Tag Archive for: Mqse De Sevigne

Fabre confident Sevigne can sparkle over Arc trip

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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All roads lead to the Arc now for Fabre and Mqse De Sevigne

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.”



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Deauville double to tee-up Mqse De Sevigne Arc swansong

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.

“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.”



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Arc-bound Mqse De Sevigne gives Fabre another Group One triumph

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.

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
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.”



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Fabre plotting repeat route with Mqse De Sevigne

Andre Fabre’s Mqse De Sevigne will aim to add to her Group One tally at Deauville before ending her career with a crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The five-year-old won the Prix Rothschild over a mile and the Prix Jean Romanet over 10 furlongs last summer and secured a short-head verdict in the Prix d’Ispahan last time out, having warmed up with a win in Listed company.

She will head to Deauville in the summer to try to win the same two races once more before stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time at ParisLongchamp.

Fabre said: “We have some nice older horses this year, of course with Mqse De Sevigne. She will wait for Deauville, the Prix Rothschild (July 28) and the Prix Jean Romanet (August 18) and then the Arc.

“She’s versatile over distances but I don’t want to risk her over a mile and a half early in the season, until the Arc. We’ve nothing to lose by running her in it then.”

Fabre has entered seven in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at the end of the month, with Junko and Pensee Du Jour, both owned by the Wertheimer brothers, very much in the mix.

“Pensee Du Jour is in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (June 30) and she’s in at Longchamp in the Prix de Malleret (July 13) but she’s likely to go for the Grand Prix,” said Fabre.

“I think she’s a stronger filly this year. Obviously, last year she had the scope to get better as an older mare and she’s now that much stronger.

“I’ve entered seven, so I’ve got a few to choose from in the Grand Prix.

“One who is sure to go is Junko, in the same ownership, and I will try to run Sevenna’s Knight in it, too. He looks a progressive horse over staying distances, so I want to see him over a shorter distance.”

Last weekend, Fabre was denied a first Prix du Jockey Club win since 2015 as Look De Vega saw off his runners First Look and Sosie, who came home second and third behind the impressive winner.

“I think they were both beaten by a very nice colt. I haven’t quite decided what they will do. The third horse will go for the Grand Prix de Paris and First Look I don’t know,” said Fabre.

“Sosie is a nice, big horse and will keep progressing throughout the year.”



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Mqse De Sevigne strikes for Fabre in Prix d’Ispahan

Mqse De Sevigne just got her head in front when it mattered most to edge out Horizon Dore in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp.

Alexis Pouchin had to weave through horses on Andre Fabre’s mare and it looked for a while as though last year’s Prix Dollar winner Horizon Dore may have done enough to shade it.

However, 9-4 favourite Mqse De Sevigne dug deep to gradually get the better of a ding-dong battle over the final furlong and got the nod by a short-head.

It was a third Group One success for the admirable five-year-old, who struck twice at Deauville in elite-level company by narrow margins last summer before chasing home Inspiral in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket.

Fabre told Sky Sports Racing: “She showed ability and she quickened well. I think she has a new balance now as a five-year-old; she is stronger and easier to train, so we still have a bright future with her.”

Betfair reacted to this performance by cutting Mqse De Sevigne from 33-1 to 25-1 for the 2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Coral made the same move with the winner and trimmed runner-up Horizon Dore to 14-1 from 16-1 for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Fabre-trained Sevenna’s Knight enhanced his credentials as a future Melbourne Cup prospect when grinding out victory in the Group Two Prix Vicomtesse Vigier over just short of two miles.

Mickael Barzalona had to stoke up the 6-4 favourite a couple of furlongs from home but he responded well to pressure to see off Shembala by a length and three-quarters.

It was another solid performance from the progressive four-year-old, who landed the Group Three Prix de Barbeville by eight lengths last time out.

Terry Henderson of Australian owners OTI Racing said: “He’s progressed a lot since he was a three-year-old and coming back for the Group Three and now this has really cemented our expectations for better things to come.

“It’s a breed that does improve with age, it’s well known that they tend to be better at four and five and that’s one of the reasons we were encouraged to buy him, so I think it’s simple maturity – mental and physical.

“We’ve certainly got a man who knows what he’s doing when it comes to bringing these horses along, we can now maybe give him one more run in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and then bring him back again later in the year.

“He was put under a lot of pressure from the 800 (metres) and Sevenna’s Knight was still able to sprint off that, which was a very encouraging sign that he’s going to come back in distance and do well.”

Asked about then possibly reverting to a staying trip for the Melbourne Cup, he added: “It’s one of the options.

“I think what happens in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud will dictate what direction we go in, we’ll either stay for the serious races at the end of the season or we’ll go to Melbourne.”

Young rider Pouchin partnered Exxtra to a smooth success in the Group Three Prix Du Palais-Royal for Carlos and Yann Lerner, with the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Yosemite Valley a beaten favourite when dead-heating for third alongside James Tate’s Mount Athos.



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Breeders’ Cup beckons for Mqse De Sevigne

Mqse De Sevigne will return to 10 furlongs at the Breeders’ Cup having chased home an inspired Inspiral in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.

The Andre Fabre-trained four-year-old arrived at the Rowley Mile seeking a Group One hat-trick having landed a Deauville double in the Prix Rothschild and Prix Jean Romanet in the summer and although having to settle for second, lost little in defeat with a performance which pleased her master trainer.

She has now finished first or second in all six starts this season and will head to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf over the distance she excelled at when downing George Boughey’s Via Sistina on her penultimate start.

Mqse De Sevigne powered to victory in the Prix Jean Romanet
Mqse De Sevigne powered to victory in the Prix Jean Romanet (Scoopdyga/France Galop)

Fabre said: “I was pleased with the way she ran, she obviously needs a bit further and was beaten by a top-class filly.

“The Breeders’ Cup is the plan and if she is in good shape she will go there. I think the two extra furlongs will suit her better.

“She was probably a bit backward and a bit unlucky in her races before. But I have been delighted with her.”

Fabre is no stranger to success at the Stateside showpiece and could have the chance to saddle a fourth winner in the Breeders’ Cup Turf if Junko joins his stablemate for the trip across the Atlantic.

The four-year-old was last seen beating Christopher Head’s Big Call in Deauville’s Prix de Reux and having missed out on a run at ParisLongchamp recently will attempt to book his ticket to California in the Prix du Conseil de Paris this weekend.

“I will probably go for the mile and a half race with Junko,” continued Fabre.

“He had to miss the Arc meeting, but he is going to run next Sunday and if he runs well and can get into the race he will run.”



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Fabre fillies primed to go in search of further Group One gold

Andre Fabre is planning on racking up the air miles with his two smart fillies Place Du Carrousel and Mqse De Sevigne.

Last year’s Prix de l’Opera winner Place Du Carrousel beat the boys in the Prix Foy and proved her stamina over a mile and a half in the process.

She is now bound for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but after that possible trips to the Breeders’ Cup and Hong Kong are in the offing.

Mqse De Sevigne, who has won Group Ones over a mile and 10 furlongs in her last two races, is heading to Newmarket next for the Sun Chariot Stakes before she runs in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Fabre said of Place Du Carrousel, who passed up an option against her own sex in the Prix Vermeille: “I wanted to run her against the colts to see how she did because that is what she is going to be running against in the Arc. I was quite happy.

“She proved she stayed 12 furlongs well.

“I need to discuss things with the owner, but if she remains in good shape she’s quite fresh because she hasn’t run much this year, we could look at big races in the States or in Hong Kong.

“She’s proving that she can handle any sort of ground, but the Arc will be tough. She’s going to run well.”

Mqse De Sevigne powered to victory in the Prix Jean Romanet
Mqse De Sevigne powered to victory in the Prix Jean Romanet (Scoopdyga/France Galop)

Of Mqse De Sevigne, Fabre added: “She’s a very nice filly. She will go to Newmarket next back over a mile.

“Her plan is the Breeders’ Cup Mile so running her at Newmarket will sharpen her up a little bit – a mile race will be perfect.

“She has really improved this season, she’s got stronger, but we always liked her. Ground doesn’t matter to her, the ground is always nice at Newmarket.

“Alexis (Pouchin) has a good relationship with her and he will probably be on at Newmarket.”



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Mqse De Sevigne denies Via Sistina in Romanet thriller

Andre Fabre’s Mqse De Sevigne pounced late to deny Via Sistina in a thrilling finish to the Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet.

The daughter of Siyouni successfully dropped back to a mile to land the Prix Rothschild last month and thrived once again up in trip to secure back-to-back Deauville Group One victories.

Ridden cold in rear by Alexis Pouchin, the four-year-old had the majority of the field ahead of her as the runners turned for home.

And as most eyes were drawn to the stylish progress being made by George Boughey’s Via Sistina who hit the front with what appeared a winning run under Jamie Spencer, Mqse De Sevigne was matching every stride and got her head narrowly ahead when it mattered to score by the barest of margins.

Betfair make Mqse De Sevigne a 6-1 chance from 14-1 to seal a hat-trick of Group One victories in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on September 30.

“We are very grateful to her and it is a wonderful moment for the whole team, for the stable, the stud, for Andre Fabre and the up-and-coming Alexis Pouchin. We are thrilled and delighted,” owner Baron Edouard de Rothschild told Sky Sports Racing.

“I think we will go for the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket the day before the Arc. I think she is flexible over distances and we have to find what suits her best.”

Of the runner-up, Boughey said: “She’s incredibly tough and also very good. She’s very physically imposing mare and, at the age of five is just coming of age. We may aim her at the Prix de l’Opéra.”

Above The Curve was third for Joseph O’Brien, who said: “She ran very well and has yet again been placed at Group One level.

“We’ll now be looking at the Qatar Prix Vermeille and the Blandford Stakes in terms of options for her.”



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Fabre dominates Prix Rothschild as Mqse De Sevigne prevails

There was no joy for the British and Irish raiders as Mqse De Sevigne led home an Andre Fabre-trained one-two in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville.

Fabre had won the Group One contest five times in the past and became the race’s leading trainer as his consistent four-year-old Mqse De Sevigne came home ahead of stablemate Life In Motion.

Jockey Alexis Pouchin, who was winning at the highest level for the first time, was in no rush aboard the filly as Prix Jean Prat runner-up Sauterne and Kelina led the field along, with Ralph Beckett’s race favourite Remarquee travelling powerfully on the wing and Royal Ascot winner Rogue Millennium held up in rear.

As the likes of Remarquee began to wane in the closing stages, the stealthily ridden Fabre pair emerged as the main dangers to the ever-game Sauterne and it was Mqse De Sevigne who had a bit extra in the tank as she led home a one-two-three for the home team, fittingly in the colours of the Rothschild family.

The winner had been campaigning over 10 furlongs but owner Baron Edouard De Rothschild was persuaded by Fabre to drop the filly back in trip, a move which proved successful on the Normandy coast.

“I think it is tremendously wonderful for the stud and all the team that work very hard and I am delighted,” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“When Nashwa won the Falmouth Stakes, Andre Fabre called me and said I think we should do the same and drop back in trip.

“He picked out a race at the end of August, but I said no, the entries for the Prix Rothschild are over but we can supplement her and we did.

“It’s a fantastic result for the team and I am delighted.”

Pouchin said: “It’s a great moment for me, and I want to make the most of it! Monsieur Fabre had asked me not to force the pace as the filly was stepping down somewhat in trip.

“We had a very good race, even if the filly who we were tracking folded very tamely. When I asked my filly to pick up, she responded perfectly. After the post, all the jockeys congratulated me. I can scarcely take it all in!”



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