The October 2 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) is always the ultimate destination for Luxembourg . His journey to France may have been delayed in a few places and there was also a detour to the Fitzdares Royal Whip Stakes (G3) in Curragh, but he is here now and he is bias.
Not since Camelot in 2012, there has been a Ballydoyle-style favorite in the Arc, and that runner finished seventh in the one-mile and four-distance test. While Found led a 1-2-3 finish for Aidan O’Brien in 2016 and Dylan Thomas was in business under Kieren Fallon in 2007, two Arcs weren’t much for the coach. master who has dominated many group 1 events around the world.
Luxembourg went undefeated as a teenager, winning Vertem Futurity (G1) on the soft court at Doncaster on a third outing, and there’s a lot to like about his superb effort in the Two Thousand Guineas ( G1) when he finished third against Coroebus in his first start at 3. An early fall sent him back there.
A muscle injury ruled him out of the Cazoo Derby (G1), the race he loved so much before, and he needs a month’s rest in the box for it to heal. O’Brien has said he had to do unusual jobs to get him back on track, but he did it all in his stride and winning the Royal Whip like a craftsman. on 13 August, followed by success at the Irish Champion Stakes (G1) on 10 September that year. both elegance and courage helped him sublime perfectly for D-Day in Paris.
“It’s been a case so far, very good,” O’Brien said of Luxembourg. “We have been very happy since Leopardstown. Everything has gone as well as it could possibly be at this stage. We are very pleased with all of his runs and he really is. bow and fight to the end the Champion of Ireland.”
Longchamp officials are looking forward to the test ground again for the Arc after the forecast rain moved closer to race time, and field staff Charles de Cordon said: “The rain has never been in the water. arrived on Friday night but now we’re looking forward to a bit Saturday evening and again Sunday afternoon. I think we’ll be racing on ground worth around 4.0 (very soft).”
On Luxembourg’s conditions and opportunities, O’Brien said: “I don’t think anyone wants extreme ground and we’re all the same, but he ran softly in the Vertem Futurity at Doncaster last year. .”
This will be Luxembourg’s first attempt at the long haul, but O’Brien doesn’t think that’s a problem.
“We always felt he would be very comfortable on long road trips,” he said.
O’Brien is also represented by the winner of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) Broome Wayne Lordan’s mount.
‘Alpinista may have the best form’
Since starting as a coach in 1970, Sir Mark Prescott has only finished once in the arc, but he has never had a horse like it. Alpinista The great mare trying to deliver a victory will be cheered on throughout the race in England and beyond.
Twenty-one years ago, Foreign Affairs finished 10th with a score of 42-1 under George Duffield. Connection never really got him to do much better, but the Alpinista is an entirely different animal, comparable only to Diplomacy in that they were both bred by Kirsten Rausing.
Alpinista also raced in Rausing’s silk, the color Luke Morris wore when guiding her to five consecutive Group 1 victories, the first three in Germany — in one of which she defeated the hero Arc next year’s next Torquator Tasso —Fourth time in France and most recently at home in England, where she established herself as a true Arc player by winning Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1).
That left Alpinista competing for favoritism and leaving Prescott in a position he was unfamiliar with.
“I think she might be the prettiest person in the book,” the coach said. “At some point, she hit nearly all of them or kept them through a mortgage. There’s also the tantalizing hope that she can progress again. Alternatively, she might hit the glass ceiling.
“Number six in history seems like a good position, but three very hot opponents are all around us, so they’re in a good position. Unfortunately, there’s also this horrible statistic that you’re not. The last 5 year old mare to win was in 1937. Even by my standards, that was a fair deal in former times.”
That opened the door for Dettori to team up with Torquator Tasso in Grosser Preis von Baden (G1) last month, when he was behind Mendocino and during the Arc.
Torquator Tasso wins the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2021
Torquator Tasso started his season ominously finishing the season in Group 2 Baden-Baden but beat Hamburg again, winning against Grosser Hansa-Preis (G2) before lining up in King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) in July, when he showed off his versatility in completing 2 3/4 of the rear length Pyledriver on solid ground.
Dettori was banned for 14 days for abusing his whip aboard the Torquator Tasso in Baden-Baden, but relationships have stuck with him here.
“This is obviously a different situation than last year when we were much more comfortable going into the race because the relative outsiders were aiming for the first three,” said Weiss. favorites and if we weren’t in the three I would be disappointed.
“Shortly after Baden-Baden, we made the decision with the owner to stick with Frankie. He agreed there and then.”
Torquator Tasso was in 18th out of 20, but his shot took the lead despite tough draws. Dettori won from stall 15 on the Sakhee boat in 2001 and was widely drawn in 14th place giving the Golden Horn a proficient ride in 2015.
You have to go back to 1989, when Carroll House attacked from stall 16, to find a winner drawn by a wider draw than that pair, while only seven horses in the race’s 102-year history have defended. his title.
Torquator Tasso is well known in the market after Alpinista and Luxembourg trained by Sir Mark Prescott, and while Weiss is aware of the challenge facing his runner, he believes conditions are softer than at Longchamp may fall into their hands.
“I have great respect for Alpinista – who was specially prepared for the day – and Luxembourg, while you should not underestimate Mendocino,” he said. “Ultimately the pitch will play an important role and stamina could be key. Looking at his work this year he is in exactly the same shape as he was before the Arc when he won. “
Top Topics Japanese Challenge
If there’s one horse in the Arc 2022 lineup that has progressed beyond all recognition this year, it’s Hiroshi Yamada’s horse. Owner . According to racer France Galop, the Titleholder was not only the highest rated of the four Japanese-trained challengers, but also the best horse in the entire race.
He entered the Arc with two dominant performances at the highest level. He sent people to oppose Deep linking and a bunch of other good horses over two miles in Tenno Sho (G1) before showing him to be just over a mile and three grips efficient when he brought it all ahead of him at Takarazuka Kinen (G1) at the end of June .
On both occasions, his relentless galloping style left his opponents gaping, and if his son Duramente is a success where his countrymen previously lacked, it seems almost certainly in a front-and-back style.
Titleholder wins Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin Racecourse
When asked if he felt compelled to run during the Arc, Titlehold’s rider Kazuo Yokoyama said: “That’s a good question. The horse will determine its running speed and I will. adapt.”
Yokoyama will probably ride in his first arc — so will Rob Hornby Westover and Bauyrhzan Murzabayev in Australis — but he got his feel for the Longchamp track when he came from Japan two weeks ago to go solo in the more than one-mile second-place race.
For Titleholder trainer Toru Kurita, it was also the first Arc experience and one he was determined to make the most of.
“Titleholder has made tremendous progress this year, both mentally and physically, and that is why he has improved his performance,” said Kurita. “It was the owner’s choice after we discussed it together. The tests were pretty close to the race, and although he had a long break in the summer, he came here. with well prepared facilities.
Kurita added: “It’s hard to put a number on with not knowing how the ground will go, but he’s getting better and better and he’s coming in very well for the race.”
The Arc is the Breeder’s Cup Challenge event for the Longines Breeder’s Cup (G1T) Tournament on November 5 at Keenland.
