‘Perfectly well and perfectly happy’ Cirrus des Aigles
skipping Dubai
European champion and veteran Group 1 hero Cirrus des Aigles (Even
Top) will bypass this year’s Dubai World Cup card with an aim toward a seasonal debut at Longchamp prior to the Prix Ganay
(Fr-G1) at that course on May 3.
The nine-year-old gelding was last seen finishing fourth,
beaten just 1 1/2 lengths, in the Hong Kong Cup (HK-G1) on December 14.
“The horse is perfectly well and perfectly happy, just
like always,” trainer Corine Barande-Barbe said. “After he came back from Hong Kong, we wanted to give him a full month of relaxation.
“To go to
Dubai would not give him enough time to be completely at his
best, so we have decided to leave it this year. We like to go to Dubai every other year, so it might be we try again next year.”
Cirrus des Aigles won the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) in 2012 prior to adding that year’s Ganay. He was second to Gentildonna (Deep
Impact) in last year’s Sheema Classic before reeling off three straight Group 1 victories
in Europe: the Ganay over Treve (Motivator), the Prix d’Ispahan over Anodin (Anabaa) and the Coronation Cup over Flintshire
(Dansili).
“He’s very fresh and enjoying life, but I’d like to get
him back for a race at Longchamp in the spring before we think about the Prix Ganay,”
Barande-Barbe added.
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