Treve leaves from stall eight in bid to make three Arcs in a row - By Tom Krish
Posted on - 03 Oct 2015
Treve leaves from stall eight in bid to make three Arcs in a row
By Tom Krish
I like to take trains and buses to get to my destinations when I am in Europe. From my base in Sevron, a suburb of Paris, it took me 90 minutes to get to Longchamp Racecourse on Friday. Three train trips and a final bus journey took me just outside Longchamp. I had to talk my way through. The security person was reluctant to let me in. What helped me was the word 'Chicago.' When I said that I had come from Chicago, he gave me a broad smile. I took it to be a warm French welcome.
I got to the area where the post-position drawing ceremony was held at 10.15 AM. The process got under way promptly at 10.30 AM. There was a racing writer from New York whom I recognized. A French journalist whom I have seen everywhere in Europe and has become friends with showed up late. Among the stars, Stephen Pasquier, who rides Erupt, an outsider, drew the post for his mount. The big guns were absent. The procedure was pretty much the same that is followed in Mumbai with one distinct difference, the connections were not given Black Dog whisky bottles.
Expect for an occasional word in English, the draw process was conducted in French. There was champagne and plenty of food at the end of the ceremony.
Here is the Arc field and the race will be run at 3.55 PM Paris time. No geldings can run in the Arc. It is a 2400-metre race on the grass.
1. Flintshire, Maxim Guyon drawn 11
2. Eagle Top, William Buick 3
3. Manatee, Mickael Barzalona 1
4. Meleagros, Adrien Fouassier 16
5. Prince Gibraltar, Fabrice Veron 10
6. Spiritjim, Andrea Atzeni 18
7. Free Eagle, Pat Smullen. 12
8. Doliniya, Christophe Soumillon 13
9. Treve, Thierry Jarnet 8
10. Frine, Olivier Peslier 6
11. Siljan's Saga, Pierre-Charles Boudot 7
12. Tapestry, Joeph O'Brien 9
13. New Bay, Vincent Cheminaud 5
14. Silverwave, James Doyle 17
15. Erupt, Stephane Pasquier 4
16. Golden Horn, Frankie Dettori 14
17. Shahah, Gregory Benoist 2
18. Found, R Moore 15
Here is the reaction from Harry Herbert, racing manager for Al Shaqab Racing, owners of Treve. "It looks pretty much spot on. Down the middle is a good thing. The pacemaker (Shahah) from stall two, will ensure a good, even pace."
Shahah is Treve's stablemate and has been supplemented to let Treve close into a brisk pace. Treve won from post 13 in 2013. She came out of stall three in 2014.
Because of drying ground, for the first time since wagering started, Treve is in 'against' territory. She can be backed at 11/10. New Bay and Golden Horn are sharing second favoritism.
Golden Horn's owner Anthony Oppenheimer put a positive spin on draw 14. "He is a horse who likes coming from behind. So I suppose he's better drawing where he is. If he runs second or third and comes out of the race in good condition, the Breeders' Cup Turf is a possibility."
Some of the enthusiasm for Golden Horn has been waning because of the draw. His loss to a filly in York's Juddmonte International and his not-so-noteworthy win in the Irish Champion Stakes are being held against the John Gosden-trained sophomore.
New Bay, hero of the French Derby and a convincing winner of the Prix Niel, is trained by Andre Fabre who is seeking his eighth Arc victory. Trainer Fabre knows every blade of grass at Longchamp and he is second to none in getting a horse ready for the Arc.
Khalid Abdullah, New Bay's owner, is double handed. Flintshire, second in the 2014 Arc, is in the field. Flintshire, a globe trotter, comes off a sparkling win in the Grade I Sword Dancer in the US recently.
Teddy Grimthorpe, Khalid Abdullah' racing manager, had this to say. "New Bay has had a great year. He had a really super prep in the Prix Niel. That's a fairly well-written script for Andre. Yes, Treve has beaten him three times but that's no disgrace."
At 2 P M on Sunday, the first Group I event will be run. It is the Marcel Boussac over 1600 metres for freshman fillies.
Then comes the Jean-Luc Lagardere over 1600 metres. It is for two year-old colts and fillies. At one time, this race was over 1400 metres. Holy Roman Emperor and Oratorio, two names Indian fans are familiar with, are past winners of the Lagardere.
The L'Opera, over 2000 metres for fillies and mares, follows.
At 3.55 P M, the starter will let the 18-horse field for the Arc go.
The 1000-metre L'Abbaye is next. It is a straight dash. Mecca's Angel, the likely favorite, will be ridden by Paul Mulrennan who not long ago plied his trade in India.
Then comes the 1400-metre La Foret. Dr.Cyrus Ponnawalla's Gordon Lord Byron is in the lineup.
The final Group I is the Prix Du Cadran over 4000 metres. Eleven go postward.
On Saturday, in addition to the weekend races at Longchamp, there are Group races galore around the world. Randwick in Australia hosts three of them headed by the 2400-metre Metropolitan.
Newmarket has the 1600-metre Sun Chariot Stakes. Belmont Park (New York) has the Flower Bowl, the Frizette, the Champagne and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Keeneland (Kentucky, US) will have the First Lady Stakes and the Shadwell Mile.
Santa Anita (Arcadia, California) will host the Sprint Championship over 1200 metres on dirt.
If I had Alladin's lamp, I could ask the genie to grant me the 'omnipresent' wish. What a treat would that be!
Dry weather continues in Paris. Mornings are chilly. Afternoons are unseasonably warm. The going will be good on Sunday. The rain god will make his presence felt on Monday.
There is, however, one possibility. I remember a R K Laxman cartoon. It is pouring and the only person waiting in the bus stop without an umbrella is the local weatherman.
There are billboards everywhere. The Arc signs are ubiquitous. More than a racing event, it is an important date in the French social calendar. A large number of British fans come. With no Japanese runner, the Japanese presence is extremely limited.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the author's personal views.)
