10 September 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, 10th September 2023, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris) – The history of the €130,000 Qatar Prix Niel (Gr2), the 3-year-olds' Qatar Arc trial, is replete with anecdotes. Time will tell if the new defeat of a strong favourite in the "Niel," namely Feed the Flame (Kingman), at the hands of the German Derby winner, Fantastic Moon (Sea the Moon), will add to this collection. Results from these prep races, scheduled ahead of a major event and ripe for audacious tactics, should always be taken with a grain of salt.
King of Records (Sea the Stars), dispatched by Feed the Flame's camp to set the pace for the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1) winner, took the lead and indeed set a good pace, while Fantastic Moon followed at a distance, travelling ahead of the Italian Derby winner Goldenas (Golden Horn) and the French 2,000 winner, Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Muhaarar), with Feed the Flame being last among the seven riders.
In the fake straight, according to tracking reports, King of Records still had a 1.5-second lead at the 3-furlong mark, and more than 6/10ths of a second at the next furlong pole mark. Having thus set the pace, Fantastic Moon caught up with the frontrunner, covering the last 600 metres in 34.47 seconds, 3/10ths slower than Feed the Flame, who was still fifth at the 400-metre point. The latter recorded the fastest splits from 600 to 200 metres (11.11 and 11.10 seconds), but the effort was in vain, except to put him out of reach of Bravais (Frankel), who completed the last 400 metres in 22.96 seconds compared to Feed the Flame’s 23 seconds flat.
For what it's worth, the fillies in the "Vermeille" ran faster both overall and at the finish than the males in the "Niel."
Fantastic Moon was bred in Germany by the von Stauffenberg family, who sold him for €49,000 at the Baden-Baden yearling sales. His sister by Masar will go to the Goffs sales on September 27th.
What they said:
Lars-Wilhem Baumgarten, the representative for Liberty Racing 2022, owner of Fantastic Moon (1st) – Germany
“We made the right decision not to run him last time at Baden-Baden because the ground was over-watered. He needs good ground, as he shows in the morning. He's a great horse. Both the trainer and the jockey have done a great job. The race lacked pace, and it wasn't straightforward. However, he's easy to handle and very talented. In my opinion, he's the best winner of the German Derby since Sea the Moon. The difference is that he's still going strong at the end of his 3-year-old campaign, whereas his sire was being packed off to stud [at this stage of his career]. We're so happy for our syndicate, Liberty Racing. Just think, we have four horses, and two of them are group class! We'll be making a decision as to where the colt goes next on Monday.”
Sarah Steinberg tr,ainer of Fantastic Moon (1st)
“Rather than the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, we're thinking about other possibilities. These include the Japan Cup and the Breeders' Cup...”
Pascal Bary, trainer of Feed the Flame (2nd) – Chantilly (Oise region)
“He wasn't quite as ready as I thought. With the heat, Feed The Flame asked for a breather during the race. He picked up well, even if the last 100 metres seemed an eternity for him. Christophe Soumillon ensured that the colt was given a lesson when it came to racing between horses, which is a good form of preparation. Furthermore, he wasn't hard on him. Of course, it's always better to win than to be second. The winner, Fantastic Moon, has every right to be considered a good colt. Feed The Flame will line up in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. If the ground were to ease, that would be even better.”
Claude Beniada, the French representative of Juddmonte, owner of Bravais (3rd) – Chantilly (Oise region)
“Obviously, this is the best performance of Bravais' career. He's certainly more relaxed when he waits during a race. On his last outing over 2,000 metres at Deauville, he showed that he wouldn't be bothered by a longer distance. He's proved that today, and it's very encouraging. This is a colt who didn't run at 2, and at the start of the year, he won his first two races and progressed to boot. He hasn't stopped improving thus far. He's certainly a late developer. If all goes well, he'll make a good 4-year-old. The ‘Juddmonte’ candidate in the Arc is Westover, and I have no idea whether he will run again this year and whether it will be in the Arc.”