Sosie will remain in training at four with the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot a likely target in the summer.
Trained by Andre Fabre, the Grand Prix de Paris winner was sent off favourite to add to his legendary handler’s impressive Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe haul.
However, as feared, he found the ground too soft and was unable to quicken when it mattered, finishing fourth behind Ralph Beckett’s Bluestocking.
Fabre also saddled Sevenna’s Knight, who outran his odds in fifth, and the multiple Group One-winning mare Mqse De Sevigne, who was unable to end her career in a blaze of glory and was in the rear throughout, having been badly hampered by the injured Haya Zark.
“All three are fine after the race. It was probably the ground which stopped Sosie,” said Fabre.
“He lost his action at the end but he ran OK. We knew he might not like the ground.
“He will stay in training as a four-year-old and we’ll concentrate on the big summer races such as the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the King George.
“Sevenna’s Knight ran a good race but I wasn’t surprised because he likes soft ground.
“He was out the back but ran really well to get where he did. It was what I was expecting. He’s a good horse.
“He is in the Prix Royal-Oak and if he’s OK, he will run. He’ll be happier over that trip, we know he stays it well.”
He added: “Mqse De Sevigne’s race was over at the start. She was drawn widest of all and lost too much ground. The race was over even before she was hampered. Both her and Continuous were at the back and as the pace was slow, they had no chance.
“I didn’t think the three-year-old colts had a star amongst them but I’m not surprised at the winner, she’s a very good mare but she was beaten at Ascot quite easily in the King George (by Goliath), so we know she’s no superstar.”
Fabre’s other big hope on the day was Tribalist, who dropped to seven furlongs for the Prix de la Foret having won the Moulin over a mile, but he was never able to dominate and finished 10th.
“The trip was too short for Tribalist. He couldn’t control the pace against those faster horses. He won’t go to the Breeders’ Cup. I won’t have a runner there,” said Fabre.
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To have a contender for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is every Frenchman’s wish – so to have two is a dream.
Now Sosie and Aventure are entrusted with fulfilling that ambition and adding the Wertheimer name to France’s most famous trophy once again.
The family’s blue and white silks are synonymous not only with French racing, but thanks to their legion of stars down the decades – see the great Goldikova – they have also been a familiar sight on a global stage.
The current custodians of the colours, brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, saw their Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained Solemia break Japanese hearts in 2012, and 12 years on have an outstanding chance of again adding their name to the record books with their two-pronged attack, led by Sosie.
Trained by the Arc’s master trainer Andre Fabre, the Prix du Jockey Club runner-up has excelled at ParisLongchamp when claiming the Grand Prix de Paris and then lowering the colours of French Derby conqueror Look De Vega in the Prix Niel.
That sent the son of Sea The Stars right to the top of the bookmakers’ lists for Europe’s richest middle-distance contest and connections hope his experience in the French capital can prove an unbeatable strength on Sunday afternoon.
“Not all horses are used to Longchamp, but he knows the track and it is definitely a plus for him,” said Wertheimer racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau.
“In my mind he is the best three-year-old French colt at this distance at the moment, so it will be very interesting to see if he can be competitive and be the best on Sunday.
“He’s being called one of the favourites, but in my mind five or six horses could be favourite. It is a very competitive race and yes he has a good chance but I think it is very open.”
If Sosie’s Arc credentials speak for themselves, then it is also easy to see why the Wertheimer and Frere team were keen for Christophe Ferland’s filly Aventure to take her place in Arc line-up.
Winner of the Prix de Royaumont and Prix de Pomone over the Arc trip this season, she was last seen pushing Bluestocking all the way in the Prix Vermeille.
“I think she ran very well in the Vermeille and has won two Group races this year over a mile and a half so she loves the distance,” continued Bureau
“We thought about the l’Opera, but we decided that might be a bit short for her and it was worth taking a chance against the colts in the big race. It is all related to the mile and a half that she needs.”
With one of France’s leading owner-breeding operations and also their names above the door of Paris institution the House Of Chanel, the Wertheimer brothers are at the heart of French culture.
It is therefore somewhat fitting if they rule the roost in the capital this weekend, a victory that would be the result of meticulous work behind the scenes of a racing powerhouse ready to return to the top of the sport.
“It’s a very long and old breeding operation and, being based in France, when you do the matings and everything, it is always about trying to have horses go to the big races like the Arc,” added Bureau.
“To have two runners in the Arc with good chances means a lot for the whole team, but now they have to make their arrival. It is a result of all the hard work of all the organisation so a good result would be important.”
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Any conversation regarding the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe has to start, and perhaps end, with Andre Fabre.
The former jump jockey has won Europe’s showpiece race a record eight times since he had his first runner in the contest way back in 1983.
He did not have to wait long for his first winner either. The Pat Eddery-ridden Trempolino in 1987 smashed the track record that had been set just 12 months earlier by none other than Dancing Brave.
Fabre was made to wait another five years for a second taste of glory but he dominated the race in the 1990s.
Subotica (1992), Carnegie (1994), Peintre Celebre (1997) and Sagamix (1998) all won for Fabre at a time when he all but ruled Flat racing in France.
While only Peintre Celebre of that group would be remembered as a truly great horse, it is perhaps a sign of Fabre’s skill and ability that he was able to win such a prestigious prize with horses he himself would describe as “not a champion”.
Andre Fabre has won the Arc a record eight times (John Walton/PA)
“I think the reason the race is seen as the best in Europe is the timing. It comes when the three-year-olds have had chance to mature but then you also might get soft ground so it is a good time to meet with equal weapons,” said Fabre.
“The ground is obviously an important factor but if it goes heavy then it rewards those horses with more stamina – and why not?
“My first runner in it was Zalataia in 1983. She was a good horse (eighth to All Along) and I then had a few more goes before winning it.
“Trempolino was a very good horse indeed, in fact I don’t think he gets remembered as much as he should do. He beat Dancing Brave’s track record and lived until he was 34.
“He was very special to me as my first winner of the race – it was a fantastic ride by Pat Eddery, I must say that. He then went to the Breeders’ Cup and ran an amazing race to finish second as he carried the same weight as the older horses, otherwise he would have won.”
Five years later Subotica, who had been second in the Prix du Jockey Club a year earlier, beat a field that included User Friendly, St Jovite and Dr Devious.
“He was a bit backward at three and missed the Arc but he was a horse who was good at a good moment. He was not a champion but not a bad horse,” said Fabre.
“It is not for me to say I did a good job but he got a good ride (Thierry Jarnet) at a good moment. He beat some good horses and he had no pedigree to speak of really.”
Two years later Fabre provided Sheikh Mohammed with his first win in the race through Carnegie, who certainly was bred for the job.
“Carnegie was by Sadler’s Wells out of Detroit, who had won the Arc herself in 1980. He was a very good horse,” said Fabre.
Any conversation with Fabre, however, is rarely complete without a mention of his 1997 winner, Peintre Celebre. The 78-year-old has repeatedly hailed the chestnut as the best he has ever trained.
Peintre Celebre was imperious in the Arc (EMPICS Sport/PA Wire)
“Peintre Celebre was a champion, he had fantastic acceleration rarely seen. He could win races in a matter of strides,” enthused Fabre.
“In 1997 he achieved something rare, he won the Prix du Jockey Club, the Grand Prix de Paris and the Arc, he was the first since the 1940s to do that.
“He was horse of the year. Special. In that Arc were Pilsudski, Helissio, Swain and he won by five lengths.”
Just 12 months later Fabre was celebrating again, this time with Sagamix.
“He was very backwards at two so didn’t run. I think we can say to win the Arc with him was a good training achievement! When he won a maiden I thought we’d done an amazing job,” he said.
Sagamix (No.8) provided Andre Fabre with a fifth win in the Arc (EMPICS Sport/PA Wire)
“I do remember being out for a meal with some friends in Deauville and they asked who would win the Arc. When I said Sagamix nobody had heard of him!
“He was a nice horse but by no means a champion, he was helped by the soft ground that year.”
In 2005 Hurricane Run atoned for a near-miss in the Prix du Jockey Club a few months earlier.
“He was a great horse. At three only Shamardal stopped him from winning the Jockey Club when he didn’t get the best ride. He then won the Irish Derby, the Prix Niel and the Arc, when he got a good ride from Kieren Fallon,” said Fabre.
Hurricane Run won the King George at Ascot after winning the Arc at three (Rebecca Naden/PA)
“A year later we won it with Rail Link who won a very strong Arc because Hurricane Run was in it again and there was Deep Impact.
“All my Arc winners were good horses but it surprises me how none of them were great stallions, Rail Link disappeared, Hurricane Run was not fertile, Peintre Celebre had some good horses (Pride, Byword) but not too many.
“It was really disappointing for me that Rail Link got injured and couldn’t run at four as I think he would have been even better, he was a great mover and a powerful horse.”
A 13 year drought followed for Fabre before Waldgeist won in 2019, but unfortunately for him he will be remembered as the horse who stopped Enable from becoming the first horse to win the Arc three times.
“A great race and a great ride from Pierre-Charles Boudot,” remembers Fabre.
“Not only was there Enable but Ghaiyyath and Sottsass too, but they went too fast too soon.
“He was a good horse, Waldgeist, he’d come close to winning the Prix du Jockey and Irish Derby at three and had not been beaten far by Enable the year before. I was pleased he got to win it.
“He was not a super horse but he was a good horse, very sound.”
With eight to chose from in his memory bank Fabre can stage his own Arc but there is little hesitation when asked to pick who might win between them.
“Peintre Celebre was the best, I’ve been lucky to train some great horses, but he was special.”
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Andre Fabre is likely to have at least three runners in Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Sevenna’s Knight given the green light to join the favourite Sosie and multiple Group One winner Mqse De Sevigne.
While the four-year-old is likely to be among the outsiders, the prospect of soft ground at ParisLongchamp has persuaded his owners, Melbourne-based OTI Racing, to take a punt.
Mickael Barzalona has been booked for the ride as the smart stayer looks to add to his three wins already this season.
Big performance!
Giving 4lbs to the field, Sevenna's Knight strikes for the third time in Group company this season, travelling nicely to grab the Prix Gladiateur under @mickaelbarzalon… pic.twitter.com/7d2aLEOPKp
A statement on www.oti.com.au read: “With the track at Longchamp expected to be soft, Sevenna’s Knight will take his place in the 2400m Group One Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe next Sunday.
“Following a dominant Group Two and two Group Three victories this season, his owners can have confidence that he will be competitive in what is regarded by most as the world’s most prestigious event. Andre Fabre has confirmed that Mickael Barzalona, the entire’s regular jockey, will take the ride.
“Many of his Australian-based owners will make the journey to Paris to witness what could be the most exciting day of their racing lives.”
Following the first confirmation stage of the week 18 are left in contention.
Los Angeles is expected to spearhead Aidan O’Brien’s Arc team (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Aidan O’Brien still has Auguste Rodin, Luxembourg, Continuous, Los Angeles and Opera Singer, Al Riffa is there for Joseph O’Brien while Sunway could run for David Menuisier.
Prix du Jockey Club winner Look De Vega, Jean-Claude Rouget’s Delius and the Japanese challenger Shin Emperor all remain in the mix.
The going for Arc weekend is expected to be very soft to soft, according to France Galop.
Light rain is forecast for Monday and Tuesday, it will then remain cloudy for the rest of the week before the weather picks up at the weekend.
Since the last meeting on September 15, a total of 40 millimetres of rain has fallen compared with 31mm last year.
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Andre Fabre believes the extra distance of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe will bring about even more improvement in Mqse De Sevigne.
The mare is a five-times Group One winner but has yet to run over the mile and a half she will face at ParisLongchamp next month.
She is unbeaten this season, adding second victories in both the Prix Rothschild and Prix Jean Romanet to her name, but her biggest danger may come from stablemate Sosie.
He jumped to the head of the Arc betting when comfortably accounting for Prix du Jockey Club winner Look De Vega in the Prix Niel.
“They are doing well, they just worked this morning and I was very pleased with them,” said Fabre, who has won the Arc a record eight times.
“I fancy the mare. So many people seem to think the Arc may be a bit far for her, but I have exactly the opposite opinion. I actually think an extra two furlongs will help her.
“She loves soft ground and her ability is not in question. She will adapt to the course and distance very well. She’s in very good shape.
“Sosie is a nice horse as well and he is coming forward at the right moment. If it goes very heavy ground, that won’t help him, but soft ground will be fine.
“He’s like a few horses I’ve had who have won the Arc, in that he is coming good at the right moment.
“I would not like to say one in front of the other, but I think both have a good chance of being in the first four, say it like that.”
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Andre Fabre was not surprised at all that Tribalist was able to make his Group One breakthrough in the Prix du Moulin last week.
Considered to be an outsider in what looked a red-hot renewal, with Charyn, Henry Longfellow and Notable Speech in the race, the five-year-old was bounced into an early lead and lasted home to win by a length and a half.
It was an opportunistic ride by Mickael Barzalona but Fabre felt his previous victories entitled him to more respect from onlookers.
“I wasn’t surprised at all that he won. I was surprised how many people were surprised!” he said.
🇫🇷😲 Shock in the Prix du Moulin!
Tribalist (25/1) strikes from the front at ParisLongchamp, landing the Group 1 feature under Mickael Barzalona.
🥈 In similar style to his Lockinge defeat, Charyn picked up best from those in the chasing pack…pic.twitter.com/ocJSQgE61Q
“He had very good form, he had won five other Group races and always won them in style.
“The only times he has been beaten recently are when we have changed the tactics and dropped him in, like in Hong Kong or in Deauville, when he ran over six furlongs. Remember last year he beat Facteur Cheval at Saint-Cloud.
“You cannot give a horse as good as him such a big lead but it is quite unusual in France races to see that. It was a great ride by Mickael.
“He will go to the Prix de la Foret next, seven furlongs should not be a problem. We might look at the Breeders’ Cup after that, it’s an option I will talk to Sheikh Mohammed about.”
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Andre Fabre was delighted that Sosie did not appear to have too hard a race in Sunday’s Prix Niel as he replaced Look De Vega as favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Sosie finished third behind Look De Vega in the Prix du Jockey Club but since being stepped up to a mile and a half, he has won the Grand Prix de Paris and now the key trial for the Arc.
Nobody has won Europe’s premier race more times than 78-year-old Fabre, whose first victory came with Trempolino back in 1987, and he will incredibly be looking to win it in a fifth different decade after four victories in the 1990s, two in the 2000s and his most recent success with Waldgeist in 2019.
Sosie impressed in winning the Qatar Prix Niel (ScoopDyga)
“Obviously, I was fearing the Jockey Club winner, who ran well but possibly was not 100 per cent fit for this race, but I was pleased,” said Fabre.
“I think it is very important for them to have as easy a race as possible before the Arc and he didn’t appear to have to work too hard, so I was pleased.
“He’s very good at Longchamp but I think this horse would be very good anywhere, it’s just that the races we have chosen have been at Longchamp and it seems to suit him very well.
“Obviously, the course and distance form is very important when you are going for a race like the Arc.”
Fabre was of the opinion earlier in the season that good ground was crucial to Sosie but as the colt has strengthened up, he now believes he can cope with softer ground better.
He said: “He is bred for a mile and a half, so we were working backwards from those races earlier in the season; I didn’t have him 100 per cent fit for the Prix du Jockey Club, as he was a bit backwards, but it is no surprise he has improved as he has stepped up in trip.
“I do think he is a better horse on good ground but as horses get older and mature, they are able to cope with softer ground better, but like everyone I would prefer a good surface. You never know with Longchamp, last year it was quick ground for the Arc.
“I think it’s a very open race and I think he deserves to be in the first three. Whether he can win is another question. I think the generation of three-year-olds is not exceptional this year.”
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Sosie is the new favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with some bookmakers after claiming the notable scalp of Look De Vega in the Qatar Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp.
Look De Vega was a warm order to maintain his unbeaten record and cement his place at the head of ante-post lists for next month’s showpiece event over the same course and distance on what his first competitive start since a brilliant victory in the French Derby in early June.
Ridden by Ronan Thomas and carrying the Al Shaqab Racing colours for the first time, the Carlos and Yann Lerner-trained colt was in front for much of the way, but it was clear from early in the home straight that he had a real fight on his hands.
Sosie, who had won the Grand Prix de Paris since finishing third behind Look De Vega in the Prix du Jockey Club, shadowed him throughout in the hands of Maxime Guyon and saw out the mile-and-a-half trip best to score decisively from Delius, with Look De Vega weakening into third.
Coral make Sosie their 7-2 market leader from 7-1 to provide French maestro Andre Fabre with a ninth Arc success on October 6, with Look De Vega eased to 6-1 from 3-1.
Guyon told Sky Sports Racing: “I’m really happy with Sosie, 2400 (metres) is much better for him.
“The ground is a little bit sticky today and for me he is much better on good ground, so I think if the ground is OK for the Arc I have a really good chance to win.
“He’s very easy to ride, he’s very relaxed. He doesn’t have a big turn of foot but he has long speed, which is why I preferred to come outside.
“I cross my fingers for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and we will see, but I think we have a really good chance.”
Of Look De Vega, Yann Lerner said: “It’s a little bit disappointing to be only third with a horse that was unbeaten, but we know the horse had a good break and when he came back after the break he was very heavy on the scales.
“Still this morning he was more heavy than he should be, but the race today is good. He was in front taking the race, we didn’t use the whip and he breathed a lot after the race.
“The big objective is in three weeks and I want to be sure to have my horse very good in three weeks.
“I’m not scared, I have a lot of confidence in my horse and I want to prepare him the best we can. I’m 100 per cent sure in three weeks he’ll be in top form.
“There is less pressure on the shoulders and I know we will come with a really nice horse.”
Iresine wore down Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous to secure victory in the Qatar Prix Foy.
Continuous claimed Classic glory in the St Leger at Doncaster 12 months ago before finishing fifth in the Arc and was looking to tee himself up for a possible second tilt at Europe’s premier middle-distance contest off the back of a confidence-boosting Group Three win at the Curragh last month.
The four-year-old set out to make all the running under Christophe Soumillon, but faltered late on and was passed by both Jean-Pierre Gauvin’s Iresine and Zarir, with the former coming out on top in the hands of Marie Velon.
With the first two home both geldings, neither are eligible to run in the Arc.
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Mickael Barzalona excelled in the saddle, as he made all aboard the Andre Fabre-trained Tribalist to cause a shock in the Prix du Moulin at ParisLongchamp.
The race was billed as an all-star clash between Charlie Appleby’s 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes hero Notable Speech and Roger Varian’s Charyn, who has become one of the leading players at the distance this term.
Aidan O’Brien’s Henry Longfellow was also among the fancied runners, but none of the big guns could land a telling blow as the five-year-old gave Fabre a record-extending eighth victory in the Group One event.
Taking the initiative when leaving the stalls sprightly, Barzalona immediately sent Tribalist – like Notable Speech owned by Godolphin – forward and kept putting the pressure on his rivals throughout the one-mile contest, building up a notable advantage entering the second half of the contest.
With 500 metres to run distress signals were beginning to be shown by those in behind and although Charyn responded gamely to Silvestre de Sousa’s urgings to run on for second, he ran out of turf in his pursuit of the pillar-to-post scorer, who came home with a length and a quarter in hand.
Henry Longfellow was a little further back in third, with Notable Speech only fifth home of the seven.
Fabre told Sky Sports Racing: “It was a fantastic front-running performance, but it was down to Tribalist not the trainer.
“He is just good. Mickael couldn’t do anything else (but what he did), the others let him go.”
When asked if the victory means Tribalist will head to the Prix de la Foret next, Fabre added: “For sure, there is no other option. He could then go to the Breeders’ Cup.”
Varian admitted it was frustrating to see Charyn come so close to bridging the gap to Tribalist in the closing stages, narrowly missing out on becoming the first horse to win the Queen Anne Stakes, Prix Jacques le Marois and Moulin all in the same season.
Charyn was a winner at Royal Ascot earlier in the season (John Walton/PA)
He remains Paddy Power’s 5-2 favourite for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day and Varian confirmed the son of Dark Angel will return to the scene of his Royal Ascot triumph seeking to finish the season on a high.
“It was a frustrating watch to be honest, but he has run a great race and when you finish second you have to tip your hat to the winner,” said Varian.
“I think hindsight yes (he got a bit far back). They spotted the winner six or seven lengths turning for home which is very hard to do on this ground.
“Watching the race again, the race developed that way, it wasn’t that way in the first furlong and I think it is the wrong thing to jump on the jockey’s back. The race stretched out from halfway, but he has come out of the pack and almost closed the winner down.
Roger Varian will take Charyn back to Ascot on Qipco British Champions Day (Mike Egerton/PA)
“He has run a tremendous race, I don’t think we can be disappointed at all with his performance. Losing a shoe was probably not ideal, but I think on this ground he is probably not even aware he lost a shoe.
“For me it is not an excuse, it’s just frustrating because I think he has run enormous and I think he ran well enough to win the race but didn’t quite. It’s frustrating, but we congratulate the winner and move on.”
Varian added: “We would love to go to Ascot for the QEII, that has always been his autumn goal and it’s six weeks away so plenty of time. As long as he is sound and healthy there is no reason why he won’t go there.”
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Mqse De Sevigne completed her Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe preparations as she came from last to first to maintain her unbeaten record for the season in the Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville.
Andre Fabre’s talented mare won the Prix Rothschild and the Romanet last summer and was long odds-on to repeat the double in the hands of Alexis Pouchin.
After being settled at the rear of the five-strong field for much of the 10-furlong contest, the five-year-old was produced to challenge in the straight and knuckled down well to claim victory by a head, with her rider keen to ensure she did not have a hard time of things.
Joseph O’Brien saddled the second and third in American Sonja and Maxux, with Blue Rose Cen running her best race of the season so far in a close-up fourth.
Following her victory 12 months ago, Mqse De Sevigne dropped back to a mile in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket, finishing second to Inspiral, but this season she is set to step up to a mile and a half for the first time in a bid to provide her trainer with a record-extending ninth victory in the Arc.
Coral eased her odds to 33-1 from 20-1 for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest, but Fabre is nevertheless looking forward to seeing her line up at ParisLongchamp in early October.
“She’s a great mare, she is beautiful and has all that you can expect from a well-bred thoroughbred,” the master trainer told Sky Sports Racing.
“Keep in mind that she wins all her races by a nose or a short head. That (Arc) was the plan and it will stay that way – we will go straight for the Arc.”
Winning owner Edouard de Rothschild said: “They went very slowly. It proved to be an excellent showing and we’re very happy. Mqse De Sevigne has gained added experience and she’s proving more relaxed in her races, she now expends less energy.
“We don’t really harbour any doubts about her staying the 2400 metres trip of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.”
Pouchin added: “Mqse De Sevigne is the mare of a lifetime. She’s incredible and rises to the occasion in all of her races. She was travelling easily when quickening into the lead. As she tends to idle once in front, this allowed her rivals to come back at her, but the job was already done at the time. She showed a touch of class.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/276919986-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-08-18 13:04:152024-08-18 16:45:06All roads lead to the Arc now for Fabre and Mqse De Sevigne
Andre Fabre’s Mqse De Sevigne will attempt to repeat her Deauville double of last year in the Prix Jean Romanet before a career finale in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Having won both the Prix Rothschild and Prix Jean Romanet last summer, she landed this year’s Rothschild in even easier fashion.
She will now step back up to 10 furlongs before her first and only attempt at a mile and a half in the big one in October.
“I don’t know if she’s getting better, but she’s a year stronger and that brings improvement,” said Fabre.
Back-to-back Group 1 Prix Rothschild victories! Mqse De Sevigne extends her unbeaten streak this season for Andre Fabre and @pouchinalexis at Deauville… pic.twitter.com/Ve5sSyy4Ih
“She won it easier this year and never looked in any trouble.
“There is one more race at Deauville for her over a mile and a quarter and then she will go straight for the Arc.
“She knows Longchamp well already, it’s not as if she needs a run there. As she goes on any sort of ground I have no worries on that score, she’s won on soft ground before.
“As for the trip, pedigree-wise being by Siyouni it is hard to say, but her family have stayed well (half-brother Meandre won Grand Prix de Paris).”
Fabre has another strong Arc contender in the shape of Sosie, third in the French Derby and an impressive winner of the Grand Prix de Paris.
“She’s an obvious candidate for the Arc, as is Sosie. He’s very well and he’ll go for a traditional prep race at Longchamp, the Prix Niel,” said Fabre.
“Pensee Du Jour had a little injury, she will rest for a couple of months.
“It is impossible to compare them to the horses who have already won the Arc.”
One Fabre inmate who received a recent form boost is Junko, the Grand Prix de Chantilly winner who had two subsequent Group One winners behind him in Dubai Honour and Goliath, the latter absolutely bolting up in the King George at Ascot.
“Junko finished ahead of Goliath earlier in the season in the Grand Prix de Chantilly,” said Fabre.
“Goliath was suited by the crazy pace at Ascot, but he is a good horse for sure.
“Junko won’t run until towards the end of the year, I’m half-thinking of the Japan Cup or Hong Kong Cup.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/75d89d2f-d171-4e9e-8f49-6aca74b4ec30.jpg421843Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-08-04 10:57:132024-08-04 10:57:13Deauville double to tee-up Mqse De Sevigne Arc swansong
Mqse De Sevigne continued her unbeaten campaign with a successful defence of her Prix Rothschild crown at Deauville.
Andre Fabre’s top-class mare narrowly accounted for stablemate Life In Motion to lift the Group One prize 12 months ago and was the hot favourite to repeat the feat in the hands of Alexis Pouchin.
Making her first competitive appearance since touching off Horizon Dore in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp in late May, Mqse De Sevigne travelled strongly in midfield for much of the straight-mile contest before being delivered with her challenge heading inside the final furlong.
Back-to-back Group 1 Prix Rothschild victories! Mqse De Sevigne extends her unbeaten streak this season for Andre Fabre and @pouchinalexis at Deauville… pic.twitter.com/Ve5sSyy4Ih
Excellent Truth briefly threatened to make a real race of it nearer to the stands rail, but Mqse De Sevigne was well on top at the line, with Pouchin standing up in the stirrups to salute the crowd.
The Irish pair of Rogue Millennium and Ocean Jewel finished third and fourth respectively for Joseph O’Brien and Willie McCreery, but Blue Rose Cen was again disappointing.
The winner could now step up to a mile and a half for the first time in a bid to provide her trainer with a ninth victory in the the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October, with Coral trimming her odds for Europe’s most prestigious middle-distance event to 20-1 from 25-1.
Mqse De Sevigne’s owner-breeder, Edouard De Rothschild, told Sky Sports Racing: “It’s a dream, she’s improved a lot and is from a family that gets better with time and with age.
“She’s even better at five than at four and she’s giving us a complete dream. I was telling my children, it will not happen that often!
“We go to the Prix Jean Romanet to prepare for the Arc de Triomphe, that is the route that we discussed.”
Revealing Fabre had told him at the end of last year the Arc would be the aim this season, he added: “Meandre (half-brother to Mqse De Sevigne) won (Group One) races over 12 furlongs and the family really stays. I think she’s settling now, so she’s not going to waste energy in the beginning of the course, so I think it would be wrong not to try.
“This victory, in a race that commemorates my family, is particularly dear to my heart.”
A delighted Pouchin said: “She’s firing on all cylinders. The mare is even better than last year. She’s more chilled. I get an incredible buzz from riding her. She has a huge amount of class.”
Blue Rose Cen has so far not shown her brilliant best this season (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Blue Rose Cen has so far not replicated her brilliant three-year-old form in three starts for new trainer Maurizio Guarnieri, although she did briefly threaten to take a hand before finishing seventh.
Guarnieri said: “I don’t think straight courses are her cup of tea. She made a first acceleration to take closer order, and when it came to quickening a second time, she was just a bit flat-footed.
“She’s not that far away (from rediscovering her best form). She gave a lot of herself at three and we’re going to mull matters over with the filly’s connections before deciding where to go next.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/245654848.jpg9311862Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-07-28 14:13:122024-07-28 16:35:07Arc-bound Mqse De Sevigne gives Fabre another Group One triumph
It is slightly surprising that for a man who has farmed the best middle-distance races all over Europe, Andre Fabre has only won the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes once.
Given he tends not to target Ascot’s summer showpiece, though, it perhaps should not come as that much of a shock for a trainer who has won the Grand Prix de Paris, which is run at a similar time of year, a record 14 times.
The one horse who Fabre has scaled the King George heights with is Hurricane Run, an imperious performer who perhaps is not remembered as fondly as he should be, as his career ended with four defeats.
However, he was almost perfect in a magnificent three-year-old season, winning five of his six races, which included the Irish Derby, the Prix Niel and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
His sole defeat came in the Prix du Jockey Club to Shamardal, the first year the French Derby was run over the reduced distance of an extended 10 furlongs.
Andre Fabre has only won the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes once (John Walton/PA)
“It will be quite a short chat because I’ve only won it once!” said Fabre when asked for his King George memories.
“He was a hell of a horse, Hurricane Run, that was a very good King George he won, too.
“He was very unlucky not to be unbeaten at three. His was the first year the Prix du Jockey Club was run over a reduced distance and he almost caught Shamardal.
“He was a real 12-furlong horse. He was right up there with the best I have trained and it is a shame that when he went to stud more people didn’t want to use him, most breeders these days just want early speed. Hopefully horses like him will come back into fashion one day at stud.”
Recalling that day at Ascot in July 2006, Fabre remembers how the then four-year-old Hurricane Run looked in big trouble.
His two main rivals were Godolphin’s Electrocutionist, a Juddmonte International and Dubai World Cup winner, and Heart’s Cry from Japan, at the time the only horse to have beaten Deep Impact and who has proved a big success in the stallion shed.
Christophe Soumillon was riding Hurricane Run, having been his original jockey before Coolmore stepped in to buy him and used their man Kieren Fallon. However, at the time, Fallon was banned from riding in the UK and was based in Ireland.
Soumillon was hard at work when the field turned into the straight and he looked in big trouble when Christophe Lemaire moved up on his outside on Heart’s Cry, meaning he had nowhere to go, with Frankie Dettori on Electrocutionist directly in front of him.
But Electrocutionist hung slightly to his left, meaning there was a gap for Soumillon on the outside of the pacemaker Cherry Mix – and he did not need a second invitation.
Fabre picks up the story: “In the King George that day, he did look beaten. Two furlongs out, he looked in trouble, but he had such great acceleration that he was able to get through a gap.
Christophe Soumillon celebrates after Hurricane Run wins the King George (Rebecca Naden/PA)
“It was quick ground that day, but I had no real concerns about him on it because he was a very sound horse and a great mover. I’m not that concerned about the going, especially for older horses.
“For young horses, it is different; when it is soft ground, they can be too weak to handle it, but older horses should be fine.
“He had been beaten the time before at Saint-Cloud, which surprised everyone, but Pride was a very good mare and she had that turn of foot. I think she just caught the jockey (Fallon) by surprise and maybe he had been a bit over-confident. He found himself in front a long way from home.”
Ascot was the last time Hurricane Run was to win, as he kept finding classy stablemates in his way.
Shirocco beat him by a neck in the Prix Foy and it was the year-younger Rail Rink who won the Arc that year.
“I know it is quite controversial to some that the three-year-olds get such an allowance off their elders by the time of the Arc, but I think they need it,” said Fabre.
“You can ask any rider and they say the difference between sitting on a three and a four-year-old is huge, so they deserve the allowance.
“There seems to be a belief these days that the three-year-olds don’t deserve the allowance, but that is not true in my view. Just ask the jockeys, they will tell you the difference.
“Hurricane Run grew and strengthened from three to four, you could see him physically change. He was very impressive on his first run at four in Ireland (in the Tattersalls Gold Cup).
“Electrocutionist had won the World Cup in Dubai, Heart’s Cry was one of the best in Japan and won the Sheema Classic. I suppose that is what a race like the King George is all about, the best horses from all over the world.”
Asked why he had not tended to have many runners in the Ascot race, Fabre said it was a question of timing, mostly.
Christophe Soumillon puts his finger to his lips on passing the line in the King George (Rebecca Naden/PA)
“The King George comes right in the middle of the summer. In my view, it is very difficult to have a horse right at his peak for the King George and then the Arc,” he said.
“Saying that, I hope it stays as an important race because it is always a great spectacle, the three-year-olds taking on their elders.
“We also have the Grand Prix de Paris in the middle of the summer for our three-year-olds, so it is very tempting to stay in France against your own age group and take on your elders in the autumn.”
Having trained some true legends of the turf, Fabre often nominates Peintre Celebre as the very best, but he holds Hurricane Run in the same bracket.
He said: “Hurricane Run was a totally different horse to Peintre Celebre, totally different, but they were both top-class horses, amongst the very best I’ve had.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/23833661.jpg10242048Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-07-22 09:56:082024-07-23 10:30:07Fabre has fond memories of sole King George victor Hurricane Run
Andre Fabre will chart a traditional path towards the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Sosie.
The Sea The Stars colt finished third in the Prix du Jockey Club but always looked likely to improve once asked to tackle a mile and a half.
He did just that in Saturday evening’s Grand Prix de Paris, quickening up in fine style to see off Aidan O’Brien’s Queen’s Vase winner Illinois and the previously unbeaten Delius by two lengths.
Sosie will now be aimed at the Prix Niel in September, a race Fabre has already won 11 times but surprisingly not since New Bay in 2015.
“Sosie always looked like he wanted to run over a mile and a half and he improved for it,” said Fabre of his record-extending 14th Grand Prix de Paris winner.
“He will run in the prep race that I use traditionally, the Prix Niel.”
Fabre, who has won the Arc eight times, most recently when Waldgeist denied Enable an unprecedented hat-trick in 2019, added: “We knew Illinois stayed well but so did we and Sosie has a smart turn of foot.
“He’s a great looking horse, he’s a big horse who was always going to thrive and he wasn’t 100 per cent fit for the Jockey Club, so I expected him to improve.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/a622ea19-7ca0-45c2-8592-176ab6cb7c84-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-07-15 14:31:012024-07-15 14:31:01Fabre favouring traditional Arc route with Sosie
The British and Irish raiders had to make do with minor honours as Sosie provided Andre Fabre with a remarkable 14th victory in the Grand Prix de Paris.
The leading French trainer has an exceptional record in the Bastille weekend showpiece, first striking gold with Dancehall in 1989 and most recently with Gallante a decade ago.
In between times Fabre saddled a trio of subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners to land the prize in Subotica (1991), Peintre Celebre (1997) and Rail Link (2006), and a tilt at Europe’s premier middle-distance prize back at ParisLongchamp in early October may well loom large for his latest victor.
Sosie, who was last seen finishing third in the French Derby, was tackling a mile and a half for the first time in the hands of Maxime Guyon and after moving to the front halfway up the home straight, saw out the trip well to score comfortably by two lengths.
Aidan O’Brien’s Queen’s Vase winner Illinois emerged best of the rest in second, with the previously unbeaten favourite Delius making late headway from the rear of the field to beat David Menuisier’s high-class filly Tamfana to third place.
Paddy Power gave Sosie an introductory quote of 12-1 for the Arc, while trimming the odds of French Derby winner and ante-post favourite Look De Vega to 3-1 from 9-2.
“It’s amazing, I’m really happy for the team,” Guyon told Sky Sports Racing.
“It was the first time for him to run 2,400 (metres), but in the Prix du Jockey Club he finished third and 2,000 metres was a little bit too short for him. Today it was perfect.
“We had a really good race behind the leader and he showed a strong turn of foot.
“Just before the winning post he looked around a little bit. I hope he can win the Arc.”
Andre Fabre, trainer of Sosie (John Walton/PA)
Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for Sosie’s owners Wertheimer and Frere, added: “It was a superb race. He’s a colt we’ve always held in high esteem but, given his very massive physique, it has taken him a while to come to himself.
“He’s still a relatively new horse as this was only his fifth career outing. He ran a blinder in the Prix du Jockey Club. I was a bit worried when I saw the rain coming as he’s a top of the ground colt. However, in the Jockey Club, he handled the sticky ground.
“This victory is very important for breeding purposes. The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, in the autumn, is the logical target for the colt.”
Survie also emerged as a potential Arc contender by landing the Group Two Prix de Malleret for trainer Nicolas Clement and jockey Stephane Pasquier.
Survie and @pasquito60 keep things simple, making the move into the ascendancy at just the right time to bag the Group 2 Prix de Malleret at ParisLongchamp… pic.twitter.com/lDR4XSbNJD
A narrowly beaten second in the French Oaks on her most recent outing, the daughter of Churchill displayed a willing attitude to go one better on what was also her first start over a mile and a half.
“I’m delighted and relieved. She was placed in a Group One, a Group Two and a Group Three and we’ve got the job done in a Group Two,” said Clement.
“This is a filly in the making – I think she’ll keep improving.
“She’s got an entry in the Arc, which we might give some thought to, and there’s a nice Group One in September called the Prix Vermeille and we can go for that.
“French trainers like to give them a midsummer break and she’ll get August off. We’ll train her easy and look at the autumn.”
Last season’s Prix Royal-Oak hero Double Major made it third time lucky for the current campaign with a front-running success in the other Group Two on the card – the Prix Maurice de Nieuil.
Winning trainer Christophe Ferland said: “He was not as good as he was today at the beginning of the year, (but) now we’ve got the horse back to his form.
“The rain we had earlier on was really good for him as he likes the ground a little bit soft and he likes to get in front.
“The good turn of foot Double Major has when he’s in really good form makes a big difference – he’s one of the best (stayers) here in France at the moment.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2257f78b-7f4f-47ec-bb2f-531f4b220309.jpg9311862Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2024-07-13 18:51:572024-07-13 20:10:07Sosie steals the show in Grand Prix de Paris
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