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Cape Racing’s Expert Analysis Of This Important Cape Summer Pointer
Christophe Soumillon banned for two months after elbowing Rossa Ryan
By Matt Rennie and Scott Burton (Racing Post)
Soumillon, who later apologised for his actions, was riding the Francis Graffard-trained Syros in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon when, in the back straight, his elbow made contact with Ryan, who was riding the Ralph Beckett-trained Captain Wierzba.
The contact resulted in Ryan being unseated from his mount. Ryan walked away from the incident unscathed, while Soumillon was banned for 60 days.
However, the jockey will be able to ride Vadeni in Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (3.05) as the suspension starts on October 14 and ends on December 12.
Soumillon said: “It was a terrible thing that happened. I was riding my race as always and two of us wanted the same spot. I thought I was just easing Rossa over so I could stay behind Ryan [Moore]. Unfortunately on the very soft ground he became unbalanced and came off.
“That was the first surprise because I wondered what had happened. When I watched back the pictures, I could see clearly what had happened – that I had gone elbow to elbow with him, which unfortunately I should never have done.
“I made a mistake and I am upset for my owner and trainer as well as for his, because it has resulted in them both losing out. The worst of it is that when a jockey falls like that it could have been a lot worse for him.
“I’m reassured that he’s okay and when I saw he was unhurt I went and apologised straight away. That’s the best news of the day. It’s the kind of thing nobody wants to see in our sport.
“I totally understand the reaction of people who question what happened and feel it was totally unacceptable, so it is for me to suffer the consequences.”
‘That manoeuvre was a mistake’
Soumillon will miss big meetings including British Champions Day, the Breeders’ Cup and the Japan Cup, while his chance of winning the Cravache d’or – the French Flat jockeys’ championship – appears over. He is 21 winners behind Maxime Guyon.
Soumillon insisted the incident was not intentional.
“I have to serve two months of suspension, which is certainly a heavy punishment but nonetheless justified,” he added. “I have to accept things and I made an error. I should never have used my elbow to try to keep my position.
“That manoeuvre was a mistake and I regret it. I apologise to everybody, especially the connections of those two horses and anyone who was shocked by what they saw.
“Now, I have to stay very focused on what is the most important weekend of the year. I have to put things right again before sitting down on Monday or Tuesday and really reflecting on things, but this weekend I have to stay in my bubble and do my best.”
Ryan told the Racing Post: “I just got a bump and lost my balance. It’s just one of those things that happens. I feel disappointed for Ralph and his team bringing him out here, but we’ll move on.
“The horse is fine, I’m fine. That’s the main thing. I’m 100 per cent.”
Syros, who finished second past the post, was disqualified.
Amo Racing, who do not own Captain Wierzba but for whom Ryan has ridden 97 times this year, were critical of the decision by France Galop not to ban Soumillon with immediate effect, a move that would have ruled him out of this weekend’s Arc meeting.
In a tweet, they said: “Disgraceful, appalling what has happened in France today. If a jockey is allowed to do that and not be banned immediately then we are all in trouble! To ban a guy in October and November you may as well pay for his Christmas holiday too.”
Beckett, the trainer of Captain Wierzba, declined to comment on the incident.
Former jockey Andrew Thornton, who was working for Sky Sports Racing at Hexham, was highly critical of Soumillon’s actions.
He said: “When you come off at the speed and land on your feet, that’s when you go and break a leg. It’s like jumping out of a car doing 35mph.”
The Group 3 was won by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Continuous, who was cut to 20-1 (from 33) for next year’s Derby by Coral following his success.
Soumillon’s indiscretion follows a similar incident in Ecuador recently, where jockey Joffre Mora was reportedly banned for life after pushing a fellow rider off his horse in the Ecuador Derby.
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Desert Miracle Returns And Will Be “Underdone”
Betway.co.za Insider’s Blog
The classy Dynasty filly Desert Miracle returns from a layoff to run in tomorrow’s Grade 2 Topbet Jo’burg Spring Fillies And Mares Challenge over 1450m on Turffontein Inside.
Mike de Kock has lamented the lack of grass gallops at Randjesfontein at present.
Desert Miracle “bled” last time (in the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Class on March 5) and has “had no gallop at all”.
She is being tried in a tongue tie.
De Kock said, “She has done a lot of mileage at home on the sand, but I would say she goes in underdone and this will be a stepping stone for other races to come and possibly a Cape Town campaign.”
Pen Pictures Of The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Runners
Sporting Life’s Matt Brocklebank runs the rule over the 20 contenders for Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.
MISHRIFF
No doubt one of the best middle-distance turf horses in the world over last couple of seasons but 2022 continues to prove a source of frustrating and hard to argue he’s getting better as a five-year-old this time around.
Soft ground looked against him (not for the first time) when beaten two and a half lengths into fourth behind three of these rivals in the Irish Champion Stakes and, regardless of the going this weekend, a return to this longer trip doesn’t look in his favour.
TORQUATOR TASSO
Won the Grosser Preis von Berlin after just missing out in the German Derby earlier in his three-year-old season (unraced at two) and last year’s Arc success was the culmination of a fine campaign at four.
Has only added small Hamburg Group 2 to his tally from four starts this year but wasn’t disgraced when second in the King George and looked in need of the run when scrambling to be a close second at Baden-Baden last time.
More rain in the build-up the better and could be about to peak again at just the right time but others look more convincing as he certainly doesn’t scream ‘dual Arc winner’ at you.
MARE AUSTRALIS
Won Group 1 Prix Ganay last May but subsequently spent almost a year off the track and he’s taken a while to warm to things since resuming. Did win a Group 2 at Chantilly over this trip (soft ground) in June but pretty significant backward step when down the field behind Alpinista in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last time out in July. Subsequent absence also concerning so the jury’s definitely out.
SEALIWAY
Scratching around for best form this year having ended 2021 in great style, running an eye-catching fifth here before winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot.Could have been trained for this time of year all along but still not fully convinced he wants a thorough test over quite this far and perhaps it was a case of his main market rivals (Adayar and Mishriff) just not firing at Ascot last year.
ALENQUER
Made best possible start to four-year-old campaign by opening his Group 1 account with a game performance in the Tattersalls Gold Cup but others look to have sharpened up since then and he’s simply not delivered on the promise.
Granted, the ground was too quick when put in his place by Vadeni in the Coral-Eclipse but no obvious excuse (70-day layoff?) when resuming in Irish Champion Stakes and he’s got plenty of ground to make up on that showing.
DEEP BOND
Talked up as a lively outsider for this last year when coming into it on the back of a trial win in the Prix Foy but he appeared to resent the heavy conditions and trailed home last. Back on track on home turf this year with an odds-win back in March but since well held by compatriot Titleholder on a couple of occasions and would cause a bit of a stir if he’s in the shake-up.
BROOME
Getting a bit long in the tooth and while his experience in this major global Group 1s has to be of some benefit, he’s proving quite hard to catch right this year and the one win came in a weak edition of the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot.
No question over his stamina for the trip and he’ll handle any ground that’s put in front of him but likely to be 3kg to 5kg short of what’s required when it really matters. Only beat three home last year.
STAY FOOLISH
Japanese challenger who has always come unstuck when tried at the highest level and hard to see that changing. Ran a game enough race in his prep at Deauville in late-August but a long way behind Titleholder in the Kakarazuka Kinen before that and likely to be on offer a huge price.
MOSTAHDAF
Has only run in one Group 1 in his career and he finished 12th, so wouldn’t be getting too carried away with his recent success at Kempton, which looked pretty impressive on the day.
That made it 3-3 on the all-weather and he’s likely to have some nice targets on synthetic surfaces in the months to come but doesn’t look made of the right stuff for this sort of test.
MENDOCINO
Comes at a huge price but has some eye-catching form to his name, including a close second behind Alpinista last November and a narrow defeat of 2021 Arc hero Torquator Tasso in German Group 1 last time out. Bit of a mixed bag in between but clearly capable of holding his own in this sort of company and he wouldn’t mind at all if it came up extremely testing underfoot.
TITLEHOLDER
Looks the best turf horse in Japan on this year’s evidence, winning top races from 2200m to 3200m, although the fact they’ve been on typically quick ground must strike a chord. A relatively dry week would be a significant boost to his claims and he’s likely to be towards the fore from the off, granted a half-decent draw. Whether he’ll pay a price for that initial exuberance in this company is another matter.
BUBBLE GIFT
Beaten only 1.50 lengths by Alpinista earlier in the year and made a perfectly creditable bid in his recent trial but he lacks a bit of star quality to say the least. Only eighth at this course 12 months ago and hard to weigh up whether he’ll fare much better this time as he doesn’t look to be getting any quicker.
GRAND GLORY
Six-year-old mare who perhaps isn’t the most consistent but can produce the odd sparkling performance when things fall her way. Did just that when winning Group 1 Prix Romanet at a big price last August and interesting to see she skipped that this term and instead went for the Prix Vermeille, in which the lack of pace saw her race too keenly early on before not getting a great trip in the straight.
She’ll go on soft ground and while yet to win over this far, a big run at long odds wouldn’t come as a huge shock.
ALPINISTA
Real sense of what could have been after this race last year as she’d beaten winner Torquator Tasso earlier in 2021 but ended up back in Germany to win another Group 1. Has taken her time to come to hand this year but signs are extremely positive after Saint-Cloud and York success, after which it was always the plan to come straight into the Arc.
She’s straightforward pre-race, handles all types of conditions and is as tough as they come in a battle so every reason to think it’ll take a great performance to lower her colours.
VADENI
Three-year-old colt with a great burst of speed and they’ve been highly effective in this race down the years. Showed himself to be top-class in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and shaped a touch better than the bare result when third in his Irish Champion Stakes prep run last time. Entitled to strip fitter for that but does need to prove he stays 2400m which won’t be easy in this company.
AL HAKEEM
Something of a dark horse coming into this as he represents the race sponsors and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget has compared him favourably to stablemate Vadeni in the past too. His form to this point is short of the required level but he brings a considerable amount of potential with him, and he looked to win with more in hand than the bare margin at Deauville last time.
An Arc prep was never seemingly part of the plan so it would be foolish to take him lightly given he’s bred to improve for the first crack at 2400m.
ONESTO
Frankel colt with a superb pedigree and a burgeoning CV to match after another fine effort at Leopardstown last time. Defeat in the Irish Champion Stakes isn’t the end of the road for any Arc contender and the fact he’s already won over this course and distance has to be considered a major feather in the cap.
Grand Prix de Paris form has worked out well among the three-year-olds and he only has 0.50 lengths to find on Luxembourg if that first run since July helps sharpen him up for the autumn. Surely runs in this rather than waiting for a crack at Baaeed.
WESTOVER
Sizeable colt who always promised to be better at three (only 1-3 as a juvenile). He looked a shade unlucky to only finish third after a luckless trip in the Derby and effectively proved as much with a bloodless victory in the Irish version at the Curragh.
Perhaps the King George was too much too soon less than a month after his Classic triumph and the freshness angle coming here without a prep looks potentially quite interesting given he won first time out as a two-year-old and earlier this year too when landing the Classic Trial at Sandown. Ralph Beckett’s horses remain in good shape so a return to peak form looks very possible, in which case he’s a big player who is still being a little overlooked in the betting.
DO DEUCE
Japanese Derby winner who looked to be building a pretty convincing profile but fears over European campaign hit home immediately when faced with soft ground in his Prix Niel prep run when only fourth of seven and never really a factor. Good chance he’ll step forward from that in terms of fitness and general know-how but conditions aren’t going to be as quick as he’s used to back home, so others look better equipped.
LUXEMBOURG
Didn’t make the track until mid-July as a juvenile but, after winning first time out at Killarney, he then spent 73 days off before thriving in the autumn of his two-year-old campaign with Group-race success at the Curragh and Doncaster.
Returned in the 2000 Guineas where he finished a staying-on third despite picking up an injury and has built on that huge promise in two more recent starts, winning Curragh Group 3 before beating French challengers Onesto and Vadeni to land the top-class Irish Champion Stakes.
Not raced beyond 2000m but pedigree and style of racing suggests he could improve for it, if anything. That’ll probably need to be the case but he’s already achieved enough to suggest he’s one to take very seriously in any Arc – this probably isn’t the hottest edition we’ve seen recently so he’s a perfectly logical market leader.
VERDICT
It’s hard to fault Luxembourg who built on his relatively ragged comeback win to land what looked a warm enough edition of the Irish Champion Stakes. It’s not absolutely certain he’ll improve again from that, though, so I wouldn’t be in a hurry to rule out either Onesto or Vadeni – or both – reversing the form, though the latter doesn’t look an obvious stayer on his first try at the trip, especially if it’s testing ground.
Alpinista is as likeable as they come and looks a solid proposition for her popular team. Sir Mark Prescott’s mare is arguably the one to beat but around twice her price WESTOVER looks to be sitting on a big performance.
He goes well fresh, clearly wasn’t anywhere near to his best in the King George and looked a colt of considerable substance when running away with the Irish Derby prior to Ascot. There are no real weather concerns for the son of Frankel and Ralph Beckett is renowned for keeping his horses sweet well into the autumn.
SELECTION
1-WESTOVER
2-Alpinista
3-Onesto
Horses To Watch On Arc de Triomphe Undercard
Sportinglife.com
14:15 – Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Group 1)
BIG DAY FOR: Christophe Head entering the progressive filly Tigrais in this (against colts) rather than the Marcel Boussac hints she could be well above-average, and that she’s got plenty of gears for this sort of test to boot. She’s consigned her modest debut run at Chantilly in mid-July firmly to the past with subsequent wins at Deauville and here – the latter a last-gasp, short-head defeat of Breizh Sky in the G3 Prix la Rochette – and she looks set for a fruitful autumn.
DARK HORSE: Johnny Murtagh’s Railway Stakes winner Shartash appeared to be crying out for a step up in distance when beaten seven and a half lengths into third behind Little Big Bear in the Phoenix and he duly put in a career-best effort when a much closer third in the National Stakes over this seven-furlong trip last time. His dam was a quality performer over 10 furlongs on soft ground so, while an even sterner test of stamina is likely to suit in time, the more rain that falls here the better.
14:50 – Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Group 1)
BIG DAY FOR: Tigrais being aimed at the Lagardere is most likely in part due to the fact the same stable has Blue Rose Cen as a natural fit for the Boussac. She’s already proven at the mile, having won the G3 Prix d’Aumale over course and distance on September 8, and the daughter of Churchill was really strong at the line on soft ground that day.
DARK HORSE: There could well be a few more twists and turns with Aidan O’Brien’s Never Ending Story before the season’s out as her last two runs have hinted the best could yet still be to come. She was denied a clear run and subsequently hampered when the race was really hotting up in the Moyglare, and while she would never have got close to Tahiyra, the effort definitely needs marking up. The daughter of Dubawi will be suited by the step up to a mile and it would be a surprise if bad ground proved much of a hindrance.
16:50 – Prix de l’Opera Longines (Group 1)
BIG DAY FOR: A good clash here with La Parisienne and Above The Curve against the super-fresh Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes winner Nashwa, who returns to action ahead of an intended shot at the Maker’s Mark Filly & Mare Turf. The Goodwood race isn’t part of the Challenge Series for the Breeders’ Cup but the Prix de l’Opera is, so it’ll be a case of ‘win and you’re in’ if the Gosden filly resumes where she left off at the end of July. Joseph O’Brien’s Saint-alary and Blanford winner Above The Curve is still open to more improvement but has a real job on her hands if Nashwa brushes off the late-summer layoff.
DARK HORSE: She’s not going to be flying completely under the radar but while Tuesday hasn’t been able to add to her Investec Oaks win in three subsequent starts, there are reasons to be hopeful about her claims this weekend. The Irish Derby idea backfired, admittedly, but she’s raced far too keenly in the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille the last twice and she’s dead interesting on her first ever start over this 10-furlong trip. It could prove to be right up her street on recent evidence and we know full well she has a touch of class from Epsom.
17:25 – Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines (Group 1)
BIG DAY FOR: An open look to this year’s Abbaye with John Quinn giving Highfield Princess a well-earned break ahead of the Breeders’ Cup. That leaves the door ajar for Richard Fahey’s juvenile The Platinum Queen, who was second to Highfield Princess in the Nunthorpe and just about matched that level of form when short-headed by Trillium after making the running in the Flying Childers at Doncaster (replay below). You’re going back to the 1970s for the latest two-year-old Abbaye winner, but a draw close to the rail could make her really hard to catch.
DARK HORSE: Tees Spirit is a big price here but his latest nose defeat of Erosandpsyche ties in quite nicely with that horse going on to be second behind Highfield Princess (albeit beaten over three lengths) in the Flying Five at the Curragh. He’s had a brilliant season already, winning on five occasions having started the year rated just 71, and might surprise a few if the going isn’t too testing.
18:00 – Qatar Prix de la Foret (Group 1)
BIG DAY FOR: It wasn’t to be for Kinross when returning from 56 days away in last year’s Foret, ending up fourth behind Space Blues having been ridden well off the pace, but he’s having a great time of things this term and backed up his fast-ground win at York with another G2 success in Doncaster’s Park Stakes (soft). The step to Group One winner can be a difficult one to make but this looks a fantastic chance for Ralph Beckett’s five-year-old to finally convert at the highest level.
DARK HORSE: Kinross may have most to fear from the fillies and with the mile trip looking to stretch Malavath last time, this could be the race in which she returns to peak form. There were positive signs in her comeback run when fourth – beaten three lengths – behind Saffron Beach in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville and that outing was entitled to be needed having had a break since things went pear-shaped in the spring. She almost won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last November so has plenty of quality and she’s also won on heavy going, so further rain won’t dampen the spirits.
Munger Treble, Strydom Double, Yeni/Oosthuizen Double
Ryan Munger scored an early treble on the Fairview poly today, two of them for Jacques Strydom.
Muzi Yeni and Zietsman Oosthuizen had also scored a double together after the running of five races.
Yeni closed the gap on national log leader Keagan de Melo to eleven. His 41 winners have come at a strike rate of 18.06%.
Munger went to 22 winners for the season at a strike rate of 11.96%.
Jacques Strydom has now had three winners this season.
Zietsman Oosthuizen has now had five winners this season.
Today’s Question
Two females, Treve and Enable, have won “The Arc” twice in succession this century.
Who were the horses among their grand parents or great grand parents who also won The Arc?
Picture: The John Gosden-trained Enable (Nathaniel), ridden both times by Frankie Dettori, won The Arc in 2017 and 2018. (Sportinglife.com).
Hollywoodbets Durbanville Saturday
Turffontein Inside Saturday
Hollywoodbets Greyville Poly Sunday
Today’s Question Answer
The Criquette Head-trained Treve, who was ridden by Thierry Jarnet to Arc glory in 2013 and 2014 was by Motivator, whose sire Montjeu won The Arc in 1999.
Enable was by Nathaniel, who is by Galileo, whose dam Urban Sea won The Arc in 1993.
