Lucia Valentina, a two-time stakes winner in Australia in the last six weeks, and Bande, a stakes winner from Japan, are two leading contenders in Saturday’s $2,634,000 Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse, a race that could provide vital clues for the Melbourne Cup next month.
The Group 1 Caulfield Cup is run over 1 1/2 miles and will have a maximum field of 18 starters. The race drew a full field, with four horses on the also-eligible list.
David O’Meara has made a huge breakthrough at the highest level this year, and the 37-year-old trainer is aiming to add further polish with two solid contenders at this weekend’s QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot.
O’Meara runs Custom Cut in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and G Force in the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes.
The French veteran Cirrus des Aigles, Europe’s all-time leading money earner, heads to Ascot with a favorite’s chance of winning the QIPCO Champion Stakes once again.
With one of his potentially key rivals for Saturday’s race, Epsom Derby winner Australia, now retired, and the wet weather another aid, the 8-year-old has become a solid first choice ahead of lightly raced Irish 3-year-old Free Eagle.
One of just 24 horses trained at Chantilly outside Paris by Corine Barande-Barbe, Cirrus des Aigles is one of the most remarkable stories of recent seasons.
It surprised many when Treve bounced back into top form and won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 5, becoming the first repeat Arc winner since Alleged in 1977-1978. But the real surprise came Saturday, when news reports out of Great Britain revealed that the 4-year-old filly would not, as previously had been announced, be retired to life as a broodmare. Instead, her connections said Treve will race again as a 5-year-old in 2015, her goal a third straight victory in the Arc.
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.
