Just got back from Sunday Lunch hangover cure in time for the Arc. Watching the Opera, I wasn't sure what to make of the ground, Wasn't the mudbath I envsioned but clearly is soft. The home straight looked fine but the way they were strung out suggests very, very testing.
Apologies for the very after-the-event posting, but I spent the whole Arc weekend with the garlic-crunching surrender monkeys so here are a few observations: The ground was ‘very soft’ by what we in Britain would understand that term to mean. I have been going to Longchamp for seven or eight years and that was definitely the softest that I have seen it; heavy ground. The French authorities clearly knew how soft it was because on Saturday they had moved the running rail out about ten yards from the ‘Arc’ day course to preserve the ground. Watching the runners running along the back straight on the big screen TV coverage it looked more like a novice hurdle on a wet Wednesday at Plumpton the way that they were kicking it up. Racing started at 12:25 and finished at 4:10 because of some sales event that was happening later and the forecast rain turned out to be light drizzle from about 1:00 onwards. After 4:00 this did become actual rain, which persisted for much of the evening so I stayed in the hotel and watched Super14 rugby on the box. There was no rain at all on Sunday and it stayed sunny most of the afternoon before clouding over later on; however, the ground had not improved so I knew that the likes of Camelot, Shareta and St Nicholas Abbey had no chance and it was probably bad news for Saonois. Previously I had posted on here that I thought that I had seen the Arc winner on Arc Trials Day. Well I was right but just not the right horse. Solemia had never won a Group 1 race before and when third in the Prix Vermeille that had been her Group 1 debut. I was very disappointed for the hundreds of Japanese that their horse was collared in the shadow of the post as it had looked the certain winner with a hundred yards to go and it is hard not to conclude that the winner outstayed him on the ground. Annoyingly I had to miss the last race because they were running late and I had a theoretical two hour journey to the airport. On a card with eight Group 1 races and one handicap, why did they move the handicap to be the first race rather than the last? Was it because they knew they could separate some of their less intelligent foreign visitors from their Euros whereas they would head for the exits faced with a last race where they knew nothing about any of the runners.
Orfevre didnt get outstayed, he pulled himself him up, you cant say a horse who was .1 off the track record in the Japanese Leger got outstayed over 1m4 , its an impossibility. He idled and thought he had done his job.
Watched a replay for the first time today and thought Orfevre ran a maginificent race. I doubted him massively Boris, didn't think he would get that close to winning the Arc but that is a hell of an engine. Very unlucky not to win and I still cannot believe he didn't. He kinda idled and hung right, and you can't lose momentum when you have someone staying on strongly in behind. A real shame, but I think the most talented horse in the race was him. So I hold my hands up and say I got it hugely wrong!
Best horse was 2nd without doubt. He went past the eventual winner with ease and threw away his chance by drifting in to the rail. Don't think it was anything to do with being outstayed he obviously has his quirks but he is a serious horse. Still wouldn't get near Frankel <RUN>
I agree with you 100% Joe. He's done it before, and worse. He is, as Amanda politely puts it (with an admiring chuckle), "a little ****". Extremely talented little **** with a massive engine. The secret with him is not to get to the front too soon. I know everyone believes Frankel to be untouchable but believe me, Frankel will not leave this horse toiling in his wake if they meet in the Champion. It will be the hardest battle he has had, especially with those final furlongs being uphill. I don't mind being laughed at for daring to say that.
I backed the Jap and he didn't quite get home in that testing ground. If you get a chance to see the head on his head is going from side to side, he was exhausted from the effort of getting to the front and had no more to give, another reason for him drifting to the rail. Simple as!
With all due respect Stick, I think you are wrong there. The horse is a quirky individual and you need to view his other races to appreciate what a little **** he can be. No way did he lose that race due to lack of stamina. His head going from side to side is him being a little ****, fighting with the jockey. The jockey was really having to fight to keep him from going straight through the rails. He's a really strong beast with a mind of his own.
Interesting how one word was singled out of my comments about Orfevre being beaten. The word “outstayed” on its own does not have the same context as “outstayed on the ground” as I stated. When Orfevre won the Prix Foy, the ground was not as bad and he won over the Arc course and distance quite handily having led for a large part of the straight. Granted that in races in Japan he has won over further, so it was not a case of the horse not lasting the distance on Sunday either; I felt it was a case of the horse being tired out and he hung right like a tired horse. No disrespect to the winner, but the best horse in the race had travelled halfway around the planet to be defeated by the weather.
