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Optimism over foreign raiders in the Arc and the Prix de l'Opera

03/10/2014

The history of Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at France's great Longchamp racecourse reveals a powerful winning bias towards victory for the host nation.
     
But there is huge confidence behind overseas raiders this year and that also applies to the Prix de l'Opera, the G1 for fillies and mares that will be simulcast directly before Europe's greatest race.
    
Amongst the Arc threats to local dominance in 2014 is Germany's Ivanhowe, admittedly trained by Frenchman Jean-Pierre Carvalho. Outside Germany four-year-old Ivanhowe remains a mystery horse and arguably has not received the credit he deserves - let's not forget that he won last month's G1 Grosser Preis Von Baden easily defeating the brilliant Sea The Moon who was ante-post Arc favourite at the time.

Racing Manager Gebhard Apelt explains that a series of setbacks has undermined Ivanhowe's career but that everything is coming right now. Apelt concludes: "The Arc is the race for our breeding because in Germany many of main races are run over this sort of distance. On Sunday we want a fast pace, and, if so, there aren't many horses that we are particularly frightened of. "

The Japanese are also familiar with Arc near-misses but there is no shortage of confidence in their 2014 assault. They have Just A Way, Gold Ship and Harp Star and it is the latter who, this week, has been attracting most interest after an exciting piece of work at Chantilly when she surged clear of a workmate in a 2000m spin.

Trainer Hiroyoshi Matsuda already seems to be anticipating victory on Sunday with his post-gallop observation: "I am looking forward to all the crowd applause afterwards!" Perhaps that was a joke but this three-year-old filly - and fillies have won four of the last six Arc runnings - has a reputation for devastating late speed and 66-year-old veteran Matsuda threatens: "It is a weapon we intend to exploit."

With Taghrooda, another brilliant three-year-old filly, the most likely favourite the betting won't suggest that Kingston Hill is the UK's most obvious Arc winner. But that is not worrying jockey Andrea Atzeni who has established a huge reputation this year and will  attempt to become  the first jockey to win on his debut Arc ride since Eric Saint-Martin on Urban Sea back in 1993.
 
Atzeni says of the colt who won the G1 St Leger at Doncaster last month: "The great thing about Kingston Hill is that he is quick from the gates and that is an advantage in the Arc. I don't think we've got to the bottom of this horse yet - he even won a home gallop the other day which he never usually does."

Kingston Hill's astute trainer Roger Varian sends out the sharply progressive Hadaatha in the earlier G1 Prix de l'Opera over 2000m. Varian plundered this prestigious prize a few years ago with a similarly unexposed filly so Hadaatha will surely get betting respect as will Ribbons, also targetting Longchamp from Newmarket.

Her trainer James Fanshawe says: "She puts her head down and fights. I was tearing my hair out before that G1 at Deauville in August, wondering if she was good enough. She was - winning brilliantly under Frankie Dettori - and so she certainly deserves to have another go on Sunday."

 

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