Saturday Longchamp review: Reports, reaction and replays

Rosa takes starring Royallieu role

Sea La Rosa was an impressive winner of the Group One Qatar Prix de Royallieu.

The William Haggas-trained filly was partnered by Tom Marquand for the one-mile-six-furlong event, run on very soft ground after persistent rain.

Travelling strongly in a field of 10, the chestnut pulled away to cross the line a length ahead of Jannah Flower.

Francis Henri-Graffard’s Verry Elleegant, winner of 11 Group One contests in Australia including the Melbourne Cup, was unplaced after rerouting to the race after it became evident she would not make the cut for Sunday’s maximum field in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Marquand said of Sea La Rosa: “She’s been incredible this year to be honest, and the backend of last year. She just seems to be getting better with each run.

“She’s got the heart and the talent to see it through and to get a Group One on the board for Mrs (Ling) Tsui (of owner Sunderland Holdings) is amazing because she’s been a huge supporter and a great presence here. I’m very privileged to be a small part of it.

“I wouldn’t have a clue what the plans are. To be honest it doesn’t look like she’s done yet, but I’ll leave the big decisions to the boss (Haggas) and Mrs Tsui – they don’t usually get it wrong!”

Sky Bet reacted by cutting the winner to 6/1 from 10/1 for the Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot later in the month.

Sea La Rosa is a daughter of the Tsui family’s 2009 Arc hero Sea The Stars, who was himself a son of Urban Sea, the mare who won the 1993 Arc for the family and produced some legends of the turf, including the great sire Galileo.

Christopher Tsui said: “This meeting has been good to us and today was the same. It was very emotional watching her win and my heart was racing.

“She’s a beautiful filly, and talking to (trainer) Jean Lesbordes he commented how she reminded him of Urban Sea. There are no plans for her we will let the dust settle and see.”

Maureen Haggas, trainer’s wife and assistant added: “She is great. She is very tough, a really tough filly, she really is. She has improved and improved and is hard as nails and has improved all year.

“She is brilliant. It is great for the yard.”

Mark Zahra made the trip from Australia to partner Verry Elleegant in seventh, but he felt the race did not work out in her favour.

He said: “I suffered to be in a spot where I couldn’t move and was effectively stuffed. She tried all the way but it was hard to get a line on the leaders.”

David Menuisier’s Ottilien was the third-placed horse, beaten a length and a quarter in a run that delighted her trainer and could tee her up for an outing at Ascot or another overseas run in Germany.

“When she won the Prix Turenne in Saint-Cloud, she needed the race, but she proved today that she’s up to this class. I am very happy,” he said.

“We decided to slow the pace during the race, because despite the fact that nobody wanted to go to the front, we didn’t want to set the race up for the rest of the field.

“She doesn’t have a turn of foot but the filly does stay on, and we got beaten by two fillies who have a good turn of foot. I think she will stay in training at four. As she has had a light campaign, it’s possible that she will run again this year.

“The first option is Ascot and the second would be to supplement her for the Grosser Preis von Bayern, which is run in Munich. I think that she would be hard to beat in Germany over 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) and given heavy ground.”

Moore the difference on Burke-trained stayer

Karl Burke’s Al Qareem got the British raiding party off to a flying start on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp with the narrowest of victories in the Qatar Prix Chaudenay.

A winner at Nottingham and York earlier in the year, the Nick Bradley Racing-owned three-year-old went on to finish fourth in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot before suffering a head defeat in Newmarket’s Bahrain Trophy.

Having finished down the field in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on his latest appearance, Al Qareem knuckled down in the soft ground under Ryan Moore to get the better of Sober by a nose in the Group Two contest.

Bradley did not make the trip to France but was nonetheless thrilled, saying: “He’s been mega unlucky a few times this year and I’m so delighted to win a big one with him.

“It was my fault at Ascot as I told Clifford (Lee) to make the running on him, but he just did too much and was too free.

“He was a bit unlucky at Newmarket – I think he might have won in another half-furlong – and Goodwood didn’t go to plan, but the form of that race is amazingly strong.”

Considering future plans, Bradley added: “I’ll have to have a good look at the programme book, but he could go to Saudi Arabia and there’s also the Gold Cup on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan.”

Anmaat delivers in Prix Dollar thriller

Owen Burrows’ Anmaat just grasped victory in the Group Two Qatar Prix Dollar.

The colt took up the lead over a furlong from home, locking horns with Andre Fabre’s Junko as the pair crossed the line in unison.

A photo finish showed Burrows’ runner, piloted by Jim Crowley, to have prevailed from a field of 12, with Simon and Ed Crisford’s West Wind Blows a further four lengths back in third.

Anmaat has been on a rapid upwards trajectory this season, building on last year’s Cambridgeshire second to win the John Smith’s Cup on his return at York in July before adding a Haydock Group Three the following month.

Burrows now has Group One aspirations for his charge.

He said: “He surprised us a bit at Haydock but on the back of that we were perfectly happy with him at home.

“He ran a big race in the Cambridgeshire, so we knew we had a decent horse on our hands.

“He’s taken the steps from a York handicap to a Group Three and now a Group Two. So we will let the dust settle and find a Group One for him.”

He’s taken the steps from a York handicap to a Group Three and now a Group Two. So we will let the dust settle and find a Group One for him

Crowley praised Anmaat’s willing attitude after his narrow success.

He said: “It was a tough win for him. He was headed, he fought back and wasn’t stopping. That’s the most testing ground he’s faced, but he handled it well.

“Like a few of Owen’s horses, he’s gone forward and played his part in what’s been a very good season.”

Rest of the action...

Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget is eyeing a trip to Royal Ascot next summer with Erevann following his stylish victory in the Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein.

Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, who hit the headlines for the wrong reasons on Friday after incurring a two-month ban at Saint-Cloud, the Dubawi colt was moved to the far rail early in the home straight and showed a smart change of gear to grab the lead.

The Revenant, successful in this Group Two contest in 2019 and 2020 and runner-up to Real World 12 months ago, once again finished with a flourish, but Erevann was well on top at the line.

Rouget said: “We gave him time and he was impressive (when third) in the Jacques Le Marois, he was impressive today and I think he will be impressive next year.

“Ascot is my favourite course. The ground will be better than today, but he goes on all grounds – he’s like Sottsass who won the Prix du Jockey Club on firm ground and the Arc on very soft.

“I like this horse – he’s a champion. He will be entered in the two races at Royal Ascot, but I think we will stay at a mile (for the Queen Anne Stakes).”

Souzak repelled the late thrust of Aidan O’Brien’s Denmark to secure top honours in the €300,000 Haras de Bouquetot – Criterium Arqana.

The latter was a warm order to follow up his successful racecourse debut at Naas in early August, but was under pressure some way from home.

To his credit, the Camelot colt did respond to Ryan Moore’s urgings and was making ground hand over fist in the last half-furlong, but Jerome Reynier’s Souzak clung on in the hands of Anthony Crastus.

O’Brien said of Denmark: “He’s a baby that is still coming to himself. He wouldn’t be one for the Breeders’ Cup, but will be a nice middle-distance horse next year."

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