Integral has become the undisputed leading female miler at Newmarket this year.
Three months after winning the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, Integral won Saturday’s $318,718 Sun Chariot Stakes under jockey Ryan Moore. Integral led throughout the mile, finishing a length in front of Miss France. Fintry, the winner of three consecutive group stakes in England and France prior to the Sun Chariot, finished third, a neck behind Miss France and 1 1/2 lengths in front of Esoterique.
First Treve, then Taghrooda, later Sea the Moon, and now a horse named Ectot – those have been the ante-post betting favorites for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Such shifting favoritism speaks clearly: The Arc is wide-open this year, the 20-horse field a captivating mix of 3-year-olds and older horses, fillies and colts, French, English, German, and Japanese runners.
Fintry, the winner of three consecutive group stakes in England and France this year, will be favored to win her first Group 1 race in Saturday’s $318,718 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket, England.
The Sun Chariot Stakes is run over a mile for fillies and mares. Fintry is one of three runners in the race trained by Andre Fabre, who starts Esoterique and Miss France, the first two finishers of the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville, France, in August. Esoterique was later fourth against males in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp on Sept. 14.
Tiggy Wiggy won her third straight race and her sixth from eight starts, capturing her first Group 1 in the Cheveley Park Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday at Newmarket in England.
Breaking on top under Richard Hughes, Tiggy Wiggy scarcely had a nervous moment, making all the pace en route to a three-quarter-length win over Anthem Alexander. The well-backed French invader High Celebrity had a relatively eventful trip and checked in third.
Ol’ Man River, a hyped Aidan O’Brien-trained 2-year-old, tries stakes competition for the first time on Sunday at the Curragh in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes.
Ol’ Man River beat 17 rivals winning a one-mile Curragh maiden race in his debut. By Montjeu out of the top racemare Finsceal Beo, Ol’ Man River is owned by Coolmore connections and already had a reputation before he ever started, having been purchased as a yearling for $2,850,000 Euros, about $3.6 million using current conversion rates.
The focus Saturday at Newmarket in England is on 2-year-olds, and while the Cheveley Park is the race with the Group 1 status, the Group 2 Royal Lodge is a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In race offering the winner a fees-paid berth and travel expenses to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Cursory Glance won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland by a neck over Lucida, giving trainer Roger Varian and jockey Andre Atzeni their second Group 1 victory in 24 hours. Saturday at Doncaster in England, the pair teamed to win the St. Leger with favored Kingston Hill.
Treve suffered her third defeat from as many starts this year, finishing a tame fourth in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille on Sunday at Longchamp and throwing into further disarray the list of leading contenders for the Oct. 4 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Baltic Baroness, winning at the Group 1 level for the first time, nipped Pomology in the Prix Vermeille, one of three Arc preps on the Longchamp card Sunday.