Dermot Weld believes we have yet to see the best from
stable star Free Eagle (High Chaparral) as he plots a route toward Longchamp’s Prix
de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) with the Moyglare
Stud homebred.
A stress fracture of his tibia last year restricted the
four-year-old to only two outings last autumn, a wide margin Group 3 win at
Leopardstown followed by a close third on heavy ground in the Champion S.
(Eng-G1) at Newmarket.
Another absence ensued until Free Eagle’s seasonal
reappearance in the Prince of Wales’s S. (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot, where he got the
better of The Grey Gatsby (Mastercrafstman) by a short head. That form was subsequently shed in good light through the runner-up’s
nice second-place effort against Golden Horn (Cape Cross) in the Eclipse S.
(Eng-G1).
Weld thinks Free Eagle can improve further on his Royal Ascot form.
“We are expecting further progress,” Weld stated. “I had a hold-up
with him just before he won at Royal Ascot, where I thought he put up an
excellent performance in winning the Prince of Wales’s. It was lovely
to win a nice Group 1 with him at Royal Ascot but I think there’s more to
come and, with luck, he can do better in the autumn.”
Weld believes
he is also versatile regards trip.
“I’m not certain what
his best trip is. He’s very good at 10 furlongs as he has a lot of pace,
but I believe he can carry it out over a mile and a half. He’s relaxed
and well balanced and hopefully he’ll be able to run in the Arc.”
Free Eagle will retire to stud at the end of this season and will join
Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) among others at the Irish National
Stud.
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