2 October 2020
Photos scoopdyga.com / PA Images
The Chantilly trainer Francis Graffard runs In Swoop in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The three-year-old was born in Germany at the prestigious Gestüt Schlenderhan stud which is owned by the von Ullmann family. German horses have the reputation of liking heavy ground…and that could be a considerable advantage on Sunday!
« Just because he’s German doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a “mudlark”, said Francis Graffard a touch humorously. The colt has yet to race on a surface as the one he is likely to encounter [testing] on Sunday. The ground was on the soft side when he raced at Lyon earlier in the season and, clearly, that held no terrors for him. This was again the case when he did his final workout on Monday when the ground was riding soft. »
What is the take of the colt’s owner-breeder Baron von Ullmann on this matter? Graffard said: “I raised the question with him about the ground this week. He said that all the horses in the family, both on the paternal and maternal sides of the pedigree, acted well on soft ground. I’m just hoping that he doesn’t prove to be the exception to the rule.”
The other question concerning In Swoop is how does the three-year-old generation stack up against its older counterparts? As such, In Swoop is among the very best three-year-olds, having won the German Derby at Hamburg in the summer (the first win by a French-trained horse in the German classic). “It’s quite difficult to evaluate this as there have been few matchups at the highest level between the three-year-olds and older horses over 2400 metres (12f). The only thing that I can tell you is that In Swoop has a lot going for him as regards finishing in the first five. He’s by nature a very calm horse, which can almost give the impression that he’s not engaged mentally in his race, as happened in the German Derby: as he was being scrubbed along in order to remain in touch…and he only really hit full stride in the final 200 metres of the race before going on to win! He has a lot of stamina and recovers well from his races. He’s constantly on the upgrade, and has come on for his last race which was three weeks ago; on that occasion, he wasn’t as fit as I would have liked, but that didn’t prevent him from surprising me in a very positive way. He will be in tip-top shape for Sunday.”
In Swoop has very few miles on the clock as the Arc will only be the fifth career start. The last time that one of the leading contenders went to post with as much inexperience in the race considered the championship of world horse racing was Trève, who went on to win in 2013.
Deirdre carries the hopes of a nation!
It remains the dream of a whole nation! As Japan is still seeking its first success in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The Japanese champion Orfèvre was beaten the minimum distance on his first Arc attempt in 2012, before giving best to the superior firepower of Trêve in 2013.
This year’s renewal sees the mare Deirdre carry the hopes of the land of the rising sun. She became the first Japanese horse to win a British group one race last season. On this occasion, she now has her sights now trained on France after fine-tuning her preparation at Newmarket.
Yoshitake Hashida, the son and assistant of Mitsuru Hashida, the trainer of Deirdre, has analysed the chances of the mare by saying: “Deirdre is going very well. We’ve tried to understand why she ran so badly last time [notes to editors: last of seven in the Qatar Nassau Stakes (Gr1)]. We’ve tried to find the solutions and have made changes to her feeding and training regime, for example, with the aim of freshening her up mentally and physically.
It seems to be working well. I’ve got the feeling that she’s returning to the condition in which she was last year. I believe that she’s capable of running a big race on Sunday. Obviously, we’re talking about the Arc: The Arc is the Arc, the world’s top race. We’re batting as outsiders, and we’re going into the race humbly. It’s such a prestigious prize. However, we believe that Deirdre is capable of running a big race, and we are determined to seize our chance. I don’t know whether the Arc will be her last race. However, she will be retired to the paddocks next year.”
Deirdre arrived in Europe in June 2019. It was an audacious call by the owners of the mare. However, it invariably proved a winning gambit as, a few weeks later, Deirdre went on to capture the Qatar Nassau Stakes. Yoshitake Hashida said: “The owners of Deirdre above all else prize the thrill of racing. The financial aspect isn’t the reason why they’re involved in owning racehorses. Deirdre has enabled the Japanese to discover the beauty of European racing. At a personal level, we’ve learned so much during the course of this venture with the mare, and it’s also been a learning curve for the Japanese. As they’ve been able to get a glimpse of the top European performers in action, and they’ve also been able to bet on the best European races. I think Deirdre has brought a lot to Japanese racing. She became the first Japanese horse to win a group one race in Britain: that’s been great for Japanese racing, and it’s also been a considerable boon for British racing. Our triumph is also down to the fact that we were supported by those involved in British racing: we’re a small team and we couldn’t have succeeded without the necessary help. On the other hand, we’ve enabled the Japanese to take an interest in European racing by following the fortunes of Deirdre. Of course they’re very familiar with the Arc and Longchamp. However, we’ve been happy to show them the delights of Goodwood, and the same is valid for Leopardstown and Ascot…”