PARIS: Legendary French racehorse Cirrus des Aigles won his fourth Prix Dollar only to have it taken away from him by the stewards at Longchamp yesterday on the first day of the two day Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting.
The eight-year-old, winner of six Group One races and almost 7million euros in prizemoney, showed great courage under Christophe Soumillon to fight back and regain the lead off Factional in the dying strides of the Group Two race.
However, the stewards judged that the gelding, he was castrated at an early age which bars him from racing in the Arc, had obstructed Planetaire who finished fifth so under French racing rules Cirrus des Aigles was demoted to fifth.
Factional, trained by Andre Fabre, was awarded the race to give jockey Raphael Marchelli his first Group race winner.
Cirrus des Aigles’ trainer Corine Barande-Barbe was still delighted with her old warrior’s performance after a long lay-off because of injury.
“He proved he is the best as he was yesterday and as he will be tomorrow,” she said.
“I was so impressed by his courage and the way he performed after being off for such a long time. Now it is on to Ascot (October 18) and try and win a second Champion Stakes,” added Barande-Barbe, who won in England earlier this season as Cirrus des Aigles beat Arc-bound Flintshire in the Coronation Cup.
Earlier Gregory Benoist, who until November last year had yet to win a Group One race, got the perfect booster ahead of riding Ectot in the Arc as he guided home Auvray in the opening Group Two Prix Chaudenay.
The 31-year-old Belgian, who chose Ectot ahead of unbeaten French filly Avenir Certain as his ride in the Arc, produced the winner halfway down the finishing straight. He overhauled the always prominent English runner Vent de Force to win comfortably for trainer Elie Lellouche and owner Gerard Augustin-Normand, who are the trainer and part owner of Ectot respectively.
Benoist, who opted to become a jockey once a doctor told him he would never be big enough to fulfil his dream of being a footballer, said it was the perfect filip ahead of the biggest challenge of his professional life today. “Well everyone can see I’m in top form!” said Benoist. “This horse has proved he’s a very good stayer and I hope he will be a live fancy for the Ascot Gold Cup next year.”
Avenir Certain’s trainer Jean-Claude Rouget will have been encouraged too as the filly she beat easily in the French 1000 Guineas Veda put up a good performance after a long lay-off to finish second to Solow in the Group Two Prix Daniel Wildenstein.
Solow, running in the same Wertheimer colours that legendary miler Goldikova ran in and trained by the same handler Freddie Head, produced an impressive burst of acceleration and the Dubai World Cup next March is a target.
“He didn’t get a great break which upset me but I allowed him to settle and he has such a fantastic turn of foot that I was always confident he could run down the leaders,” said jockey Olivier Peslier. Peslier had to make do with second in the following Group Two race the Prix de Royallieu as his bold strategy of sending Mayhem to the front before the finishing straight just failed to pay off as fellow veteran Gerald Mosse produced Frine down the outside to head him on the line. AFP
