By Tom Frary
There has barely been a stronger mile contest all season than Saturday's G1 Royal Bahrain Sun Chariot S., with a division dominated by the fillies set for another re-measuring as Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) goes to war with Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) on Newmarket's Rowley Mile. While the division's best individual race remains the G1 Queen Anne S. in which Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) mastered Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the fact is that both have for different reasons subsequently left the building. Those in a cluster underneath are Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the two mentioned above and Godolphin's sadly-departed Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).
Before she encountered ground that was too deep in Leopardstown's G1 Matron S. three weeks ago, the Sangsters' and James Wigan's Saffron Beach was on an upward trajectory and she is back on the track at which she issued a three-length beating to Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in this 12 months ago. “The scales don't lie and she has put on another four kilos since she went to Leopardstown,” trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam said. “She's more powerful to look at now, and the feedback from her riders has been very positive too.”
Homeless Songs was unable to pick up when fourth in the Matron on her first start since her electrifying display in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, but connections of the TDN Rising Star are expecting a bolder show. “She was a bit short going to Leopardstown,” Moyglare's Fiona Craig said. “The ground had been so firm, we couldn't work on the grass but since then we've had a bit of rain and she's been able to do a fair bit out and about.”
Fellow TDN Rising Star Laurel (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was a surprise supplementary from normally-cautious connections even allowing for the exciting nature of her Kempton novice win only 10 days ago. It says that the daughter of Promising Lead (GB) (Danehill) has abundant quality, but up against the big two and the likes of Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Mrs Fitzherbert (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) she will have to possess Baaeed-like ability to cause the upset at this fledgling stage of her career. “We probably are being a little bit unfair to her, but we're at the start of October and opportunities are few and far between,” Juddmonte's Barry Mahon said. “We just felt we'd have a little bite at a big one and if she can finish in the first five, it will tee her up nicely for her 4-year-old campaign.”
Elleegant Presence
ParisLongchamp launches its weekend of weekends and the appearance of Australian megamare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) in the 14-furlong G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu is certain to be one of the main topics of the Saturday card. Whether Jomara Bloodstock's pioneer should be in this particular line-up is academic now and it is up to Mark Zahra to try and orchestrate a softening of the blow connections so controversially suffered during the week. Her story remains a remarkable one whatever the politics of her Arc snub and this is a mare with no distance limitations and the kind of versatility these opponents will never know having taken the 2020 G1 Winx S. over seven furlongs and the latest edition of the G1 Melbourne Cup by four lengths over two miles.
A Thorn In His Side?
Ballydoyle have had some brilliant long-distance types down the years, but perhaps never one who has done so much in such a short time as Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Even the great Yeats (Ire) failed to pull off the Gold Cup-Goodwood Cup-Irish St Leger treble in 2006 and the way the Moyglare homebred went through the Sept. 11 Curragh feature on ground that probably should have compromised him suggests he could go one more and bring up a unique quartet of staying monuments in the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran. The trouble is that he has to get past a rival with unknown boundaries at present in Quickthorn (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Lady Blyth's 5-year-old suddenly exploded last time on a lively surface on York's Knavesmire to destroy the otherwise exemplary Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) by 14 lengths in the Aug. 19 G2 Lonsdale Cup and has vital track experience here having won the July 14 G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil.
Another Burrows Special?
Massaat (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). Three reasons to celebrate the art of Owen Burrows who continues his act of humble alchemy for Shadwell and the master of Farncombe Down has another poised for the heights in the 4-year-old Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}). Having produced a powerhouse performance to win Haydock's G3 Rose of Lancaster S. by four lengths last time Aug. 6, he heads to the Bois de Boulogne for the G2 Qatar Prix Dollar in which he encounters diverse but strong opposition from the likes of Ecurie Jean-Pierre Barjon's popular grey Wally (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), Godolphin's burgeoning Fabre project Botanik (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), a former G1 QIPCO Champion S. hero in Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and two TDN Rising Star 3-year-olds in West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Lassaut (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}). “He's a lightly-raced horse this year and this has been the plan since Haydock, as unfortunately there aren't too many races for him,” Burrows said. “Fingers crossed, if he continues on his upward curve, he could be one who next year is knocking on the door in all of those top mile-and-a-quarter races.”
Next Step For Erevann
Holding entries in both Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and G1 QIPCO Champion S., The Aga Khan's TDN Rising Star Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) may make up connections' minds sticking at a mile for the G2 Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein. Based on his close third in Deauville's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois Aug. 14, the lightly-campaigned son of a former Ascot heroine in Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) could be one of the leading players on Champions Day if he deals with the 2020 QEII hero The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's unexposed Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Elsewhere, there is the not-insignificant matter of The King's first black-type runner King's Lynn (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) in Ascot's Listed Rous S., with the Andrew Balding-trained 5-year-old having provided The Queen with what would be her final win of that nature in the G2 Temple S. in May.
Fields Confirmed For Arc Card
Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card was finalised on Friday, with the customary strong overseas representation throughout the supporting five Group 1 races. In the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, the Ballydoyle juvenile team is fronted by Saturday's G1 Middle Park S. runner-up The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who tackles a seventh furlong for the first time, while the G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac sees Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) fly the flag. She is up against two unbeaten TDN Rising Stars in the Wertheimers' Kelina (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Gestut Fahrhof's Habana (Ger) (Kingman {GB}), while there are also a pair of TDN Rising Stars in the G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines in Imad Al Sagar's flagship filly Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Coolmore's Above The Curve (American Pharoah). Jessie Harrington has supplemented Moyglare's G2 Prix de la Nonette winner Trevaunance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) for a hot renewal which also features Peter Bradley's Arc absentee La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and the Oaks heroine Tuesday (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). Gary Devlin's A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) is back to defend his title in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines but has drawn 19 of 19, while in the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret Presente par Education Above All there is a clash to two high-achieving TDN Rising Stars in Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Tenebrism (Caravaggio) in the usual feast of luminaries.
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