TEMPTING as it is to start this week’s column by paying homage to Jezki and Jessica Harrington after a magical comeback win at Tipperary yesterday, the echo of one tweet reply rebounds from the weekend. When tweeting about looking forward to the said Istabraq Hurdle on Saturday evening, an old colleague replied: “Will you f*****g behave, the Arc is on tomorrow.”
So how dare I? Indeed, the Arc is the Arc and there were three fairly obvious highlights from a sensational day of racing; Enable (goes without saying), Aidan O’Brien (goes without saying) and Battaash (rocket).
ELLE EST MAGNIFIQUE
Enable was excellent. What more can you say as it was all so straightforward. Perhaps her most deadly feature is her raw talent complimented by her uncomplicated nature. Frankie Dettori made reference to how “effortless” the whole race was. And it was.
She bounced out prominently, Dettori reined back to get a lead, sent her to the front two furlongs out and nothing could get near her. It's worth comparing it to last year’s race. While Ryan Moore and Found were still negotiating a passage through a small gap between Postponed and Order Of St George, Enable was accelerating clear at the same stage in her race.
Enable and Frankie Dettori kick clear to win the Qatar Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe
The hope is that she stays in training next year and arrives at a brand new Longchamp in a bid to emulate Treve’s achievement of back-to-back wins. You’d also have a frenzy whipped up should a possible clash with Winx come on to the table.
That clash is not so fantastical when you consider Winx, whose connections are strongly considering a European campaign for next year, has won five Group 1s over 10 furlongs and one over 11. The Juddmonte International over 10 and a half furlongs could be the perfect compromise. That is a long way away and the first hurdle that needs jumping is a decision to keep Enable going.
The vibes from John Gosden and Dettori yesterday were good and you’d probably say it’s an odds-on shot Khalid Abdullah makes even happier men out of the pair by booking her in for another year. Flat racing badly needs her.
Could Australia's wonder mare Winx meet Enable next year?
GROUP 1 RECORD IN SIGHT
Speaking of odds-on shots, another one is Aidan O’Brien’s bid to break Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 Group/Grade 1 wins in a season. Paddy Power say 1/8. That price might not be a truly accurate reflection of the chance but without doubt it is far more likely the target will be reached than not.
Four more Group 1s, two on Saturday at Newmarket and two yesterday at Chantilly, brought O’Brien’s total to 22. So four more are needed. As a template, from this stage last year, O’Brien had four winners - and that’s not counting this Saturday’s King of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes he won last year with Alice Springs, on the Saturday before the Arc.
There are eight Group 1s left in Britain, three in France, 13 at the Breeders’ Cup and less likely but not impossible options in both Hong Kong and Australia.
O’Brien probably has at least as strong a team this term. Straight away you can think of short-priced favourites he could have; like Order Of St George in the Long Distance Cup, like any one (or two) of Magical, Happily, Clemmie or September for the Fillies Mile, like any of those four fillies for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
A huge achievement is on the horizon.
BRILLIANT BATTAASH
Apparently the French are not that into sprinting. The Prix de l’Abbaye used to be shunted as far back as the first race on the card, as early as 12.30pm Irish time, out on the other side of Longchamp. That is not the case any more with the five-furlong Group 1 now taking place directly after the main event of the Arc itself.
And this year’s winner could hardly have done more to promote sprinting. Battaash resembled a rocket in the way he shot away from 12 rivals and in doing so may well have stole the show in terms of performance on the day (reserve that judgement until reading Simon Rowlands’ Time Will Tell column in this Saturday’s Irish Field).
The good news is he stays in training next year, according to Charlie Hills. The bad news is he is done for this season and that is a pity as the British Champions Sprint would have been his most likely next destination and that race is already shaping up to be a cracker with Harry Angel and Caravaggio set for a rematch.
Elsewhere it was great to see Oisin Murphy break through with a maiden Group 1 winner, having steered the tricky Aclaim, trained by Martyn Meade, to victory in the Prix de la Foret. The Kerry native, a tremendous talent, wears his heart on his sleeve and was visually delighted with the success.
There is also the outrageous stat that, in the two years the Arc Sunday card has been held at Chantilly, there has been no French-bred winner and only one French-trained horse has won one of the Group 1 races. French racing bigwigs will be left scratching their heads and perhaps the return to Longchamp next year will be welcome in more ways than one.
JEZKI BACK TO HIS BEST
It was so good to see an old fella back to his best. He’s not actually that old - just a nine-year-old - but he had sustained the type of injury that has ended many a jumper’s career. Yesterday he showed his old spark in quickening past race-fit and younger rivals for a comfortable win.
Jezki kicks away from the last under Mark Walsh to get back to winning ways in the Istabraq Hurdle
There was a lot of Twitter reaction to Jezki’s price - 6/1 - with many cursing themselves for not getting involved. It’s easy to say after, of course.
In some ways you can see why he was that sort of price; he was coming back from two poor runs at the tail-end of last season, he was rejected by Barry Geraghty who favoured Jer’s Girl and there was a small doubt whether he still had the pace for two miles. Then again the peculiar conditions of the race suited him, considering when he won in Navan last January he was left on a rating of 167. Yesterday he was getting 9lb off Ivan Grozny (rated 150), 7lb off Coquin Mans (no rating allotted) and 4lb off Jer’s Girl (143).
And, if you listened to Jessica Harrington’s quotes beforehand, she said that last year was hard on the horse, that it was a rushed campaign and that this was a fresh start.
Easy saying it afterwards, of course.
Whether Jezki can back to a level of 167 is questionable but, on this evidence, he can still hold his own in graded level. He is a Champion Hurdle, Aintree Hurdle and World Series Hurdle winner. He owes Jessie and J.P. nothing and there is still plenty more fun to be had with him.