Matt Brocklebank reacts to the Qatar Arc Trials Day action which saw two Japanese horses shorten, a top filly stamp her class and the master trainer Andre Fabre strengthen his hand.
Sosie well set for big day
The Juddmonte International winner was swiftly ruled out soon after scooting in at York last month, the King George winner is a gelding and on Saturday the long-term favourite suffered a major blow when beaten in a Group 3 on the all-weather. So what did we learn as attentions turned to Sunday’s Qatar Arc Trials day at Longchamp?
Quite a lot, in short.
On paper, the Prix Foy looked a warmer-than-usual edition with proven Group 1 performers clashing with some of the more promising middle-distance horses around, and first blood went to Japan with Byzantine Dream winning under Oisin Murphy in what appears to be a fast time (more than a second quicker than standard and only fractionally slower than subsequent Arc winner Waldgeist’s win in 2019).
Murphy had already been pencilled in for the ride on the winner in the big one next month and whispers from the French capital suggested he had done some pleasing pieces of work in the build-up to Sunday’s trial.
The four-year-old’s physical appearance and the manner he was playing up beforehand clearly put plenty of punters off, however, Byzantine Dream arriving at the start looking quite hot and bothered, visibly sweating.
In the end, it mattered not as the chestnut travelled smoothly off the generous-looking pace set by Aidan O’Brien’s Mont St Michel – who was followed by stablemate Los Angeles – and he showed a bright turn of foot to burst between market rivals Sosie and Almaqam in the final couple of furlongs.
Seemingly not doing a lot in front, Byzantine Dream was good value for his half-length defeat of Sosie, although connections of the latter are bound to be bullish when it comes to reversing the form on what could be much softer ground in the Arc itself (Murphy described Sunday’s conditions as good before stressing his mount wouldn’t be as effective in the mud).
Sosie, ill-at-ease on good to firm going when last of six in the Coral-Eclipse on his previous start, looks back in the groove for the autumn and will have a good chance of going a place or two better than when fourth behind Bluestocking in the big one last year.
The quandary now for Ed Walker is what to do with Almaqam as it would be hard to suggest he didn’t stay the 12-furlong distance at the first time of asking. Walker had intended on waiting for cut underfoot after Almaqam got the better of Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard, but he didn’t get it when turned over at York in July and he didn’t get it here either, frustratingly.
The trainer had spoken of possibly taking his stable star to Germany instead on the same afternoon, and there could be a small amount of regret that France was ultimately chosen for the prep run. He was pushed right out at 40/1 for the Arc (from around 25s) and is more like 14s for the Champion Stakes so sitting tight for Ascot – back over 10 furlongs – might now be the sensible call given that spring verdict over the 7/4 Champion Stakes favourite, Ombudsman.
Prix Foy seventh Map Of Stars shouldn’t be judged too harshly on his effort. He probably won’t be running in the Arc on the back of this, but not a lot went right as he almost tripped over coming out of the stalls and James Doyle wasn’t hard on him late in the piece on the wide outside. There will be an option for him to drop in both class and trip back here next month and he deserves another chance based on his neck second to Sosie from the Ganay in April.
Aventure a super filly
The Qatar Prix Vermeille gave one of the long-term antepost favourites – Whirl – a chance to claim a free-of-charge supplementary entry, but she failed the test quite miserably and now seems unlikely to be added into the race at huge cost (€120,000).
Whirl didn’t seem to run her race for whatever reason but Aventure most certainly did, settling nicely under a confident Maxime Guyon and ultimately repelling the late challenge of Prix de Diane winner Gezora with any amount to spare.
Considered even more effective when the ground is testing, last year’s Arc second gives owner-breeders Alain and Gerard Wertheimer a really strong hand alongside Sosie, and it could be interesting to see where retained rider Guyon’s vote goes on Arc day.
He rode the favourite Sosie last year, Stephane Pasquier picking up the choice spare on eventual runner-up Aventure, and Guyon has now partnered Sosie for each of his 11 career starts. The decision might be a fraction harder this time around on the back of Sunday’s striking success. If he sticks to the ‘shortest in the market’ theory, that would lead to the filly.
Cualificar lacking Arc quality
Andre Fabre is a man of few words and lived up to that billing after the Godolphin-owned colt Cualificar punched his own Arc ticket with a hard-fought win over the 110-rated Bay City Roller in the Qatar Prix Niel.
“Both serious horses”, Fabre said on Sky Sports Racing when asked to weigh up this year’s likely representatives, Sosie and Cualificar, although it was surprising to see bookmakers rate the latter only slightly less seriously than the three-time Group 1-winning Sosie.
Cualificar can be marked up slightly for emerging from what looked a near-impossible position with a furlong and a half to travel, plus it was his first try at the trip, but they did all end up in a bit of a heap and market leader Leffard, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris, could only plod on for a well-held sixth after being held up near the back.
It was considered the least informative race beforehand and played out that way on the day.
Cut without even leaving his box
One interesting by-product of Byzantine Dream’s Prix Foy success was the market move for fellow Japanese Arc contender, Croix Du Nord.
Champion two-year-old and winner of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in June this year, he’s widely regarded as one of the most promising horses ever sent from Japan to contest the Arc and, with his compatriot downing the likes of Sosie and Almaqam, it’s little wonder he’s now as short as 8/1 in places.
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