13 September 2024
Three weeks in advance of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, ParisLongchamp racecourse will stage the Qatar Arc Trials card [September 15], which features three prep races which will enable the contenders for the big race to lay down a marker or two in view of their major assignment on 6 October, namely the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
The three races in question are the Gr1 (the pinnacle of excellence in the world of horse racing) Qatar Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares, and the Gr2 Qatar Prix Niel for 3-year-olds, plus the Gr2 Qatar Prix Foy for the 4-y-olds plus brigade. Prior to the big showdown, the horses on view will get the opportunity to test themselves against oppositon in their specific categories!
This meeting also features the Qatar Cup - Prix Dragon for Purebred Arabians, and very much a stepping stone to the Qatar Arabian World Cup, which is the equivalent of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for this particular breed.
The Qatar Prix Vermeille
Sparkling Plenty: the jewel of Sheikh Joaan
After annexing the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Arc de Triomphe, before finishing fourth in the 2015 renewal, the outstanding Trêve clearly left an indelible mark on the Gr1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She was owned by His Excellency Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani (the brother of the Emir of Qatar – a nation responsible for sponsoring the Arc since 2008, and which invests massively in French racing). Trêve initially ran in the colours of Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, before coming the banner of Al Shaqab Racing, having grouped his racing interests under that concern. To date, Trêve is the only Qatari-owned horse to have won the world's most prestigious horse race.
Determined to secure further Arc success, Al Shaqab Racing has acquired a 50 per cent stake in the top French 3-y-old filly of 2024, Sparkling Plenty. The latter won the Gr1 Prix
de Diane Longines in June. That is prior to finishing third in the Gr1 Qatar Nassau Stakes 
at the British venue Goodwood on 1 August.
The filly is trained at Calas-Cabriès (Bouches-du-Rhône) by Patrice Cottier, who was satisfied with his charge’s latest piece of work. He said: « She's in really good shape physically. She's a filly that tends to get wound up. So it's best not to push her too hard and to keep her as calm as as possible. She has recovered well from her trip to Goodwood, where she ran one hell of a race against British opposition. This marks her first attempt over 2,400 metres. So there is obviously still a question to answer [distance wise] . She needs a truly run race in order to be seen at her best . If that materialises, she'll be able to put her best foot forward. Depending on how she fares on Sunday, she will either tackle the Arc, or drop back to 2,000 metres for the Gr1 Prix de l'Opéra Longines. Tony Piccone, the filly’s jockey in the [Prix de] Diane, will be in the saddle. »
Supplemented for Sunday's Gr1 Qatar Prix Vermeille, Sparkling Plenty will attempt to follow in the hoofprints of Trêve, who, in 2013, won the ‘Diane’ and the ‘Vermeille’ on route to the first of her two ‘Arc’ wins.
Until her purchase by Al Shaqab Racing, Sparkling Plenty was exclusively owned by her breeder Jean-Pierre Dubois. Born in 1940, Jean-Pierre Dubois is a true racing legend, both in the domains of flat racing and trotting - a discipline, incidentally, in which he has won all the top races, including the Prix d'Amérique, in the various guises of driver, owner and breeder.
The Qatar Prix Niel
Look de Vega: cast in the role of clear favourite
The Al Shaqab Racing colours will also be carried in the Qatar Prix Niel by the unbeaten colt Look de Vega, and himself the winner of the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club in June. The spin off of this win was that the colt, destined eventually to take up stallion duties, was that he courted interest from potential buyers. Consequently, Joëlle Mestrallet, Lucien Urano and Patrick Madar, plus Carlos and Yann Lerner, the colt’s listed owners at the time, agreed to sell a share in the colt to the above mentioned Qatari stable and the Ballylinch Stud. The latter incidentally is the Irish breeding operation which stands Look de Vega's sire, Lope de Vega.
Look de Vega is the current ante-post favourite for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. That’s logical: as his limits are as yet undefined! The colt has been building up towards the ‘Niel at Maisons-Laffitte, which is the training centre where his co-trainers, Carlos Lerner and his son Yann, are based.
An upbeat Yann Lerner said: « He did a good canter on Monday on the sandy surfaces at Maisons-[Laffitte] where he finished upsides another horse. Relative to last week, he had a workout at Chantilly racecourse... Look de Vega stayed put in his stable during the summer, and so he was able to enjoy a break. We’ve been cranking him up very gradually and, during the past month, he has been picking up the pace in terms of cantering again. So far, so good. Sunday will be his first attempt at 2,400 metres, but he's a relatively straight forward colt. I'm not worried about his stamina, and soft ground is meat and drink to him. Furthermore, he knows his way around Longchamp. It will be very interesting to see how he fares on his reappearance. The [Prix] Niel on Sunday will be more than just a mere test as it’s a dress rehearsal for the Arc. However, everything has been going well, as he’s in very good condition, has strengthened up, and has clearly retained all of his ability. He'll be going into the autumn as a relatively fresh horse which is a great card to have up your sleeve! »
The Qatar Prix Foy
Feed The Flame: keeping alive the Arc dreams of Pascal Bary
Feed The Flame has been earmarked for the Gr2 Qatar Prix Foy, which serves as a springboard to the Gr1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Owned by Jean-Louis Bouchard, he is trained at Chantilly by Pascal Bary. The two men go back a long way and have enjoyed considerable success together, which comprises three wins in the French Derby, the Prix du Jockey-Club, having broken the ice in the French classic in 1994!
The duo combined successfully to win the Gr1 Grand Prix de Paris with Feed The Flame in July 2023, and the ‘Arc’ dream of the two men remains very much alive, and so much so that Pascal Bary (born in 1953) has delayed his retirement plans. The handler has saddled pratically all the winners of the major French prizes, including the Prix du Jockey-Club (six times), the Prix de Diane (twice), and the Prix Morny (twice), etc.), but success in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc Triomphe has so far eluded him.
After finishing eighth in the 2023 edition of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc Triomphe, Feed The Flame continues to give a good account of himself this season, as underscored by his fourth in the Gr3 Prix Gontaut-Biron - Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville this summer.
Feed The Flame will attempt to follow in the hoofprints of Waldgeist. As, in 2019, the latter won the Qatar Prix Foy before following-up in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe a few weeks later. Waldgeist. is the last horse to have done the ‘double.
Pascal Bary said: « Feed The Flame is very well. He has worked well and should run well. Sunday's 2,400m trip should suit him better. He ran well at Deauville but the distance (2,000m) on that occasion was too sharp for him. Depending on how he fares on Sunday will determine whether or not we head to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. »
CONDITION OF THE GROUND: Soft anticipated
Charles de Cordon, Manager of the ParisLongchamp Hippodrome, analyses: “After Thursday’s storm, we are expecting a soft ground forecast of 3.5 for Sunday. This week we
did a pass with the roller and on Friday mowed to 10 centimeters high. At the moment we
are mowing three times a week because it is growing very quickly. We are on classic maintenance and a biostimulant was added this week to strengthen the grass. To preserve
the track as much as possible, the rail was at 27 meters for Thursday’s meeting, and it will be at 8 meters on Sunday. The open-stretch will not be used for the Qatar Arc Trials, we are keeping it fresh for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend. For Sunday, the weather conditions will be ideal, sunny and cool. »