Shocking Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) hero Torquator Tasso will make his England debut at Ascot on Saturday after pleasing his coach, Marcel Weiss, in a final job on Monday morning.
There had been concerns that the German racing star might skip QIPCO King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) for the ground, which would certainly be quicker than ideal for him, but Weiss proved not to be. flinch.
“It won’t be a problem,” said Weiss, who was translated by assistant Julia Roemich for reporters visiting reporters.
“Ascot is a very nice track, and they keep it in good condition. At Hamburg he won on fast courts. He could only get a little bit better when the ground is a little softer, but he does. Can walk on any ground.
“The weather looks good in the UK. It looks like rain and a little bit colder over the weekend. I’m very happy with the horse, and if things stay like this, we’ll definitely come.”
Torquator Tasso galloped a full lap at Mulheim circuit, where Weiss is based, on Monday, quickly overtaking his lead horse directly under the lead of Rene Piechulek, who successfully entered. 72-1 at Longchamp in October and is now looking forward to his first trip at Ascot.
The driver described Monday’s work as “great.”
“I told the coach, it’s a strong pace. We did the same thing (work) last year before he ran in the Arc and it was the same thing,” Piechulek said.
There was widespread frustration when Torquator Tasso was beaten 18 lengths when he reappeared at Baden-Baden in May, but it was not shared by his relationships, knowing that he always need his first time. He returned to his pre-Arc form when he landed group 2 in Hamburg two weeks ago.
Mishriff . But if you want to win the Arc, you have to beat these horses, and he’s good enough. “
Weiss takes solace from the fact that two German riders, Danedream and Novellist, have been winning against King George over the past 10 years. “It tells you, you can try, and you can win,” he said.
Likewise, Weiss added that he would be happy with a place to stay. Roemich added: “This is a race on the way to the Arc. He hasn’t reached 100%. There will be another run after King George, at Grosser Preis von Baden in September.”
After the Arc, it is likely that Torquator Tasso will attend the Japan Cup before retiring to Germany. Weiss and the horse’s owners will discuss that prospect after Longchamp.
The more immediate plan is for the Torquator Tasso to fly to the UK on Friday. The bookies put him on a 10-1 joint shot for King George, behind Westover , Emily Upjohn and Mishriff.
