Quality throughout over the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend

The three-day Qatar-sponsored Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting held at ParisLongchamp on October 1-2 and SaintCloud on September 30 was a meeting of the highest quality and order. Total prize-money on offer over the weekend was €10.4 million and the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe the richest race in Europe with a prize fund of €5 million.

The recently published Longines World’s Best Races has rated the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the third-best race in the world in 2022. In fact, a further two Qatarsponsored European races made it into the Longines top ten – the Qatar Sussex Stakes and the Prix de Jockey-Club.

The Arc was won by the brilliant Alpinista, the daughter of the record-breaking Juddmonte Farms sire Frankel. Bred by Kirsten Rausing’s Lanwades Stud, the mare’s victory in Paris saw her maintain an eight-race winning sequence, six of those wins at Group 1 level.

The race in France was run on very soft ground, which played to the mare’s strengths, and the result was never in doubt – jockey Luke Morris had her prominent throughout, she made smooth progress 3f from home, led a furlong out and won by an eased down half a length.

Morris said of the Sir Mark Prescott-trained five-year-old: “She’s so versatile and so tough. I couldn’t believe how well she was going, coming into the straight. I was just trying to conserve her for as long as I could. When I needed her, she dug in very deep.”

Her victory took her prize-money earnings to over £3.2 million and accolades as the world’s highest-rated mare or filly of 2022. She was retired to stud after the big race victory.

Arc runner-up Vadeni kicked off the season with Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club victory

Second to the mare at ParisLongchamp was the three-yearold colt Vadeni, winner of the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club staged right at the beginning of the European Flat season. A dual winner as a two-year-old in 2021 and successful in the Prix de Guiche (G3) in May, he was massively impressive at Chantilly on that first weekend in June, producing a fine turn of foot having travelled well throughout the race.

The son of Churchill maintained that form throughout the season and went on to beat the multiple Group 1 winner Mishriff in the Eclipse Stakes and then finished third to Luxemburg at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes. He was Longines rated the second best three-year-old on the year on Turf and stays in training with Jean-Claude Rouget for 2023. A bid to go one place better in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2023 has been earmarked by his trainer as his main target for the year.

KYPRIOS, THE STAYER OF THE YEAR, WINS THE QATAR PRIX DU CADRAN

A fine staying performance was also put in by Kyprios in the Qatar Prix du Cadran (G1), the son of Galileo winning his sixth race in a row and his fourth Group 1, and following up from his previous Qatar Goodwood Cup victory.

It was arguably the four-year-old’s most impressive performance of the season – despite drifting markedly left in the home straight on the soft ground, he still won by a staggering 20l. The Moyglare Stud-owned and bred fouryear-old was in a race of his own and dominated from 3f out.

“Kyprios is a great horse and it’s a privilege to have him. He has an unbelievable capacity for covering any amount of distance. He obviously has an incredible heart and lungs. Ryan [Moore] rode him handy all the way and his opponents just fell away as they turned into the straight and he got left there. That’s what happened when he came up the straight. He lost a shoe halfway up the straight as well,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien after the race.

He will be an exciting prospect for 2023 and will have all the top Group 1 staying races on his agenda again – the Ascot Gold Cup, the Qatar Goodwood Cup and the Qatar Prix du Cadran. He handles fast ground, good ground and soft ground, he is adaptable and dependable and could become one of the greatest European staying horses of all time.

Juvenile Colts And Fillies Of The Highest Quality

The opening race on Sunday’s card, the 7f Group 1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for two-year-old colts, was won by the Andre Fabre-trained Belbek, a colt owned by Nurlan Bisakov, ridden by Mickael Barzalona and by the Britishbased stallion Showcasing.

A winner of the Group 3 Prix du Bois Longines, the colt had subsequently been beaten in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and Group 3 Prix de Cabourg, but this was his first outing over 7f, which he appeared to appreciate, while the soft ground suited.

On the Arc weekend, Saturday’s Group 1 1m6f Qatar Prix de Royallieu went to the William Haggas-trained Sea La Rosa (Sea The Stars). She had previous won the Qatar Lille Langtry Stakes (G3) at Qatar Goodwood Festival, the mare once again proving the value of the intertwining of form lines through the Qatar-sponsored European summer Flat racing Festivals.

A brave and tough mare, Sea La Rosa, who is owned by Sunderland Holdings, chased the pace though the race at Paris, and wore down the pace-setter Ottilien in the home straight.

Sea La Rosa won by a length from Jannah Flower, who is by Al Shaqab Racing’s Olympic Glory, and she is owned by Al Shira’aa Farms. It was an admirable performance from the consistent filly.

He will be readied this year for a three-year-old Classic campaign.

The fillies’ juvenile race the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac was won by Blue Rose Cen giving a first Group 1 winner for the young trainer Christophe Head, and the first leg of a Group 1 double on the Arc card for her sire Churchill.

She is owned by Spanish connections Yeguada Centurion and went into the race on the back of three previous victories and a first Group race success in the Prix d’Aumale (G3). Connections expect her to excel at a mile this year and she will be given a Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and 1,000 Guineas campaign.

AL SHAQAB RACING’S VICTORY IN THE QATAR PRIX DE L’OPERA

Also for the females, the Group 1 1m2f Qatar Prix de l’Opera (G1), went to Place du Carrousel, owned in partnership between Al Shaqab Racing and breeder Ballyllinch Stud. She is by the Irish farm’s leading sire Lope De Vega and in six racecourse starts has only finished out of the first two placings once when disappointing down the field in June’s Prix de Diane (G1).

Place Du Carrousel stayed on strongly to beat race favourite Nashwa in the Prix de l’Opera, and the Andre Fabretrained mare could take highest order over middle-distance this season.

Kinross Kicks Off His 2022 Group 1 Double In The Qatar Prix De La Foret

The Ralph Beckett-trained and Frankie Dettori-ridden Kinross took the concluding Group 1 of the meeting, the Qatar Prix de la Foret. It was the first part of a Group 1 double for the Kingman gelding, who subsequently won the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes (G1). He concluded his season with a third place in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.