Europe: Torquator Tasso falls far short of Alter Adler in Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft

Torquator Tasso, who won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to end his 2021 campaign, began his 2022 season finishing sixth of seven in the Group 2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft on Sunday at Baden-Baden in Germany.

Torquator Tasso finished sixth in his 2021 debut, too, but this was a serious drubbing, the Arc winner checking in 18 lengths behind victorious Alter Adler, who never had won a Group stakes race of any sort. Torquator Tasso raced wide with no cover in this 11-furlong contest run over a course rated “good” that might well have been firmer than Torquator Tasso prefers.

Meanwhile, at Longchamp, site of the Arc, 5-year-old mare Dreamloper highlighted the current softness in the ranks of French older-male middle-distance horses shipping from England to win the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan by two lengths Sunday. Dreamloper raced second behind the pace of Sealiway, took over with about 2 1/2 furlongs remaining as Sealiway faded to last, and never was challenged, comfortably beating runner-up Wally while in receipt of a three-pound weight allowance.

Trained by Ed Walker, Dreamloper scored easily the most important win of a 14-start career while ridden to victory by Kieran Shoemark. Pretty Tiger, the 9-5 favorite, finished third. Dreamloper is by Lope de Vega out of Livia’s Dream, by Teofilo.

Above the Curve got nearly an identical trip to Dreamloper’s in winning the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary by one length. Ryan Moore rode the favored winner for trainer Joseph O’Brien as Above the Curve threw her hat into the ring as a candidate for the French Oaks, the Prix de Diane. Place Du Carousel finished second, Queen Trezy was third, and key contender Prosperous Voyage was scratched from this 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. Above the Curve, who has more stay to her than brilliance, was making her group stakes debut. She’s by American Pharoah out of Fabulous, by Galileo.

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