Rivals Rise To Ka Ying Challenge, Arc Picture Clears

Everest And Arc Dominate Weekend Of Trials

There’s no getting away from the reality that The Everest looms large over Hong Kong and Sydney this weekend with Ka Ying Rising stepping out at Sha Tin for his lead-up to the big race and a couple of his expected rivals for the world’s richest sprint clashing around Randwick’s turning 1200 metres. 

Jimmysstar and Lady Shenandoah – Group 1 winners both – will use the G3 Concorde Stakes to flex ahead of the anticipated contest with the world’s top-rated sprinter on October 18.

Melbourne can’t avoid The Everest either. On Saturday the G1 Moir Stakes could shed light on the big sprint’s pecking order as Jedibeel runs in the colours of Everest slot holder Mulberry Racing.   

European sprinting is the poor relation right now, but France’s Lazzat takes Australian form to the party in Britain again on Saturday. Last year’s Golden Eagle second and subsequent Royal Ascot winner will likely line up as a warm favourite for the G1 Sprint Cup at Haydock. 

But the weekend really is all about what lies ahead and Paris on Sunday will have a full-on dress rehearsal when Longchamp stages three trials for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe: the G1 Prix Vermeille, G2 Prix Foy and G2 Prix Niel. 

The winners of those races between them have gone on to win 12 of the last 30 Arcs and last year’s heroine Bluestocking came out of the fillies and mares-only Prix Vermeille, which on Sunday could feature Coolmore’s dual Group 1 winner Whirl and the French filly Aventure, second last year in this race and in the Arc itself.

Aventure’s trainer Christophe Ferland told Idol Horse he was pleased with the filly’s second last time at Saint-Cloud behind one of Europe’s star colts, the subsequent King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Calandagan, and that the Arc is the focus.

“She’s been going the right way all season,” Ferland said. “The ground was a bit fast last time and Calandagan is a fantastic horse who proved it a couple of weeks later in England, so it was no problem to be second to a horse like that.

“Aventure is the same all year round but the softer ground at this time of year doesn’t bother her at all. She’s a very nice filly with a lot of character, she’s unique and it’s fantastic to deal with her every day.”

The Prix Foy for older horses is no stranger to Japanese participation: Orfevre won it back-to-back and four years ago Deep Bond won the prep. Now it’s Byzantine Dream’s turn to try, for trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi.

But in a race that is often a sit-and-sprint, having peak form over 3000m and beyond, as Byzantine Dream showed when successful in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Riyadh and second in the Tenno Sho Spring, isn’t the best credential.

The three-year-olds have the Prix Niel, the key trial through the 1990s into the 2000s but the winner hasn’t gone on to win the Arc since 2006. Sunday’s contest features the Grand Prix de Paris winner Leffard and French Derby second Cualificar.

Also on the Longchamp card is the G1 Prix du Moulin, which looks set to bring together top milers Henri Matisse, Rosallion, Lead Artist and Dancing Gemini. Henri Matisse returns to the scene of his French Guineas victory.

And over in Germany three old warrior geldings that could have the Hong Kong Vase on their radars, Rebel’s Romance, Dubai Honour and Goliath, will clash with the German Derby winner Hochkonig in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, a race that has produced the Arc winners Torquator Tasso, Danedream and Marienbard this century.  

Seoul’s Breeders’ Cup Hook

Seoul’s sand box of a racetrack feels a long way removed from sunny Del Mar, but the Korea Cup and Korea Sprint both offer ‘win and you’re in’ berths to the Breeders’ Cup at the Southern California venue the first weekend in November. 

The Korean Racing Association’s flagship international contests have a familiar feel with Chancheng Glory and Self Improvement from Hong Kong plus a handful from Japan taking on the locals on Sunday.

Jerry Chau jetted across to Seoul on Wednesday evening to ride both Hong Kong runners. The last time a Hong Kong-trained horse won in Korea was 2016 when Super Jockey slammed his rivals in the Sprint for Karis Teetan and retired trainer Tony Millard.

Dura Erede is the most familiar runner internationally, given the Korea Cup entrant’s G1 win in Japan as a juvenile and fifth-place in the 2024 G1 Dubai World Cup; Japan’s greatest jockey Yutaka Take is booked to ride Chikappa in the Korea Sprint.  

Japan has dominated the two races overall and that fact was emphasised when Remake won the Sprint the last two years and compatriot Crown Pride did the same in the Cup.

Meanwhile, a little closer to California at Kentucky Downs on Saturday three British-trained runners will join the locals to chase purses upwards of US$2 million close to the Tennessee state line. 

Among those trans-Atlantic raiders is the recent Goodwood winner Tabiti in the G2 Music City Stakes. Frankie Dettori is booked to ride for trainer Ralph Beckett who captured the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last year with the outsider Starlust.  

Global Blackbook

Willie Mullins is renowned for his prowess at all levels of the sport, on both the flat and over jumps, but the Irish maestro took his versatility to another level at The Curragh when two-year-old Thread Of Gold won on debut last month. Thread Of Gold was Mullins’ first juvenile debutant winner since Blue Bullet won at Cork in 2012 – but the trainer is already looking toward the gelding developing into a Melbourne Cup contender in the years ahead.

A son of Ghaiyyath, Thread Of Gold has the pedigree to be a Melbourne Cup candidate; his dam Woven Lace is a half-sister to Waitress, the dam of 2018 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter, and Miss Kenton, who produced 2021 Melbourne Cup fourth Floating Artist. Owned by Mullins’ wife Jackie for his debut, he has since been purchased by American outfit Team Valor.

This week in world racing history

The runners lining up for this weekend’s Grosser Preis von Baden can thank their lucky stars that the race nowadays is over 2400m and that they’re not faced with a rival as prodigious as Kincsem. The race distance was 3200m when the great Hungarian mare went to post on September 2, 1879 against three others. She won, of course, taking her tally to 51 without defeat. 

That was Kincsem’s third straight victory in the Baden-Baden feature and was to be the last time she raced outside of Hungary, rounding off her career with three more wins, two by walkover.  

A walkover looked to be on the cards for Man O’War 41 years later when his only remaining rival scratched from the Lawrence Realization Stakes at Belmont Park on September 4, 1920. But Hoodwink was hastily added to the field, enabling ‘Big Red’ to put on an incredible show.

Man O’War was allowed to roll along at will and finished with an official winning margin of 100 lengths, setting a world record time for the mile and five-eighths distance of two minutes 40 and 4/5 of a second.  

Idol Horse Reads Of The Week

If Yutaka Take can land himself a win in Seoul this weekend he’ll guarantee a trip to this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. Last year Idol Horse caught up with the iconic rider on the California track’s backstretch as he spoke about why a Del Mar Breeders’ Cup win would be so special.

David Morgan

Take Hopes For An ‘Awesome’ California Dream

With all the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe focus, now would be a good time to reflect on last year’s Longchamp feature: the thrill of that first victory for Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan, and what another defeat for Japan looked and felt like.

Arc Curse

Japan’s Longchamp Pain Continues As Bluestocking Claims Arc

And to wrap it up, Adam Pengilly’s recent profile of Zac Lloyd is highly recommended. Lloyd is a young jockey going places if he can find that fine balance where arrogance and confidence meet to create a champion’s mindset.

“You’ve Got To Have Confidence”: Zac Lloyd Rides The Fine Line

World Racing Calendar: What’s Coming Up

🇦🇺 Makybe Diva Stakes Day
September 13
G1 Makybe Diva Stakes (IHFA-rated equal 29th)

A clash awaits between two of Australia’s best horses in Via Sistina and Treasurethe Moment – and both are owned by Zhang Yuesheng’s Yulong Investments. Via Sistina’s worst Australian performance came in this race last year behind Mr Brightside while it has been 12 months since Treasurethe Moment tasted defeat, although she only made her first start against older horses in taking the Memsie Stakes first-up. Other Group 1 winners bound for the race include Antino and Tom Kitten.

🇮🇪 Irish Champion Stakes Day
September 13
G1 Irish Champion Stakes (IHFA-rated 8th)

Juddmonte International winner Ombudsman has been ruled out of the G1 Irish Champion Stakes in favour of a campaign targeting the Breeders’ Cup Turf and the Japan Cup. That means his middle distance rival – Eclipse Stakes hero Delacroix – will likely start a hot favourite to give Aidan O’Brien his 13th victory in the Leopardstown feature. Standing in his way is Japanese raider Shin Emperor, who finished third to Economics in this race last year. The card also features the G1 Matron Stakes for mares among six stakes races.

🇮🇪 Irish St. Leger Day
September 14
G1 Irish St Leger (IHFA-rated equal 46th)

The G1 Irish St Leger over a mile and six furlongs is one of the Curragh’s most famous races. Aidan O’Brien has won this race seven times since 2007 and he may be represented by last year’s English St Leger quinella Jan Brueghel and Illinois. O’Brien’s Joseph, who has never won the race as a trainer but won it once as a jockey, may send out the Melbourne-bound Al Riffa. The G1 Flying Five Stakes will see Australian mare Asfoora aim for a third European Group 1 win, while the juveniles will go for glory in the G1 Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

🇯🇵 Sprinters Stakes
28 September
G1 Sprinters Stakes (IHFA-rated equal 89th)

Joao Moreira has been the most successful jockey in Japanese Group 1 races this year and he returns to maintain his partnership with Satono Reve in the G1 Sprinters Stakes. Unraced since Royal Ascot, Satono Reve is seeking to become the first horse since Fine Needle in 2018 to win both of Japan’s Group 1 sprints – the Takamatsunomiya Kinen and the Sprinters Stakes – in the same year. Hong Kong last won the race 15 years ago with Ultra Fantasy and veteran Lucky Sweynesse is set to make the trip after he returns in this weekend’s HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup at Sha Tin. The G2 Centaur Stakes at Hanshin this Sunday will also serve as a prep race for Toshin Macau and Mama Cocha heading towards the feature.

🇩🇪 Preis von Europa
28 September
G1 Preis von Europa (IHFA-rated equal 75th)

Rebel’s Romance has won the G1 Preis von Europa two of the last three years, using it as a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup Turf. That is set to be the case again in 2025, with Godolphin’s flagbearer the headline act among 32 early entries for the feature. Sunday’s Grosser Preis von Baden is likely to unveil further candidates, including another potential Breeders’ Cup runner in Goliath, while last year’s Hardwicke Stakes winner Isle Of Jura – who has not raced since – is an intriguing entry. ∎