Tag Archive for: Luke Morris

Prescott reflects on Alpinista’s landmark Arc moment

Few people in racing are as revered as Sir Mark Prescott, so when he enjoyed the crowning moment of his long career when Alpinista won the 2022 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, it was a very popular victory.

The grey mare, owned and bred by Kirsten Rausing, progressed through the ranks steadily before going on an unbroken spree of six Group One races, which culminated at a rain-sodden ParisLongchamp.

For a horse who had been kept to generally good ground throughout her career – despite winning three times in Germany – the last thing connections wanted to see in Paris that day was rain.

However, not only did it rain, it was torrential. But that was not Prescott’s first concern on the day.

“The first thing I remember of it was that our plane wouldn’t start, so we were diverted from Cambridge to Stansted so that put everybody on edge a little bit,” he said.

Luke Morris with Alpinista, trainer Sir Mark Prescott and owner Kirsten Rausing
Luke Morris with Alpinista, trainer Sir Mark Prescott and owner Kirsten Rausing (PA)

“When it landed, because it was late the customs and the police weren’t there to greet it, so we were held up there and it was one of the few times that I’ve seen Ms Rausing begin to lose patience!

“We were getting pretty late and she was all for going and to hell with the police, but it was then pointed out that if we were arrested that was fine, but we needed the jockey pretty badly – so she waited.

“We eventually got there and Ms Rausing was supposed to be going for lunch but couldn’t find where and in the meantime (Luke) Morris and I went off in rather nice suits to walk the course.

“Of course the mare didn’t want it heavy as she’d never run on heavy ground before and down the back straight we got caught in that deluge, so really by the time we got in the paddock all thoughts of the horse winning, despite being favourite, had left us.”

Having gone through all that prior to the biggest race of his career with the favourite in Europe’s showpiece race, Prescott had near enough given up on any chance of winning.

He continued: “In a way it took the pressure off, we’d had such a terrible day there was no way we thought she could win. We were all pretty resigned but then she went and won – which was marvellous!

“William (Butler, assistant) said trying to get me out of Longchamp was like trying to get a rock star out of a concert as everyone was so kind – Jean-Claude Rouget kissed me and everyone wanted to shake my hand.

“The thing I remember most was going back in the taxi, hardly believing it had happened, Ms Rausing turned to me and absolutely straight faced said ‘do you know, I always thought she’d win it’.

“I then asked Luke how it felt and he said ‘I watched 28 previous Arcs, 14 on Friday and 14 on Saturday and when I turned for home, I thought I was going better than any of those 28 winners’ and that was even on that ground.”

Rausing is a renowned owner-breeder and Alpinista is a product of a long pedigree line. Her granddam Albanova was trained by Prescott to win the same three Group Ones in Germany Alpinista would go on to win, and she is a full-sister to Alborada, Prescott’s dual Champion Stakes heroine.

“It wasn’t a total surprise she turned out to be very good because as a two-year-old she won first time out over seven furlongs at Epsom. Given I’d trained her mother, who won over two and a quarter miles, to have that speed, we obviously thought she was nice,” said Prescott.

“To answer when did I think she might win the Arc, I suppose it was when she won those three Group Ones in Germany (2021), we thought the following year she’d have a chance in the Arc.

“My confidence was dented though when the author Michael Tanner sent me a card saying ‘when did the last five-year-old mare win the Arc?’ which was all it said in the card. The answer was Corrida in 1939.”

Prescott had decided to miss the 2021 Arc but then watched Torquator Tasso, behind Alpinista at Hoppegarten, spring an almighty surprise.

Luke Morris did his research ahead of the race
Luke Morris did his research ahead of the race (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I don’t think we ever thought we should have run the year before she won it as nobody thought Torquator Tasso would win, apart from his lovely connections and we had beaten him in Germany,” said Prescott.

“Everybody thought it was a bit of a fluke, but he went on to prove it was far from that. What it did do was make us think maybe we did have a squeak the following year. We didn’t have any regrets as he was such an unexpected winner.

“German form can be looked down upon, so maybe she didn’t get the recognition she deserved after those three Group One wins. It wasn’t until she won in France (Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud) she started getting a bit more traction. Interestingly I trained her grandmother (Albanova) to win the same three German races which is quite extraordinary.

“I must say, I can’t be asked about my favourite Arc often enough, though!”

Luke Morris aiming to make more York memories

For Luke Morris there are always fond memories when he steps through the gates of York racecourse for the Ebor Festival.

Morris has amassed over 2,000 career winners, with 13 coming at Yorkshire’s premier Flat racing venue. But it is during the Knavesmire’s showpiece meeting that Morris has enjoyed two of his biggest days on home soil.

Those victories aboard two of the most successful mares in recent history – first Marsha in 2017 and then Alpinista five years later – are days the 35-year-old will always treasure, and ensures York, and the Ebor meeting in particular, remains close to his heart.

“I was extremely lucky to ride two superstar fillies to win at York and they are still my only two domestic Group One winners,” said Morris.

Luke Morris celebrates winning the Nunthorpe Stakes on Marsha
Luke Morris celebrates winning the Nunthorpe Stakes on Marsha (Simon Cooper/PA)

“York has been an extremely lucky track for me and this week is always one of the most exciting weeks of the year. It has always been an extremely lucky place and I would love to get some more there this year.”

Both Marsha and Alpinista were trained by Morris’ long-time ally Sir Mark Prescott and few can forget the day the Heath House speedster tasted Nunthorpe glory in the most dramatic of races.

The daughter of Acclamation would go on to command 6,000,000 guineas at the sales and in one of the final outings of her career she secured her sixth and last victory, denying American speedball Lady Aurelia.

A photo was required to separate the pair as they flashed past the post in unison, but whereas Frankie Dettori was to feel bitter disappointment having been certain of getting the verdict aboard Wesley Ward’s raider, it was Morris who had the shock of his saddlecloth being announced as the winner.

Marsha (second left) narrowly wins the  Nunthorpe Stakes
Marsha (second left) narrowly wins the Nunthorpe Stakes (Simon Cooper/PA)

“The Nunthorpe was a great race and going past the line I thought I was beat, so there were lots of mixed emotions that you don’t always feel,” explained Morris.

“You think you are beat and then the result of the photo was announced and it was a special moment that came in one of the feature sprints of the year.

“There was a lot of disbelief when the result was announced and it was great for it to go my way, she was an extremely special filly.

“She was like a bullet, I have never ridden a horse as fast as her and I was lucky to find one as good as her.”

Alpinista winning the Yorkshire Oaks
Alpinista winning the Yorkshire Oaks (Mike Egerton/PA)

Later came Alpinista, the gallant grey who had already amassed four Group One victories by the time she lined up for the Yorkshire Oaks in 2022, but they had all come in either France or Germany.

Sent off the 7-4 favourite with a pair of Oaks winners among the opposition, the Kirsten Rausing-owned mare set out to replicate her achievements on the continent in front of a home crowd desperate to see her gallop into Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe contention.

Despite pressure up the home straight from Tuesday, Alpinista was always too much for Aidan O’Brien’s Epsom heroine to handle, as she brought up her fifth consecutive success at the highest level to the delight of the Yorkshire crowd.

She would soon add a sixth triumph in perhaps the greatest of all races, strutting round ParisLongchamp for Arc glory. If that is Morris’ finest day in the saddle, there is no doubt that afternoon in York paved the way for that crowning moment on the Bois de Boulogne.

“Alpinista was incredible. Her constitution was great and she never let anyone down,” continued Morris.

“She was so straightforward and tough and to be associated with a horse like her, I will be forever grateful.

“She had obviously won four Group Ones in Germany and France and it was a hot race with the likes of Tuesday and some other good fillies in there. She needed to step up again on what she had already done and you are never sure if she would be able to.

“For her to step up again and then do so again in Paris was incredibly special.”

Luke Morris to ride Bradsell after Hollie Doyle fails in appeal

Luke Morris will stand in on Bradsell at next week’s Breeders’ Cup meeting after Hollie Doyle failed in her appeal against the severity of a careless riding ban.

Doyle incurred a seven-day suspension for her ride aboard the Jonathan Portman-trained Rose Light in the Unibet More Boosts In More Races Fillies’ Handicap at Kempton last week, being found to have cut across a number of rivals in the early stages of the 11-furlong contest, causing them to be tightened for racing room.

The British Horseracing Authority’s independent disciplinary panel heard Doyle’s appeal on Thursday morning, with the jockey contesting the length of the ban rather than the riding offence itself.

After hearing submissions from Charlotte Davison, who was representing the BHA, and Rory Mac Neice for Doyle, the panel concluded the original penalty should stand, meaning Doyle will be suspended on November 4, when Bradsell is due to run in the Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Rachel Spearing, the panel’s chair, said: “We do accept there was corrective action taken by Miss Doyle, but the reality was unfortunately the situation had been caused. We can see from the footage interference does take place and it is, in our view, significant.

“We find interference was foreseeable, it was serious and it is appropriate to fall within the careless riding (penalty) of five to 14 days. We note she was provided with a seven-day suspension and we see no reason to interfere with those days.

“We have concluded this wasn’t a frivolous appeal and in those circumstances agree to return the deposit.”

Lambourn-based trainer Archie Watson subsequently confirmed to the PA news agency that Arc-winning rider Morris will now partner Bradsell in California on Saturday week.

The three-year-old defeated Highfield Princess when lifting the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot in June, since when he has finished third in the Nunthorpe at York and seventh in the Flying Five in Ireland.

Watson said: “Luke Morris will ride Bradsell at the Breeders’ Cup.”

Arc hero Morris ready for another first in Shergar Cup

Luke Morris makes his first appearance in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup as he heads up the home team at Ascot on Saturday.

The 34-year-old – who took his career to new heights last year, winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Sir Mark Prescott’s Alpinista – has never before taken part in the team event, which was first run in 1999 and now includes four teams competing for points over six races.

The Great Britain and Ireland squad is made up of Morris, Tom Marquand and Declan McDonogh, and the trio will aim to defeat a European team, a Ladies team and a team representing the Rest of the World.

Morris said: “When I was asked to participate, I was hugely grateful. It looks a great, fun day with a real buzz about the place.

“The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is something that I have grown up watching.

Morris aboard Alpinista during the Yorkshire Oaks
Morris aboard Alpinista during the Yorkshire Oaks (Mike Egerton/PA)

“The prize-money is great and it is real competitive racing.”

Morris has some well-fancied mounts at the weekend, including Clive Cox’s Tis Marvellous in the Dash and Stuart Williams’ Quinault in the sprint race – the latter a horse who has won his previous six races.

“From a participant’s perspective, everyone is really behind the Shergar Cup,” said Morris, who is favourite to win the Silver Saddle award for top rider, ahead of Rest of the World captain Frankie Dettori and Saffie Osborne.

“I know lots of jockeys would like to ride in it, plus lots of owners and trainers like running horses here,”

“To be honest, there is not much to dislike. I think it is a great initiative and the fact it is still going strong after so many years proves that it does work.

“I know my teammates Declan and Tom very well. Tom is flying at the moment and Declan is a former Irish champion.

Morris will make his Shergar Cup debut at the weekend
Morris will make his Shergar Cup debut at the weekend (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Throughout all the teams, there is real talent on show and hopefully it will be a great day.

“Riding winners at the highest level is always the aim. I am fiercely competitive and enjoy winning. I want to ride as many winners as I can each year, in the hope that it unlocks the door to ride nice horses.”

Luke Morris reaches 2,000 British winners landmark

Luke Morris celebrated another landmark when reaching 2,000 career winners in Britain at Southwell on Tuesday.

In a perfect piece of symmetry, the Archie Watson-trained Colors Of Freedom was winning at the track where Morris recorded his first career victory in November 2005.

The Arc-winning rider, 34, joins only six other current riders in Britain who have achieved the same feat – Ryan Moore, Frankie Dettori, Jamie Spencer, Jim Crowley, Paul Hanagan and Joe Fanning.

He told Great British Racing: “Year in year out I try to have as many winners as I can, so to reach 2,000 winners, I am immensely proud. I am very lucky to have lots of loyal contacts, great trainers and owners as well as an understanding family who have always supported me.

“This something that I’ve wanted to do since I was six and they’ve been supportive since the very start. Now I have a young son Henry, it makes life different, but my partner Molly is very good at steering the ship while I’m all over the country.

“I set myself a goal every year to ride 100 winners and hopefully ride a Group One. Luckily, it’s worked out quite well for me so far, but you have to keep your work ethic every year and keep your head down. I’ve always been ambitious and I hope that will stay with me for a long time.”

Alpinista (white cap) powers to victory in the Yorkshire Oaks
Alpinista (white cap) powers to victory in the Yorkshire Oaks (Mike Egerton/PA)

He added: Morris continued: “Of the British winners, Marsha winning the Nunthorpe and Alpinista in the Yorkshire Oaks are very much my highlights. They were special days, especially winning them for Sir Mark (Prescott) and loyal owners in the Elite Racing Club and Miss (Kirsten) Rausing.

“Those were two great days and I’m very much hoping there will be plenty more days like that. You just hope that the ball keeps rolling year in year out and just keep the number tally very high.”

Monday Musings: Sir Mark’s Arc

It was good enough to chat to Sir Mark Prescott and Kirsten Rausing in the sunshine of York before and after Alpinista’s fifth consecutive Group 1 success back in the summer, when she beat the gallant Oaks winner, Tuesday, in the Yorkshire Oaks, writes Tony Stafford. Yesterday I contentedly sat at home watching her battling performance in holding off a series of strong challengers up the last 200 metres to collect the £2.4 million first prize in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The press and media were queueing up again, on an awful Parisian autumn afternoon to catch the now emotional Sir Mark – yes, he does sometimes let that relaxed urbane countenance slip! This tender side, in full view if not quite revealing actual tears, followed the victory of the same grey five-year-old mare, as she equalled a record that had stood from 11 years before the popular Baronet was born.

It was in 1937 that Corrida had been the last of her age and sex to win a race that then was only 17 years into its history.  Now the Arc is rightly acknowledged as Europe’s championship race. Sir Mark, a trainer for 52 years, plotted Alpinista’s path to greatness with the same patience that for half a century he has set up maiden three-year-olds to win strings of races as they improve and learn on the job, starting low and frequently ending high.

In her case, Alpinista didn’t start low at all, winning on her first juvenile start at Epsom’s August meeting. That alone should have told us she was different. Quickly up to stakes company, although finishing only sixth in a Goodwood Group 3 and then filling fourth in a Listed race at Longchamp, her first of many overseas sorties, on her final juvenile start.

Sir Mark gave her a reappearance on July 20, 2020, no doubt because Covid had not only interrupted the early part of that season for everyone on the racecourse but inevitably delayed all the time-honoured training regime he had made second nature over the decades.

But having finished fourth in that Listed race, this time at Vichy, she made up for lost time with a victory at the same level at Salisbury before outperforming her 33-1 odds when second to the Oaks winner, Love, in the Yorkshire Oaks.

From then, there has only been one more defeat, next time in the Group 3 Princess Royal Stakes behind Antonia De Vega at Newmarket, her final three-year-old start.

Thereafter, Sir Mark has produced a two-season, eight-race unbeaten sequence that could have been modelled on some of his more celebrated handicap coups, except that the last six of the eight have been at Group 1 level.

Last year involved a late summer/autumn German Group 1 hat-trick starting with a defeat of future 2021 Arc winner Torquator Tasso in Hoppegarten, a race of which Prescott modestly said her rival was “unlucky in running”. There was no hard luck story yesterday, though, as Torquator Tasso was brought with a perfect run down the outside by Frankie Dettori, but Luke Morris and his grey co-conspiratress were never contemplating defeat.

Afterwards, Prescott said that Morris had been with him for 12 years, a span that probably leaves him at least as long to go to match George Duffield. There can be few occupations anywhere in this uncertain world with the career security of Heath House’s stable jockey. Or indeed as the quiet assistant trainer William Butler might ruefully opine, “Nor assistant to Sir Mark!”

That self-effacing gentleman at least is not threatened in his post, but it reminds me of an exchange at the Daily Telegraph when a colleague, anxious to know what would happen when his department boss – he was the deputy - was leaving in the coming weeks. The Sports Editor, said, “Don’t worry old boy, your present position is assured!”

It embarrasses me (a little) to say he took the hint and quickly left and, a few short months later, I was appointed Racing Editor since which time it’s all gone downhill!

Alpinista was one of six UK-trained winners on the two-day Longchamp card with three on the opening day, added to by another three yesterday. That tally does not include Aidan O’Brien’s Kyprios, who, I must say, put up the best performance I have ever seen from a flat-race stayer.

In the two-and-half mile Prix Du Cadran, the previous winner of the Gold Cup at Ascot, Goodwood Cup and Irish St Leger, a Galileo colt, cantered along for the first two miles of the journey, as first Quickthorn (briefly, but alas with little conviction) and then Lismore set the pace.

By the turn in, the Coolmore runner had taken the lead totally untroubled and started to draw away inexorably. There was still more than a furlong to go when he began to find it all so boring and showed a liking for the fans on the stands rail, so in the manner of the 2014 2000 Guineas winner, Night of Thunder, he thought he would come and say “Bonjour” to the Turfistes that side.

It’s easy to overstate the amount of ground conceded by such a manoeuvre, but it caused Ryan Moore a degree of discomfort for a while. Not to worry, he still had a full 20 lengths to spare passing the post, and probably three or more gears that Ryan hadn’t troubled to utilise.

Having seen off now retired Stradivarius and Trueshan at Goodwood, Aidan and the boys will be aiming at shorter rather than keep to the stayers but, still only four, it will be tempting to call in at Royal Ascot for the next few Gold Cups. Yeats was great; Stradivarius was very good for a long time, but this is a late-in-career phenomenon to add to the Galileo legend.

Having watched Luxembourg struggle in the soft ground yesterday, I wonder if Aidan is already thinking “next year’s Arc” for a Classic winner, albeit the Irish St Leger. He is improving so quickly the problem will be just which demanding prizes they challenge for.

*

It was good to have ITV cover the races up until the Arc and Sky Sports Racing the subsequent events, but when comparing what came up on those screens, with results as published in the Racing Post, there was generally a pattern to discern. Not in every case, but mostly, the punters watching on the box will have expected being paid out on those prices and will probably have been disappointed at what the bookies returned them.

The most blatant example on a day when Andre Fabre, three months my senior whereas Sir Mark is two years less a day younger than me, almost single-handedly kept the home fires burning with two Group 1 victories. His Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Belbek was 16-1 or thereabouts in both versions. Contrastingly, after his Place Du Carroussel finished strongly to deny Nashwa and Hollie Doyle in the Prix de l’Opera, Sky Sports Racing flashed up 66/1, but if you found her, the Post says she was a 41-1 chance.

Hollie got her revenge a little later when Richard Fahey’s The Platinum Queen became the first two-year-old filly to win the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp since the celebrated sprinter Sigy in 1978 after a fine performance by horse and rider. Her 9-4 on the box, was as low as 7-5 with the firms. Alpinista was only a shade shorter in the Post whereas Kinross and Frankie won the Foret at only 11/8. Don’t say the bookies never show mercy – they returned 17-10.

On Saturday, there was nothing to choose between 7-10 (Post) and 4-7 (SSR)about Kyprios while Anmaat’s 23-10 was better than the 15-8 from the broadcaster. There was a big disparity though in the 13-5 about William Haggas’ Sea La Rosa and the telly’s 7-2 in the Royallieu. Then again, with so many well-backed UK-trained winners, they must have been onto something of a hiding.

Now all the big players will come back to the UK, making the annual trek to the sales at Tattersalls in Newmarket to start inspecting the choice Book 1 offerings that will be going through the ring and will be their prime targets as they seek to re-stock.

I doubt Tatts will be worrying about their gas and electricity bills with 5%, the guineas rather than pounds, if you are too young to know, commission on every sale and the prospect of many millions of pounds, euro, dollars, yen and whatever else you care to mention, sure to change hands. It’s worth a watch, Tuesday to Thursday, to see exciting bidding, big-name owners and trainers and, like me, you can keep yourself warm at someone else’s expense.  Or else you can watch it at home online, but then you’ll be footing the bill!

- TS