PARIS – Cape Blanco can use his stirring victory in the Irish Champion Stakes to vault to glory in the $5.33 million Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, despite the likelihood of soft ground at Longchamp on Sunday. While the Galileo 3-year-old has been eased out to as high as 9-1 by some British bookmakers of late, he won twice on soft turf as a 2-year-old, so his poor effort in a soft ground French Derby might be excused.
All American eyes will be on Goldikova in the $313,000 Prix de la Foret, one of six Group 1 races on the Arc undercard at Longchamp on Sunday. But her trainer, Freddy Head, has warned that if the ground becomes too soft as a result of the rain expected to fall on Friday night and Saturday on a course already deemed soft, he will have no choice but to withdraw his 5-year-old mare and send her instead directly to Churchill Downs in search of her third Breeder’s Cup Mile crown.
In a year of superlative performances by European 2-year-olds, not least the extraordinay victory of Frankel in last Saturday's Royal Lodge Stakes, Newmarket was the site of two more of the same on Friday as Dream Ahead and Hooray cruised to handy scores in a pair of six-furlong Group 1 contests.
Workforce, the seven-length winner of the Eposm Derby but a great flop in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, passed a final test at Newmarket on Thursday morning and will run after all in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday.
Aidan O’Brien has made the surprise move of naming Christophe Soumillon to ride Irish Champion Stakes winner Cape Blanco in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday.
PARIS – The weather could play havoc with Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as intermittent rain on Friday and Saturday followed by a downpour on Sunday have left Paris a soggy city this week. With more rain forecast for Thursday and Friday, the world’s second richest race at $5.33 million could be one that very much favors soft-ground lovers.
Poet’s Voice, a 9-2 shot ridden by Frankie Dettori, won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, denying the Aidan O’Brien-trained Rip Van Winkle by a nose in the mile contest.
Canford Cliffs, the favorite for Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, has been withdrawn from the Group 1 mile, leaving Makfi and defending champion Rip Van Winikle as the two leading contenders.
Ireland’s leading juvenile, Pathfork is headed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. The winner of the seven-furlong, Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on Sept. 11, the unbeaten son of Distorted Humor will make his first start on dirt at Churchill Downs on Nov. 6 for his trainer, Jessica Harrington
Ascot will be the scene of three Breeders’ Cup Challenge races on Saturday when the winners of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (BC Mile), Fillies Mile (Juvenile Fillies Turf) and Royal Lodge Stakes (Juvenile Turf) will all earn automatic berths at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 and 6.
