Of the five Thoroughbred Group 1 winners on Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) undercard at ParisLongchamp, Friendly Soul and Ramatuelle are the likeliest to proceed to the Breeders’ Cup. But others who lost their preps could still travel to Del Mar.
Prix de l’Opera (G1)
George Strawbridge’s homebred Friendly Soul scored a minor upset in the Prix de l’Opera (G1), a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
Working out the best stalking trip with Kieran Shoemark, the sophomore got the jump on her older stablemate from the John and Thady Gosden yard, Running Lion, and held on by three-quarters of a length. Friendly Soul slogged about 1 1/4 miles on the very soft course in 2:07.65 and paid $19.80.
Sparkling Plenty arguably turned in the best effort in defeat, rallying from too far back to take third. Favored Fallen Angel was a one-paced fourth, while the Aidan O’Brien duo of Content and Ylang Ylang ran well below form as the 10th and last, respectively in the 11-horse field.
The top three are all under consideration for the Breeders’ Cup, although Gosden cautioned that the Filly & Mare Turf’s 1 3/8 miles could be a touch far for Friendly Soul.
Friendly Soul is a half-sister to 2014 Opera heroine We Are and two other Group 1 winners, the stayer Call the Wind and miler With You. They are all out of the prolific Group 3 queen In Clover, an Inchinor mare who is also responsible for stakes scorers In Crowd, Dream Clover, and Incahoots (herself the dam of Group 1 vixen Kelina).
By Kingman, Friendly Soul advanced her record to 5-for-6. After beating Kalpana in the May 5 Pretty Polly S. at Newmarket, she trailed as the favorite in the May 15 Musidora (G3). Friendly Soul rebounded when allowed to use her early speed in the Valiant (G3) at Ascot, and she added the Aug. 18 Prix Alec Head (G2) at Deauville to enter Opera calculations.
Prix de la Foret (G1)
Ironically, the Group 1 that wasn’t part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, the Prix de la Foret (G1), may have produced the most compelling contender on the day in Ramatuelle.
Long penciled in for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) by trainer Christopher Head, the Justify filly was nestled just behind the leaders before delivering the coup de grace by three lengths. Aurelien Lemaitre steered the 5-1 chance, who blitzed older males in 1:20.02 for about seven furlongs.
Favored Kinross, the 2022 Foret winner, was runner-up for the second straight year, but beaten more decisively here. Beauvatier closed for third, but Breeders’ Cup candidate Tribalist faded to 10th of 16. Last year’s victress Kelina, the aforementioned “cousin” of Opera winner Friendly Soul, was withdrawn.
Ramatuelle, who is co-owned by a partnership led by former NBA star Tony Parker’s Infinity Nine Horses, was earning an overdue first Group 1 laurel. Last seen placing third in the Coronation (G1) at Royal Ascot, she just missed in the Prix Morny (G1) at two and in the May 5 1000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket. Her 9-4-3-2 resume reflects romps in last season’s Prix du Bois and Prix Robert Papin (G2).
“Ramatuelle is incredible,” Head enthused. “She has a lot of speed. … Her Group 1 victory was a long time in coming, and I’m delighted that it happened during the Arc weekend. She was in exalted company in this race. It’s been a long time since that we’ve had such a deep field such as this. … She’s unique.
“She was able to be covered up, and her jockey was able to do what he wanted. It was crazy! It’s one of my greatest victories. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
Kentucky-bred Ramatuelle inherits more speed from her dam, Raven’s Lady. By beating males in the 2018 Goldene Peitsche (G2), the Raven’s Pass mare ranked as the German highweight sprinter in her demographic.
Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1)
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Camille Pissarro snapped a five-race losing skid in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1), good for a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) as well as 10 points on the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby. Del Mar may not be in the offing, however, for the $26.80 upsetter, who will be laid out for the 2000 Guineas (G1) on the first Saturday in May.
With Ryan Moore on Ballydoyle favorite Henri Matisse, Christophe Soumillon picked up the mount on Camille Pissarro. Both colts are by Wootton Bassett and out of Pivotal mares, but only one lived up to his pedigree by sluicing through the soft going on Sunday.
Anchored at the rear initially, Camille Pissarro angled out wide in the stretch and mowed down Rashabar by a neck. Pacesetter Misunderstood bravely salvaged third from Field of Gold, and Henri Matisse wound up fifth in the nine-horse field.
Camille Pissarro, an approximately $1.58 million Tattersalls October yearling purchase, races for the Coolmore principals and Peter Brant. His Lagardere breakthrough improved his record to 7-2-3-0, including close seconds in the Marble Hill (G3), Anglesey (G3), and Weatherbys Scientific at Doncaster. He was unplaced in the Coventry (G2) behind Rashabar and also in the Gimcrack (G2).
O’Brien self-deprecatingly joked that the trainer has taken a while to figure him out. The master of Ballydoyle believes that Camille Pissarro benefited more from the hold-up tactics than the soft going. This also marked his first try at about seven furlongs, completed in 1:20.58.
Out of the Pivotal mare Entreat, Camille Pissarro is a half-brother to Group 1-winning sprinter Golden Horde, from the further family of Hall of Famer Serena’s Song.
Prix Marcel Boussac (G1)
The biggest shock of the day came in the opener, as the unheralded Vertical Blue nipped odds-on stablemate Zarigana in the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) and returned $67.80. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard appeared as surprised as anyone to see his hitherto unbeaten budding star mugged on the line, venturing that experience was the decisive factor.
At the same time, that experience came at the price of looking exposed. Vertical Blue scored her only prior win in a Clairefontaine conditions race, and she was overturned as the favorite in the Criterium de Lyon in her latest. Indeed, owners Gemini Stud and Argella Racing were seriously entertaining an Arqana sales race before rolling the dice in the Boussac.
As Ballydoyle raider Exactly made a bold bid to go wire-to-wire in the metric mile affair, Zarigana unleashed her late charge in what looked for all the world like a winning move. But in the final strides, Vertical Blue kept coming for an inspired Alexis Pouchin, and the longshot forced her nose in front at the wire in 1:38.60.
While Vertical Blue picked up a pass to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1), it’s uncertain if connections are inclined to press on to Del Mar. Conditions would be vastly different, but the lure might be that she’s a daughter of Mehmas. Her resume now reads 5-2-3-0.
Exactly, another half-length astern in third, could be the type to carry her speed in the Breeders’ Cup. Next came Simmering and Ballydoyle’s better-fancied Bedtime Story, who disappointed for a second straight time.
Prix de l’Abbaye (G1)
Brightwalton Bloodstock’s homebred Makarova hit a new high in her career finale in the Prix de l’Abbaye (G1), sparking a $45.80 payout. The Ed Walker mare drove past favored Bradsell to win by 1 1/4 lengths, with Believing closing belatedly for third.
Makarova, who was recently third to those familiar rivals in the Flying Five (G1), clocked about five furlongs in :56.33 to reverse the form. Another interesting angle to the result involved the jockeys. Makarova’s rider, Tom Marquand, was denying his partner, Hollie Doyle, on Bradsell.
By Acclamation and out of the Sea the Stars mare Vesnina, a descendant of classic-winning champion Russian Rhythm, Makarova has compiled a record of 28-5-6-4. The bay won her first Group race in the July 6 Sprint (G3) at Sandown, where she’d been runner-up a year ago. This term, she placed in the Prix de Saint-Georges (G3) over this course and distance as well as the Sapphire (G2) at the Curragh.
“Makarova is a mare who has often been underestimated,” owner/breeder Jeffrey Hobby said. “After the rains came this morning, we were fairly confident. We knew it wasn’t going to be so easy for Bradsell on this ground. This victory is a very emotional one. I think this could have been her last race.”
Although that would render her Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) ticket moot, Bradsell had already locked up his spot twice over. Trainer Archie Watson is looking forward to getting him back in more suitable conditions at Del Mar, and a similar comment might apply to Believing, who has now chased Bradsell home in three straight Group 1s.
Others to watch coming out of the Abbaye include ninth-placer Starlust, who was clobbered on the inside and bounced off the rail, and 10th Aesop’s Fables from the O’Brien yard. Both finished third in Breeders’ Cup events at Santa Anita last November: Starlust in the Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) and Aesop’s Fables in the Turf Sprint.
