Joan Of Arc (Ire)

It is racing's greatest dichotomy. Labelled by the official ParisLongchamp website as "la meilleure course au monde", the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will have few who brook any argument with that claim. Yet it is the time of year within which it is framed that delivers the ultimate snag, with autumn's entry prompting an often drastic change in terrain and a late turnpike for the kings and queens of summer just past. Half of the previous 10 renewals of France's great monument have been run on testing...

Aidan O'Brien will send a strong Ballydoyle challenge to the Qatar Goodwood Festival next week, and has a trio of colts ready to step forward in the G1 Qatar Sussex S.-Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Battleground (War Front). Runner-up in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot, the MG1SP Lope Y Fernandez won the Listed Heritage S. at Leopardstown in April. GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Order Of Australia was last seen in action taking the G2 Minstrel S....

Things may not have gone to plan in all of the English Classics for Ballydoyle so far in 2021, but the stable continued their charmed existence in France on Sunday as Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) provided Classic number three for the season and a first renewal of Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane Longines for Aidan O'Brien. Combining again with Ioritz Mendizabal, who had steered St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) to glory in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club, the master of...

Thursday saw the draw made for Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly, with a field of 18 diminished to 17 following the instant withdrawal of Dr Christoph Berglar's G2 Diana Trial winner Amazing Grace (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}) due to her outside stall in 17. Aidan O'Brien is looking for a third French Classic in 2021 and a first success in the 10 1/2-furlong feature with Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was denied late by Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at...

Jim Bolger had been at it on Saturday, but 24 hours later it was his former prodigy Aidan O'Brien who was filling the first two places in a Curragh Classic as Empress Josephine (Ire) narrowly denied Joan of Arc (Ire) in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas for another Galileo (Ire) forecast. Runner-up in Gowran Park's Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial S. over an extended nine furlongs last time May 5, the winner who is a full-sister to Minding (Ire) was anchored towards the rear early by Seamie Heffernan and travelled...

Making all in Sunday's G3 Irish 1,000 Guineas Trial over a mile at Leopardstown, Ballydoyle's Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was in the process becoming a sixth pattern-race winner from seven foals for Coolmore's remarkable You'resothrilling (Storm Cat). Last seen finishing sixth in the seven-furlong G3 Ballylinch Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial at this track Apr. 11, the full-sister to Gleneagles (Ire) set an honest tempo under Ryan Moore and stayed on strongly to deny Flirting Bridge (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) by 1 3/4 lengths on a day when racing prominently...