Treve solidifies status as Arc favorite

This is Treve’s fourth season of racing, and from the look of her win Sunday in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille at Longchamp, her passion for competition has hit an all-time high.

Nearly pulling jockey Thierry Jarnet out of the saddle around the false home-straight at Longchamp, Treve appeared to be running fast enough to take flight when Jarnet finally gave Treve her head. She flew to the lead, drifted down toward the fence, and the riding crop that Jarnet had shifted into place three furlongs out never got wielded. Treve slowed the final half-furlong, the Vermeille long since over, and still cruised under the wire a 4 1/2-length winner.

Treve’s 4-year-old campaign in 2014 went wrong from the start, back and foot issues inhibiting her brilliance until she unexpectedly popped back into form and won her second Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but trainer Criquette Head-Maarek has had the mare right all year. She thrashed 2014 Arc runner-up Flintshire in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 28 and came right back to that level in Sunday’s victory, her ninth from 12 career starts. And if Treve’s chances in the 2014 Arc looked dim at this time last year, they are shining brightly three weeks out from her attempt to become the first three-time Arc winner.

To be fair, Treve’s competition Sunday came nowhere close to what she will face in the Arc; runner-up Candarliya had won only a Group 3 in her most recent start, and never had even tried Group stakes competition before that race. Sea Calisi finished third, while distant second choice Arabian Queen, who had upset English Derby winner Golden Horn last out in the Juddmonte International, pulled too hard and had no finish, fading off the pace to sixth.

Treve ran 1 1/2 miles on soft ground in 2:34.09. Owned by Al Shaqab Racing, the daughter of Motivator was bred by the Head family, which famously bought her back when she failed to attract an adequate bid at auction, then sold a majority interest to Al Shaqab during her excellent 3-year-old campaign in 2013. Al Shaqab surprised the racing world last fall announcing Treve would be kept in training for her 5-year-old season.

The Vermeille was one of three Arc preps Sunday at Longchamp. In the Prix Niel for 3-year-olds, New Bay confirmed his position as a potentially legitimate Arc player with a 2 1/2-length win over Silverwave. An Andre Fabre-trained, Juddmonte Farms homebred, New Bay won the French Derby this year, and allayed stamina concerns by comfortably seeing out his first trip over 1 1/2 miles Sunday. New Bay, by Dubawi, tracked the pace, challenged for the lead a quarter-mile out, and drew steadily clear under Vincent Cheminaud, his performance moving him into general second-favoritism for the Arc.

Postponed won the Prix Foy, the older-horse Arc prep, tracking his pacemaker Roseburg until the final quarter-mile, then holding safe all challengers after making the front under Andrea Atzeni. Trained by Luca Cumani, Postponed was making his first start since beating Eagle Top on July 25 in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the 4-year-old Dubawi won for the fifth time in 12 starts. Spiritjim stayed on gamely for second, while the high-class filly Dolniya could make no late progress after tracking the pace and settled for fourth.

The Group 1, one-mile Prix du Moulin de Longchamp lost several major players to scratches, and was won by Ervedya, who sat a perfect ground-saving trip behind surprise leader Karakontie, came between horses under Christophe Soumillon, and beat Akatea by one length. The Aga Khan’s 3-year-old filly beat older rivals for the first time after scoring age-restricted Group 1 wins earlier this year in the French 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes.

It was a decent second run of the season for 2014 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie, who typically is a one-run closer but was sent to the front Sunday in the absence of any real pace horses.