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Another Sha Tin adventure for France��s superstar veteran Cirrus Des Aigles

10/12/2015

The Cirrus Des Aigles story is surely one of the most extraordinary racing tales of modern times. Unfashionably bred and beaten almost out of sight on his first start, he climbed to be the world's highest-rated horse in training at the end of 2012. But the story didn't even begin to end then, despite the bay gelding being written off plenty of times in subsequent years.

And on Sunday, having made the journey from Chantilly to Sha Tin for the seventh time, this gelding - who officially turns 10 on 1 January - will enter the stalls in a bid for glory in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase.

Why the 2400m Vase, not the 2000m Cup, was one of many questions fired at trainer Corine Barande-Barbe as she walked through a scrum of media at Sha Tin on Wednesday morning, a couple of hours after she had touched down in Hong Kong.

“I want to win the Vase!” was her first exuberant response with her second being: “On quick ground Cirrus is now able to run better over the 2400m than 2000m. Remember, he won the Coronation Cup at Epsom over 2400m on fast ground and was first and second over that distance at Meydan,” she reminds everyone, referring to superb performances in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in 2012 and 2014.

Of course, the HK$25 million Hong Kong Cup proved a big temptation in the past and had he not suffered an eve-of-race injury he would have competed in Hong Kong's most prestigious race for the last five years, with some dynamic performances in defeat - only one-and-a-half lengths behind the winner in both 2013 (when third) and 2014 (when fourth).

No surprise then that the 57-year-old French trainer, who also boasts an immaculate command of English, says: “We love coming to Hong Kong – the horse and I.”

Cirrus Des Aigles’ career has resulted in any number of bruising encounters and plenty of scares including one this year. “His shoe snapped in half during the Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp in May. Christophe Soumillon was riding him and got really anxious about the horse suffering an injury.”

Then there was a poor show on his first visit to Ireland in the class-packed Irish Champion Stakes over 2000m at Leopardstown in September won by subsequent Arc winner Golden Horn. “He just said 'No thank you' that day,” is how the trainer explains this rare lapse from the horse often nicknamed the ‘machine de guerre’ by the French press.

Inevitably, questions about Cirrus Des Aigles' retirement are never far away with career race number 67 coming up, and that includes 22 wins, seven at G1 level, and 20 second placings with mammoth earnings now in excess of HK$76 million.

“I haven't told him how old he is!” says his vivacious trainer, adding: “I have had old horses who have been retired and they ended up getting depressed in a field. We'll end when he tells me.” However she then does make hint at a possible finale for this hugely popular equine athlete. “If he wins another Sheema Classic in Dubai in March that might be the time to stop.”

Olivier Peslier enjoyed big-race success on the French superstar much earlier in his career and he resumes the partnership on Sunday with Christophe Soumillon claimed to ride well-fancied rival Dariyan for owner the Aga Khan. And, amazingly it was Dariyan's mum, Daryakana, who won the Hong Kong Vase way back in 2009 with a certain Cirrus Des Aigles just a length behind.

And all these years later this French-trained equine miracle is still entertaining us.

Cirrus Des Aigles exercises on Sha Tin��s turf track this morning.
Photo 1:
Cirrus Des Aigles exercises on Sha Tin��s turf track this morning.

 

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