Critérium Arqana was another good finish with the Jerome Reynier trained Souzak narrowly holding off the Aidan O'Brien trained Denmark by a short-head. Purchased for €100,000 he and the runner-up (€440,000 purchase) were the only two colts to carry a weight penalty in the race.
The Arab-bred G1, for four-year-old fillies, was won by Sahab prepared by leading Arab-bred specialist trainer Thomas Fourcy.
