It's an Irish based plant producing the food. Roger Varian withdrew his runners that had been fed it today. There was another instance of contaminated horse feed a few years and Sir Michael Stoute had a few runners affected
In this strange year will take a chance on the filly Raabihah Each Way @ 11-1 [William Hill]..4 places
The more I look at the race, the more I like one or more of the following, Stradivarius, Sottsass and In Swoop to roll the great mare, especially as the ground will be deep. One or all will be rushing hope at the end. And I can't get the memory of Enable running out of steam last year, even though the ground was much better then than now. The run of In Swoop last time out behind Mogul was impressive. Maroon, blue sleeves, black cap.
I always start with the French 3yolds when looking for the Arc winner. The Filly Rabihaah looks a little overpriced at 9/1 and has an obvious chance if acting on the ground. But this is a strange year and could throw up an odd result; Gold Trip will have to improve a fair bit from his 3rd behind Mogul last time, but you want an improving animal in the Arc, and the 33/1 is tempting. Neither Gosden runner is improving at 6, but of the two, in these conditions I’m inclined to have a small saver on Stradivarius.
I had written my Arc preview on Saturday evening, so it needed substantial revision when it was announced that Ballydoyle have withdrawn all of their runners because of an issue with contaminated feed. This seems like far too easy a process of elimination. I have never been a fan of Sottsass, who has been a bit-part player most of the time since winning the Prix Du Jockey Club, picking up the odd small race. I see no reason why he should reverse form with Enable from last year as she had emptied when he was closing on her. The mare Deirdre has been a bit part player this year after her shock Nassau win in 2019. When Stradivarius wins staying races, he looks to have an impressive turn of foot because the opposition are just staying on at one pace. His turn of foot did not win him the Prix Foy because it turned into a sprint and then it is like versus like. With a blanket covering the whole Foy field, Way To Paris is surely a better each-way option. With stamina not an issue and his mount not needing to be up front, Peslier will be in no rush to track over from his wide draw as Buick did on Ghaiyyath last year. I cannot see any reason why the step up to twelve furlongs will suddenly make Persian King live up to his previous hype, but then Waldgeist had a similarly uninspiring profile but proven stamina. The Derby winner Serpentine looked like a fluke at Epsom and vanquished Mogul was more enterprising in winning the Grand Prix de Paris, reversing the form with him and holding In Swoop and Gold Trip at a safe distance in the process. Gold Trip and In Swoop are closely matched on Prix Greffulhe form but Gold Trip was nowhere in the Prix Du Jockey Club (with Chachnak behind) and does not seem to be crying out for a stamina test. They look like bit-part players, as does the French filly Raabihah, staying on too late in the Prix Vermeille, soundly beaten on both previous efforts in Group 1 company and unproven on soft ground. It has been clear for some time that John Gosden has been planning this season for Enable to arrive in Paris at her peak. He ducked what could potentially have been a hard race against Love at York in favour of a well paid exercise at Kempton, where Dettori rode her out to the line rather than coast home to ensure she made some physical gain. Frankie will not make the same mistake that he made last year. He sat too close to a strong pace set by unintended pacemaker Ghaiyyath and when he kicked for home on Enable, she did not have enough left to resist Waldgeist, who had been more restrained. Treve failed in her pursuit of an Arc hat-trick and never came back to retry. It is surely a feat that only a filly/mare will ever attempt and I expect Enable to be successful. The very soft ground should make it more of a stamina test that will play well for Stradivarius but I do not believe that he really loves soft ground so I think he will pick up one of the places.
A race wrecked by the weather, and the O Brien horses pulling out. the schedule is also a bit odd. - why have they got an Arab race just before the Arc?
John Gosden on Enable's chances in the mud. "It's not ideal, and for her to be so short to win the race in such conditions is a bit absurd. They are backing her as if defeat is out of the question when I can assure you that defeat is a strong likelihood on this ground. It's not ground that plays to her strengths and if someone handles it really well then good luck to them. I feel the ground has very much gone against her chances."
There are two Arabian races on Arc weekend, as there has been since the Qatar sponsorship deal first started. On the Saturday there is a race for mares and then there is the ‘World Cup’ on Arc Sunday. It often turns out that most of the runners are owned by members of the sponsors’ families. Clearly you have not noticed in previous years.
All the talk about the winner needing to stay and then the race was dominated by 10f horses. Don't know how Peslier on top of a 20f horse thought he could win in a 3f sprint. Hats off to the leader and Sottsass.
Run like a typical French race because of the ground: married man’s gallop followed by a sprint. I think that is why the French water their big tracks to make sure that there is never fast ground even in the middle of summer. If they allowed the ground to get fast, the fastest horses would win too often and then the great unwashed would stop shovelling their money into the PMU at the local tabacs. They need to keep it a lottery. Without the huge rake off from the PMU, French racing would have dwindled just like Italian racing.
The lack of pace in the race was probably why Fabre threw Persian King in and it paid off big time with a 3rd place in the Arc for a miler who in Fabres opinion, didnt stay 10f last season. Class placement. I think Enable is just finished after many gruelling races over the years and she wouldnt have won no matter what today but they ought to have had a pacemaker in for her, maybe they were expecting Obrien to provide it. My gut feeling after the Eclipse was she was not the same horse and they should retire her, but they made excuses saying she just needs more time to get fit now and they managed to incredibly win a King Geroge by beating a pacemaker after Japan got injured in a 3 horse race. I expected her to win this but my initial feeling was correct and the warning signs were there with them avoiding Love at York. I think Rouget wouldnt have been happy with the ride on Raabihah if he had not won the race with Sottsass, the filly was a bit of an eyecatcher, shes been poorly placed and staying on best in her last 2 runs now, and bumped into a very good filly in Tarnawa in the Vermielle. Id imagine they will keep her out next season to win a G1. In Swoop had his chance today in heavy ground in a weak renewal with the 3yo allowance, arguably would have won in a truly run race. As for the winner, odds on he will be retired as a French Derby and Arc winner, good horse on his day but hes had a poor season really and is far from the best horse in Europe despite winning the main event.
I thought the race was a disgrace. Firstly, Straddy's only chance of winning was to ensure a strong pace, either from the off or, given the race was run, take it up with 6f to go, allowing Enable to get out and track him. Instead, Straddy was held up next to Enable and got pushed across into Enable who was also squeezed out from the other side. She was wasting energy being boxed in most of the way at a crawl. Her position would have been OK had they been going faster. But the slow pace, combined with the bumping from both sides didn't do her any favours. She was beaten by inferior horses. Not sure what Peslier was up to, poodling along, keeping Enable in all the way. Not sure what Frankie was doing keeping her tucked in behind and not being able to get out. There was no way she could accelerate in that ground from the position she was left in. Basically it was a carve up by the French and naive riding by Frankie and Peslier. It was almost like Peslier was more intent on there being a French winner and ensuring neither of Gosden's pair could win. Didn't see what happened re the enquiry. Under the old French rules, at least 2 would have been disqualified. Still don't know if any were
The lack of pace made it look like a claimer in lingfield , you often chastise jumps racing for being slow , but that was ridiculous. Always going to get a strange result with false pace . Agree , enable was never going to win , but surely a race that is talked up all year , and ends up like a snail contest , give me two mile chases anytime
