Treve preps for Arc in Prix Vermeille

Almost nothing went right in 2014 for the super mare Treve until she won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second time last fall, but so far this year, as Treve bids to become the first three-time Arc winner, everything has gone right. The season-long plan laid out by her connections makes a stop Sunday at Longchamp, where Treve has her final start before the Arc de Triomphe in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, one of three Arc de Triomphe preps on an outstanding card that also includes the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp over one mile.

It was the 2014 Vermeille that cast severe doubt on Treve’s ability to win a second Arc. She finished fourth of nine in the race, her first start since June of that year, and appeared troubled by various nagging ailments that hampered her campaign. This year, though, Treve comes into the Vermeille perfect in two starts – an easy win in the Prix Corrida to get her season started and a two-length whipping of Flintshire in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 28. Last month, Flintshire delivered a dazzling performance to win the Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga.

Trainer Criquette Head-Maarek said she has not approached the Vermeille as a pure prep, bringing Treve in well below her best form, and anything like Treve at her best should be enough to win the 1 1/2-mile race around right-handed bends. Treve will have regular rider Thierry Jarnet aboard when she meets eight opponents on what is expected to be good ground.

Among her rivals is Arabian Queen, a filly who scored a huge upset over English Derby winner Golden Horn last out in the International Stakes at York. That was easily the best race of Arabian Queen’s career, and she will not be expected to pull a second straight shocker.

The Vermeille has a scheduled post time of 10:10 a.m. Eastern and is the second of the three Arc de Triomphe preps on the card, with the Group 2 Prix Niel for 3-year-olds coming a half-hour earlier. The six-horse Niel, another 1 1/2-mile race, has French Derby winner New Bay as the favorite over Erupt, a late-developing Niarchos family homebred who won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris last out in his first try at the highest level. Third in that race was Storm the Stars, the favorite to win the St. Leger on Saturday in England, but New Bay has good company lines, too. Second in the French 2000 Guineas, he comfortably handled Grade 1 Secretariat winner Highland Reel in the French Derby before easily winning a Group 2 stepping-stone race over heavy ground in August, a nice bridge to the Niel and the Arc de Triomphe.

Dolniya and Postponed stand out in the Group 2 Prix Foy, an Arc de Triomphe prep for older horses and the last of the major races Sunday. The 4-year-old Postponed scored his most important win in his most recent race, capturing the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by a nose over Eagle Top on July 25 at Ascot. Postponed requires an honest gallop, so trainer Luca Cumani also has sent Roseburg to act as a pacemaker for his Arc de Triomphe hope.

Dolniya is a 4-year-old filly who could run in the Vermeille, but she avoids Treve by starting in the Foy instead and has a strong chance to win. She could finish only third to Treve and Flintshire in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but both of those horses have done more than Postponed, and in March, Dolniya beat Flintshire by two lengths in the Sheema Classic in Dubai. She might prefer faster ground than she’ll get Sunday, but she was fifth of 20 in the 2014 Arc de Triomphe and generally has retained her form this season.

The Prix du Moulin is a strong race in its own right and includes 2014 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie, who could not find his best stride over very soft turf when making a belated seasonal debut last month in the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville. Karakontie won the French 2000 Guineas over one mile at Longchamp early in his 3-year-old season, but competition runs deep Sunday in the form of Esoterique, Territories, Dutch Connections, and Ervedya.