QREC
In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani and His Excellency Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Qatari-owned horses continued to dazzle on the second day of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani’s TAYF (Amer) won the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Group 1 PA) in a thrilling fashion and Al Shaqab Racing’s WOODED (Wootton Bassett) sprinted to a memorable victory in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines (Group 1).
Tayf’s victory, the horse’s first in five attempts at the world championship race for Purebred Arabians, further stamps Qatar’s authority in Purebred Arabian racing. Sheail Bin Khalifa Al Kuwari’s LADY PRINCESS (General) won the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Juments (Group 1 PA) for four-year-old fillies on Day One of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend on Saturday. On Friday, at Saint-Cloud, Al Shaqab Racing’s ALAWSJ (Dahor de Brugere) won Qatar Arabian Trophy Des Pouliches (Group 1 PA) and Sheail Bin Khalifa Al Kuwari’s HADI DE CARRERE (Nieshan) landed Qatar Arabian Trophy Des Poulains (Group 1 PA).
H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani crowned the winners of the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Group 1 PA) and the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Group 1), which was won by French-trained SOTTSASS (Siyouni).
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani received the Qatar Arabian World Cup trophy on behalf of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani after Tayf’s victory.
Qatar Racing and Equestian Club (QREC) CEO Nasser Bin Sherida Al Kaabi participated in the trophy presentations of the other races.
QATAR PRIX JEAN-LUC LAGARDERE (GRAND CRITÉRIUM): SEALIWAY DOMINATES
The opening race of the Sunday of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend, the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (Grand Critérium), was won by the French colt Sealiway (Galiway) in dominant fashion. Given a positive ride by Mickaël Barzalona, who kept his mount on the heels of the leader, Cairn Gorm (Bated Breath), Sealiway moved in for the kill approaching the open stretch. His long, steady powers of acceleration did the rest as he increasingly put daylight between himself and his rivals. The favourite NANDO PARRADO (Kodiac) was beaten eight lengths into second. LAWS OF INDICES (Power) was a length and a quarter further away in third.
Sealiway is owned by the Haras de la Gousserie and Guy Pariente, who is also the breeder. He’s a son of the young sire Galiway, whose first crop are three-year-olds. It marks the first time that these particular yellow and green silks have won at this level in France, although Spirit One did win the Arlington Million (US) for the same concern in 2008.
Sealiway is trained by Frédéric Rossi at the Calas-Cabriès training centre. He recorded his first success Group 1 win following the win of Dream and Do (Siyouni) in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1,000 Guineas) during the current 2020 season.
Rossi commented, “After he won in May we were thinking in terms of aiming him at the Prix Morny. However, we harboured reservations about the trip. We ran him at Chantilly and he wasn’t very convincing. We then reasoned that the colt needed to be stepped up in trip. In the Prix Roland de Chambure, he got outpaced. I told Mickaël Barzalona to give him an energetic ride. He’s a very tough type but isn’t the sort that can produce a sudden burst of acceleration. He will be heading for the Poule [d’Essai des Poulains] [French 2,000 Guineas) at three, however, his season hasn’t [necessarily] ended. As it’s possible that he may go on his travels. We’re thinking in terms of the Breeders’ Cup.”
QATAR PRIX MARCEL BOUSSAC (CRITÉRIUM DES POULICHES): JESSICA MARCIALIS BECOMES THE FIRST WOMAN JOCKEY TO WIN A GROUP 1 IN FRANCE
On Sunday, Jessica Marcialis become the first woman jockey to win a Group 1 on the flat in France! She won the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac – Critérium des Pouliches aboard TIGER TANAKA (Clodovil), trained by her partner Charley Rossi.
Turning into the straight Tiger Tanaka was caught in a pocket on the heels of the leaders, but Marcialis didn’t panic and waited before snatching and opening on the inside of the leaders, meaning she didn’t have to lose any ground in the process.
TASMANIA (Zoffany) stuck on up the rail and finished second.
The race was truly a family affair as ROUGIR (Territories), trained by Cédric Rossi, Charley’s brother, finished third and produced a strong effort in the closing stages.
Charley Rossi was emotional after the race, “It’s only another race! (laughs). No, it’s exceptional really, for Jessica, the horses and the whole team. She is not a great mover in the mornings but she ran so well in the Papin, that proved to us that she had the level for this… With Jessica, the filly has always been respected and that has helped us to win today I think. We gave her plenty of time to get ready for the Boussac. She is now qualified for the Breeders Cup, we could be tempted to have a go.”
Marcialis was overjoyed and said, “It’s not possible, I must be dreaming, I can’t speak its incredible. Everybody is here, my future husband, my family, my friends and I’m there riding a filly who has just won a Group1, who was bought in a claimer! What’s going on?! It’s her that has done all the work, I’m just a passenger. Today we wanted to keep her calm, she was nice and switched off and then when the gap came she really accelerated. She just started to pull herself up 200m out but when Tasmania came alongside, she took off again.”
QATAR ARABIAN WORLD CUP: HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH ABDULLAH BIN KHALIFA AL THANI’S TAYF IS CROWNED CHAMPION
The eight-year-old TAYF (Amer), in the colours of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani, was one of the most experienced campaigners in the field, but success in the Qatar Arabian World Cup had previously eluded him. On this occasion, he was making his fifth appearance in the world championship of Purebred Arabian (PA) racing. He landed the spoils under jockey Olivier Peslier and for trainer Thomas Fourcy, who won all the big races for Purebred Arabians during the course of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc weekend. Tayf raced in mid-division before going on the offensive in the open stretch, as Messi (Dahess) tried to give his rivals the slip. He clawed back the leader inch by inch. Ebraz (Amer), the favourite and defending champion, had to settle for third, having been unable to unleash his habitual finishing kick on this occasion.
Fourcy said, “I had won this race on two previous occasions with Al Mourtajez, who was a genuine crack performer. However, with Tayf it’s different. Alban de Mieulle and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani decided to send me the horse to train, and it hasn’t been simple due to the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic. I would like to thank them for placing their trust in me. My job has consisted getting the horse into condition, but, above all, to get him in the right frame of mind. Olivier Peslier rode a peach of a race. Ebraz kept him up to his task in the closing stages. The horse will be returning to the Qatar stable of Alban de Mieulle in a few weeks’ time. I imagine that he will be aimed at (His Highness) the Amir’s Sword.”
Peslier added, “It’s not so much a case of magic Peslier but magic Fourcy! The horse had previously won on this type of ground, and so I was confident. Last time out at Goodwood, he was in need of the race after a lay off. He really hit his stride today. Judged by the way he was responding to the cut and thrust of the race, I said to myself ‘things are going well’.”
QATAR PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE: SOTTSASS IS THE NEW THOROUGHBRED WORLD CHAMPION
The 99th edition of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the world championship race for thoroughbreds, was won by the French-trained SOTTSASS (Siyouni).
Sottsass is trained in Deauville by Jean-Claude Rouget, ridden by Cristian Demuro, and was bred in Normandy by Écurie des Monceaux (Henri Bozo). His owner is the American Peter Brant (White Birch Farm).
Sottsass was ridden close up and took a lead from Persian King, who set the pace. Turning into the home straight he only had Persian King to pass – with the two horses veering across to their left inside the final 300m. IN SWOOP (Adlerflug) came home strongly in the straight and closed all the way to the line, but too late to get to Sottsass, finishing second. PERSIAN KING (Kingman), who was trying 2,400 metres for the first time, looked the winner for a moment, having made most of the running, but finished third.
The great racemare ENABLE (Nathaniel), who was bidding for a third Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe could only manage sixth, and looked slightly uncomfortable throughout the race. She also suffered some interference in the closing stages and was victim of a wave of rivals hanging across her. There was a stewards enquiry held in the aftermath of the race, but the result was left unaltered.
It was Rouget’s first-ever Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victory.
He said, “The closer the race was getting the more confident I was. With all the O’Brien runners I was a bit worried that he may have a strangely run race, but I knew my horse was well. For the sport, I would have preferred that the O’Brien runners were there. You know, I am a sporting person and I have spared a thought for them today. Sottsass had a good draw and had a superb run throughout the race, I had asked Cristian to wait and be patient because last year he was there a shade too early, today it was perfect. I am happy for the horse but also for the owner Peter Brant. It has been a difficult year for everyone, Sottsass in particular. It’s not easy to win a race like this. Enable was never really in it and concerning Raabibah (5th, also trained by Rouget) I thought she didn’t get a great run through. Even with her good draw, she found herself a bit crowded in the middle. Despite this she finished off the race well.”
Jockey Demuro was moved to tears. “I would have never believed it if you told me I would win the Arc! But I had a good feeling about today, I don’t know why! Since Tuesday Sottsass has been really well in himself, it was clear in the mornings. I wanted to be close up to try and avoid falling victim to a slow pace. I galloped in behind Persian King and only had to pull out Sottsass to challenge. He’s a real champion.”
PRIX DE L’OPÉRA LONGINES: TARNAWA IS THE FILLIES AND MARES CHAMPION!
The winner of the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Group 1) three weeks ago on Qatar Arc Trials day, the Irish filly TARNAWA (Shamardal) again unleashed an incredible burst of speed in the Prix de l’Opéra Longines. Christophe Soumillon gave Tarnawa a very patient ride, and the filly had a considerable amount of ground to make up in the straight. She prevailed at the death after getting the better of her fellow Irish raider, ALPINE STAR (Sea the Moon). The latter was fast out of the gates before allowing Tawkeel (Teofilo) to stride on. AUDARYA (Wootton Bassett), having hugged the rail in third position, never relinquished this position throughout.
Tarnawa is owned by His Highness The Aga Khan and is trained by Dermot Weld.
Soumillon, the retained rider for Aga Khan Studs, said, “Her trainer was confident going into the race despite the ground. Alas, we were a bit inconvenienced by the draw, as she isn’t the fastest out of the gates. Last time out, when she raced over 2.400m (12f), she was incredible. I was confident going into the race that there would be enough pace from the off. I didn’t wish to find myself seeing plenty of daylight going to the false straight, and I managed to angle the filly behind All Rumours. That enabled me to get into a good position and give the filly a breather before she changed legs, and prior to me asking her for maximum effort. Today, she repeated her level of form but it’s difficult to tell if she’s capable of emulating this next season. We must enjoy this victory. If all goes to plan, she may perhaps head to the Breeders’ Cup, and I hope that I will have the opportunity of making the trip [to the US] to ride her.”
PRIX DE L’ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES: AL SHAQAB RACING’S WOODED IS THE SPRINTING STAR!
In the colours of Al Shaqab Racing, WOODED (Wootton Bassett) was the first French-trained winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines, a Group 1 over the sprint distance of 1,000m, in 10 years! He is trained by Francis-Henri Graffard in Chantilly, was ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot and bred in Normandy by Haras d’Étreham.
Wooded got the better of last year’s winner GLASS SLIPPERS (Dream Ahead) and LIBERTY BEACH (Cable Bay) back in third.
The three-year-old colt took advantage of a good draw in stall two and quickly got across to the rail. Not known for being a specialist over the 1,000m, Wooded was slightly off the bridle throughout the race but stayed on strongly at the finish.
Graffard was overjoyed with the result, “I was roaring! I am over the moon for him, he’s a horse I love. It has been tough all season with him. I wanted to send him to Royal Ascot but we were unable to travel, I was gutted. Today the plan was to run him over 1,000 to toughen him up for next year, but he’s gone and won. He galloped last week on the soft ground and PC (Pierre-Charles Boudot) said to me that he was a completely different horse. Well done to PC who has always said he is fast and well done to the team at home!”
QATAR PRIX DE LA FORÊT: TREBLE FOR ONE MASTER
While Enable could not manage to take a third Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, English mare ONE MASTER (Fastnet Rock) made it a hat-trick of successes by winning her third Qatar Prix de la Forêt in a row, a first in the history of the race.
During the race, she was tucked in patiently behind EARTLIGHT (Shamardal), who took the field along. The two horses then entered into a strong battle up the home straight but it was One Master who came out on top, with her partner Pierre-Charles Boudot giving a masterclass in the saddle. SAFE VOYAGE (Fast Company) came with a strong challenge on the outside of the leaders and took a good third place.
“I am extremely happy to be associated with this mare and we have won three great editions of this race together,” Boudot said after the win.
“Today was never going to be easy but she is tough and always gives her best, she’s very courageous. This is the third year in a row that the ground is in her favour and we have taken advantage of that. She is a real princess, you just have to ask her to accelerate, I was never in too much doubt. I tried not to get there too early with her because she finds the straight very long here. When the horse on the outside came with a challenge, she knew exactly what to do.”
QATAR GRAND HANDICAP DE FLYERS: TRUE ROMANCE WINS
Bottom weight TRUE ROMANCE (George Vancouver) made it a double on the day for Chantilly-based trainer Francis-Henri Graffard by taking the Qatar Grand Handicap de Flyers over 1,400m.
The five-year-old broke smartly from stall nine and was sent to the lead by jockey Ronan Thomas. Running in the colours of Graffard (owned in association with Harad des Adelis), True Romance looked to be doing a bit too much on the early downhill section of the track but settled after the first 400m. A solid tempo meant that not too many got into this form off the pace and once asked to accelerate, True Romance pulled four lengths clear of his rivals and provided his breeder, the De La Heroniere, with a winner on Arc weekend.
BARAKETLE (Poet’s Voice) looked threatening in the home straight and stayed on strongly to the line, ahead of DUHAIL (Lope de Vega), who did well to finish third from the widest draw.
Graffard said, “He has won that well, I am delighted for the horse. He has really gone well on the ground. He was a good two-year-old but we then had a few problems with him. We had fun with him last winter and have now made up for the lost time.”
QATAR PRIX DU CENTENAIRE: FAVOURITE CALISTE TAKES VICTORY
The final race on Arc weekend was won by the favorite CALISTE (Intense Focus) for Chantilly trainer Fabrice Vermeulen. Despite a wide draw in stall ten, Caliste broke well and the Ecurie de Meutry-bred gelding was immediately sent to the front of the field by champion jockey Maxime Guyon.
The Ecurie Serge Stempniak-owned five-year-old took the field long at a steady rhythm over the 1,400m trip, before being asked for an effort inside the final 400m. The race developed into a sprint (albeit a slow one in these conditions) and not many got into this from behind. Caliste held off his challengers and went on to score by a neck from veteran MILLFIELD (Whipper) with LARNO (Milanais) third a further three quarters of a length back.
“The horse has battled all the way to the line there. He was very courageous and re-accelerated every time I asked him to,” Guyon said.