Wow, sincere congratulations to all who picked her. French horses, including my two, out with the washing. Well, that's a bit harsh with Sosie, he did finish 4th, but no chance with the three in front of him at the finish.
Bluestocking winning is a triumph for Juddmonte (obviously) but Coolmore won't be complaining about their stallion being advertised.
Was the ground slower than they thought? Always seems to be a bit of a lottery about the going description.
I actually think the ground was quicker than they thought. The official going reports from France Galop have been unreliable for years. That is why I go and look at what Turftrax give as the going. Their map of the track is colour coded with their view of the going from having walked the track and taken readings. In their opinion much of the track was Good today whilst the official FG going was Souple (Soft). The time for the Arc was six seconds slower than last year because of the moderate early pace but it was faster than every other Arc since Enable in 2018.
Probably wouldn't have been placed but was the horse most hindered by the horse breaking down (which was very sad).
According to Timeform, last years's race was Good/firm, Ace Impact's time incredibly fast (fast by 4.10s) and this year's was soft. In that case it was a pretty good time (slow by 1.98s) compared to the 10f G1 later (slow by 4.45s). Don't know how much difference the course alterations made. Racing Post had the going as very soft and last year's as good to soft, ATR had it as soft this year and good last year. How can they be so different. The only consistency was that it was faster ground last year
Well done to Bluestocking, a very consistent filly. However, I have to feel that Sunday’s race was the poorest in quality that I’ve ever witnessed. After all, Goliath, a 113 rated horse, made Bluestocking and the King George field look like selling platers at Ascot.
Timeform review of Arc Day By Timeform — published 7th October 2024 We provide the Timeform ratings reaction to the key performances at Longchamp on Sunday, along with a notable performance in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. More often than not, it takes a top-class performance to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but this year’s renewal was a substandard one, with a number of high-profile horses missing from the field, notably leading three-year-old colt City of Troy, who is heading to the Breeders’ Cup next month instead. A couple from the home team were also ineligible due to being geldings, namely impressive King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Goliath and Calandagan, and that also took some gloss of what is dubbed as one of the world’s most prestigious races, especially as this year’s winner, Bluestocking, had finished behind all three of those rivals at some point this season. However, that is to take nothing away from Bluestocking (123 from 121), who was supplemented at a cost of €120,000, and showed slightly improved form to come out on top by one and a quarter lengths from Aventure (122 from 119). She capped off a fine season, recording her third Group 1 success, and her first in open company rather than against just her own sex, and defeating the same rival she had done in the Prix Vermeille three weeks earlier, though Aventure was ridden more patiently in a race where it proved hard to make ground up from off the pace. Bluestocking was well drawn in stall 3 and took full advantage, breaking well and getting the perfect position tracking eventual third Los Angeles, in a good position entering the straight and asked to go and win her race around two furlongs out, again displaying a determined attitude at the finish. She became the ninth filly or mare to win the Arc in the last 14 renewals. This was due to be Bluestocking’s final race before heading off the paddocks, but her future will reportedly be decided in the coming weeks. Aventure, on the other hand, will stay in training next season and there are more good races to be won with her. One of the most impressive performances on Arc Day at Longchamp came from Ramatuelle (122 from 113), who beat Kinross by three lengths in the Prix de la Foret. It was the biggest field this century for the Foret, but in event it all proved rather one sided, Ramatuelle putting daylight between herself and the rest in no time at all, showing a sparkling turn of foot reminiscent of Moonlight Cloud in this contest back in 2013. It was a big career-best effort from Ramatuelle on her return from four months off to make the breakthrough at Group 1 level, becoming the fourth horse from the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket to do so this season. She’s now reportedly set for a rematch with her Royal Ascot conqueror Porta Fortuna in the Breeders' Cup Mile and will pose a formidable threat to all under the likely speed-favouring conditions at Del Mar. The biggest upset of the day at Longchamp on Sunday came in the Prix Marcel Boussac where Vertical Blue (109p from 88) narrowly outpointed her odds-on stablemate Zarigana (110p from 111p). Vertical Blue has improved with each start of late, but this was a big step up, taking the rise in class in her stride in a bobbing finish, evidently well served by a relative test of stamina, finding plenty when joined by Zarigana in the closing stages. There should be even more to come from her next time judged by her recent progress. Zarigana arguably remains the best prospect in the race, though, bred in the purple and impressive in winning her previous two starts, looking the best filly in the race but denied by her more experienced stablemate who had her nose down at just the right moment as they passed the past virtually together, denied in a race won by her illustrious grandam Zarkava. She remains with the potential to win some top races next season, while she is also bred to excel when going beyond a mile. The Prix de l’Opera wasn’t the strongest renewal, while it also turned into a messy affair due to the steady pace, with Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty back in third the only one to make any impact from off the pace. Friendly Soul (113 from 110p) and Running Lion (113 from 112) filled the first two places for John & Thady Gosden and the winner continued her progression to record a first Group 1 success at the first attempt. She has just the one blot on her copybook when failing to beat a rival home in the Musidora Stakes at York, but her record otherwise is very positive, and she improved a little to come out on top. Admittedly, Friendly Soul was well positioned the way the race went, produced with her challenge around two furlongs out and showing a good attitude in the conditions to hold her nearest challengers at bay. It will be interesting to see if connections opt to go down Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf route with her, as she will need to progress again to feature there, but she remains relatively unexposed, and she will be suited by the quicker conditions and style of racing that Del Mar promises. The Prix de l’Abbaye is a race that historically sees a high number of British and Irish-trained horses, and this year’s renewal was no exception, with just three runners representing the home team. British-trained horses dominated the race, the first 10 home all trained in Britain, while low to middle draws were at an advantage, and five-year-old mare Makarova (117 from 113) proved better than ever to record her first win at the highest level from in-form pair Bradsell and Believing, who had previously finished one-two in both the Nunthorpe and Flying Five. Makarova hadn’t been beaten far on her previous two visits to this track, including in this race 12 months ago, and conditions played to her strengths, her proven stamina coming into play to record her second soft-ground success of the season. She was readily on top at the finish and finished her career in the best possible way – she will reportedly now take up her next role at the paddocks. There was also Group 1 action at Newmarket last weekend. It was the smallest field for the Sun Chariot since 2006, but it was a renewal that was well up to standard, a pair of stablemates with nine Group 1 wins between them taking on the three-year-olds which included a pair of classic winners - Darnation's having come on the continent - and the well-backed Tamfana (121 from 115), who was an unlucky loser behind Elmalka in the 1000 Guineas, showed much improved form to follow up her Atalanta Stakes success. It was a very taking performance from her, too, given an uncomplicated ride under Colin Keane for the first time and impressing with how well she moved through her race, well in command entering the final furlong and just pushed out to beat Inspiral by two lengths. Tamfana produced a performance which is right up there with the best from a filly over a mile so far this season and she will have serious claims of completing a hat-trick if taking up her engagement in the QEII at Ascot next month. She is already proven in testing conditions if the ground does worsen and she would be right in the mix on form terms also once her sex and weight allowance are taken into account. Tamfana will also be a filly to follow in her four-year-old campaign.
Goliath is a proper racehorse By Andrew Asquith — published 29th July 2024 Andrew Asquith provides the Timeform ratings reaction from last week, including a significant performance by Goliath in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes. While it may not have been a vintage renewal of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the French-trained Goliath (127 from 116) produced a high-class performance from out of the blue to comfortably beat in-form filly Bluestocking by two and a half lengths. He had finished well adrift of the subsequently sidelined Isle of Jura in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, but he was clearly liberated by a very different tempo of race, relishing the sort of end-to-end test rarely seen in top-level races, recording the fifth fastest winning time in the race this century, and becoming the first gelding to win the race. Goliath travelled notably strongly in mid-field before making smooth headway on the bridle over two furlongs out, produced to lead well over a furlong out and was soon clear without his jockey having to get in any way serious with him. That performance puts him right towards the top of the tree in the middle-distance division in Europe - White Birch is top on 128 - though repeating this sort of performance won't be easy, as his future options, like his stablemate Calandagan who was so impressive in winning the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot, are slightly limited by him being a gelding.
Point well made but Sunday's race may not have suited him. It was hardly a fast pace and he may need that as a thorough stayer. In the KG it was two horses who stayed a proper 12f test who finished 1st and 2nd. If Goliath had been in Sunday's race he may have been down the field as he was in the Hardwicke.
I do not know where the Racing Post/ATR get their going reports from (they may just echo the France Galop reports) and I do not have last year’s Turftrax going report available to me; however, I think that the very wet September in Paris was significant. When the Arc Trials meeting took place they had stopped watering because they had so much rain. They then did not water for the whole three weeks up until the actual Arc meeting, so the going was actually naturally ‘Good’ (or whatever version you want to accept). The fact that FG were still calling it soft is laughable. I wonder if Timeform use Turftrax or have their own people walk the courses – they walk the courses in Britain. Certainly I would agree that the noticeably fast time that Ace Impact recorded was not run on going with any mention of the word soft unless somebody wants to claim that the early pace was suicidal. According to the reporting in France before Sunday, the strip of ground that was used on Arc day had been protected by moving the rails out several metres until last weekend. Since they were not watering it is only reasonable to conclude that it was as slow/fast as the rest of the track but unused.
I went to the Arc on a number of occasions and, just like with the Derby, many people assess the value of the field before the starting stalls open and decide whether they think it is sub-standard. I think it would be fair to say that this year’s field did not contain the best available participants as two of the top rated horses in Europe are geldings. We have yet to see if Goliath was just a one race wonder that the likes of Timeform will refuse to except were a fluke – he was well beaten in Group 2 races before Ascot and his only pattern win was a five runner Group 3 on heavy ground. The only entry I can find for him is in the Japan Cup in November. I also find that it is generally a bad idea to assess one race against another without taking into account the salient factors of how the race was run and the going conditions. Bluestocking was second best at Ascot on fast ground (her career best on going including the word Firm) and fourth at York on similar ground when the gelding Calandagan was second. I am sure that Coolmore will not be mentioning that a daughter of Camelot preferred easy ground in their sales literature even if that would put him in the same pigeon hole as Frankel, their progeny taking after their sire. Most of the field in this year’s Arc would have been the also-rans of any other year but it still turned out to be an interesting race as a viewing spectacle, although the winner will not be very high on the pecking order of winners. Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons, I did not think that the Arc was great in 2002 (Marienbard), 2006 (Rail Link) or 2010 (Workforce). But there we are – it is all subjective and I limited myself to races that I actually saw at the track.
Yes, basically he can get from A-Z faster than most but if the jockey is fooled/forced to run A -X too slowly, he isn't so fast at the X-Z end. Pacemaker essential to ensure a truly run race. Just strengthens my old argument about horses being overrated based on impressive wins when they have never been in a truly run race. I just wonder how many of these top rated horses would have figured in Goliath's (or Harbinger's) KG
