Treve rocks the Arc!
WOW! Is there anything more to say about wonder filly Treve? Well, yes and no I suppose. One thing is for sure, though: It was one of the best performances I've ever seen in my life anyway. The Criquette-Head Maarek trained three year old looks a filly for the ages! A serious talent, lifting the roof at Longchamp on Sunday with a sheer unbelievable performance. To be honest, the more I watch the race the more impressive her performance gets. You just have to consider how much this lightly raced filly had against herself. There is inexperience of course. Even though three year old's have a good record in the Arc, haven't and with the little racing under her belt Treve was feared to find the hustle and bustle of the usually rough Arc too daunting. She also had to overcome a poor draw - 15, the third widest - and as a result had to travel wide all the time, then turning four wide around the home bend, while racing well off the pace in a rather slowly run race. As if that wasn't enough she was pulling the arms out of her jockey the first full minute of the race due to the lack of pace!
To overcome one of these conditions takes a really good horse, but to meet all these things in a race and then even to overcome takes something special. Treve managed to do exactly that. She demonstrated to be equipped with an unbelievable cruising speed as it looked like the most normal thing in this world for her to make it from the back of the field to the top of field in a matter of strides. When Thierry Jarnet let her finally go it was all out and over soon after. Treve produced a blistering turn of foot and nothing was able to follow her and it's fair to say she simply slaughtered her rivals, despite many thinking this years Arc field was one of the strongest for many years. Sure there is only one word for this: WOW!
She probably stays in training and will then be aimed to defend her crown in 2014. She is already as low as 4/1 for next years Arc. While talk about it is pretty premature actually, it is hard to imagine that anyone can beat her, as long as she stays sound and injury free. One thing is for sure anyway: Treve is already now one of the all-time greats.
Moonlight Cloud flies to Foret glory!
Thierry Jarnet must have been pretty happy when he went to bed yesterday. Because not only did he steered home Treve to win the Arc but he went flying again just half an hour later as he was passenger on Air Moonlight Cloud. Well, it must have felt like flying if you have been sitting on this mare I suppose as it looked too good to be true what little Moonlight Cloud did in the Prix de la Foret to her high class rivals. She was trailing the field, which is nothing unusual for her. But when she was still held up in last approaching the 100 meter marker, while Gordon Lord Byron got a good break on the field, it looked as if Jarnet overplayed his cards. But then, he switched to the outside, gave the half asleep five year old mare a wake up call and off she was flying home passing one rival after another in the manner of a Concord. It looked all so easy and she won with astonishing ease in the end. Visually this must be one of the most stunning performances of all time. This tells us Moonlight Cloud is the fasted horse in training on the planet at the moment. Give her 7 furlongs and a good pace and she beats them all. It says allot if you know that Moonlight Cloud clocked a more than a second faster time for the last 200m than Maarek did over five furlongs on the same card. Hard to believe - but true!
Maarek almost unbeatable on soft ground!
Not that it needed any further prove but Maarek demonstrated on Sunday again that he's a completely different horse wit cut in the ground over five furlongs. Declan McDonagh waited exactly until the one furlong pole until he asked his mount for everything in the Prix de l'Abbaye and when he finally did so the reaction was instant as the six year old gelding cut back the deficit in ground to pipe Catcall on the line! This was the first Group 1 success for Maarek who improved late into an excellent top level performer making his way through the ranks, starting his Handicap career as a 70 rated miler and having been once even tried over 12 furlongs! At that point no one could have been even imagining that Maarek would turn out to be almost unbeatable over five furlongs on soft ground years later! In fact in the last two seasons he appeared four times over 5 furlongs, always with cut in the ground, and he won a Listed, a Group 3 and a Group 1 race. In between a second place in a Listed event at Cork, which was one of his rare off days actually as he was slowly into stride and was never travelling. It doesn't take anything away from his impressive record over the shortest possible trip anyway. You better don't bet against him if he has his conditions - that is for sure!
Sizing Europe back and as good as ever!
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| Sizing Europe on Saturday at Gowran Park |
The now 11 year old two times Cheltenham Festival winner goes into his ninth season and made a winning reappearance at Gowran Park on Saturday in the Grade 2 Champion Chase. His task looked straightforward on the ratings but in reality it wasn't as easy actually as main rival Ruby Light is a very good horse in his own right and in fact did almost beat Sizing Europe in the same race two years ago if it wouldn't have been for a fall at the last! Quito De La Roque was also in the line-up who has beaten Sizing in the past already.
The sun was out over County Kilkenny this Saturday and a good crowd was eagerly awaiting the feature on the card. Sizing Europe looked excellent in the parade ring before the race and went off the clear 4/5 favourite. Ruby Light, a confirmed front-runner, set a good pace while Sizing and Quito De La Roque tracked him all the way. Three out it looked as if Ruby Light would be travelling slightly the better than the big favourite but then from two out it was Sizing Europe all the way who took over the lead and kept on well to score by almost two lengths in the end. A very nice performance, considering that this was his first race after an almost half year long summer break. Connections weigh up their options now, whether they should take on Sprinter Sacre or aiming Sizing over the 3 miles trip at the King George.
Royal Empire huge value for Melbourne Cup!
"Royal Empire is improving with every race. ... The ground is usually good to firm at Melbourne, which will suit him, and I think two miles will be perfect. Kerrin McEvoy is set to ride him." - Saeed Bin Suroor.
So it was confirmed yesterday that Royal Empire will head to Australia for the Melbourne Cup, a message I was happy to hear as I fancy this horse for quite a while for this race. Pretty much since he won the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury a couple of weeks ago actually, when he stepped up to 13f for the first time and beat Red Cadeaux as well as subsequent Group 2 winner and stablemate Lost In The Moment. He appeared to be outpaced from 4f out but kept going and found plenty under pressure to win in good style in the end. He stepped down to 12f in his next two starts, getting beaten a head at Kempton in a Group 3 and then finishing a strong second at Ascot last Saturday in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes. They didn't go a mad gallop there but he was badly outpaced when the pace increased turning for home, yet he run all the way to the line and stayed on in fine fashion. While Royal Empire's breeding isn't quite conclusive about his staying abilities, his running style clearly indicates he wants further. Around the 12f trip he usually gets outpaced 4-3f out, but he always gallops all the way the line, not stopping, shaping like a stayer, who could produce a bit of a turn of foot over further, though.
Two miles is an extreme trip of course but Royal Empire got 13f easily and looked go go further, so I don't see a reason why he hasn't a decent chance of getting the trip. He also has the ability to quicken, he likes fast ground and has still potential for improvement. He's pretty much on the up the whole year. Godolphin looks to have some confidence in him either, as he'll be their only representative this year, while they look to have a couple of other nice candidates on hand actually. He has been allocated a weight of 54kg for the Melbourne Cup, which looks a pretty fair weight. After all he looks to have the right profile of a Melbourne Cup winner, which would be the first one for Godolphin. It is not an easy task, having no prep run in Australia before, but that aside, looking at the strong but far from unbeatable opposition, he has a really good chance to go close and 33/1 looks big enough. Surly he'll be much shorter on the Melbourne Cup itself.
So I'll nominate Royal Empire as a rather confident ante-post selection for the race that stops a nation. 1pt win @ 33/1!
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