6 October 2018
Photo scoopdyga.com
Soft ground (3,4) Sunday
The ground is forecast to be soft this Sunday at Paris Longchamp for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The track was measured at 3,4 this Saturday. The weather will be more or less humid on Sunday, with average temperatures around 16 degrees and scattered showers. The rail will be set at 0m.
Enable, the undisputed favourite of the Qatar prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The bookmakers put Enable (Nathaniel) as the undisputed favourite for this year’s Qatar prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The representative of the Prince Khalid Abdullah is at evens on the betting market. Enable will be fighting to hold her title this Sunday at Paris Longchamp and the showers forecast Saturday evening through to Sunday afternoon are a golden blessing for her.
The rain will not be playing on Sea of Class’s (Sea the Stars) strengths, second favourite for the race with odds from 10/3 to 7/2. Waldgeist (Galileo) is, according to the bookmakers, the best chance for France. He is offered from 13/2 to 7/1. Kew Gardens (Galileo) is the first 3 -year-old colt up for betting. He is fourth favourite at 10/1, ahead of his comrade in training Capri(Galileo), offered between 16/1 and 20/1.
The breeder of Sea of Class, and the man that brought us Lanfranco Dettori : the Sunday of a lifetime for Alduino Botti
Alduino Botti, who is 70 years of age, will not be at ParisLongchamp this Sunday. The Italian trainer, who also breeds and owns, will follow the racing from San Siro racecourse, where he has a number of runners. A Sunday unlike others for this stalwart of Italian racing: he is the breeder of the second favourite, Sea of Class (Sea the Stars), and he was the first to give a leg up to the. Jockey on board the favourite, Lanfranco Dettori.
Alduino Botti bred Sea of Class along with his brother Giuseppe and sold her for €170,000gns at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. He reflected on that day: “The filly went through the ring as she was a foal share. She had quality, but she was a bit small and she was born quite late. Her dam, Holy Moon (Hernando), had already produced three Italian Oaks winners, but it was difficult to believe that this chestnut filly would be better than them!”
He also turned his trainer’s eye on the filly: “You have to keep a cool head. Sea of Class is a very special filly, she likes to be held up and has a great turn of foot. That is quite complicated in an Arc de Triomphe with 19 runners and a bad draw. It is also her first time against colts and she is facing a champion in Enable (Nathaniel). It is a really difficult task that she is facing, and what’s more, the Arc de Triomphe is a race where you really need to be able to handle the bumping and push through horses. It’s not a race for a little thing like her! I am crossing my fingers and I hope that she can get a clear run.”