Workforce reaches peak in Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
After nearly 30 years of trying, Sir Michael Stoute finally claimed the prize that he had come so close to before when Workforce won the Group One Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
A field of 19 meant that it was likely to be a rough race and Ryan Moore was in the mid-division, on the rail, as Pouvoir Absolu was sent off in front to set the pace for his stable companion, Planteur.
The first signs of problems came when Midas Touch, who was disputing the lead, started to drop through runners just before the home turn. Several jockeys had to take avoiding action, with Sarafina badly hampered.
Workforce was still in an unpromising situation as the field hurtled into the home straight, probably no better than 12th, but Moore, rode the race of a champion. Moore weaved an intricate path through horses – with many behind him getting in each other’s way – to join Nakayama Festa, the Japanese runner, for a final-furlong battle from which Workforce came through to win a head, with Sarafina running an impressive race in the circumstances in third.
Workforce became only the sixth horse to win both the Derby and the Arc, but rarely has there been a finer training performance form Stoute, who had been second twice with Pilsudski in 1996 and 1997.
Stoute had weaved his magic once with this horse – bringing him back from a poor run in the Dante Stakes in May to win the Derby just three weeks later – but this may have been an even better trick.
After Workforce had flopped in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July, Stoute was forced to go back to square one. He patiently brought the horse back to what he thought was a good enough condition to run, although he left the final decision to the horse’s owner, Prince Khalid Abdullah, aware that another heavy defeat would damage his future potential as a stallion.
Even in the winner’s enclosure, Stoute was still cutting an uneasy figure as he waited for the all-clear from the stewards’ inquiry – which took nearly 20 minutes to exonerate the winner. In what amounted to a bout of equine dodgems, Fame And Glory had been nudged by Planteur which led to a domino effect. The shockwave of that took Lope de Vaga off a true line and brought hampered several others, most notably Youmzain, who was brought to almost a standstill and allowed to come home in his own time by Richard Hughes for whom, after picking up a seven-day suspension the previous evening, it capped a miserable weekend.
Moore has sometimes been called miserable – more likely tunnel-visioned – and he was unaware of any trouble. “Is there an inquiry?” he said. “He was back to his best today. It all got a bit tight but there was half a gap there and he was very brave. Her really quickened into it well and then the Japanese horse kept at him but he just kept doing enough.
“He has a great attitude – and Ascot wasn’t him – that’s the fifth race of his life and he’s won a Derby and an Arc.”
Stoute, looking like he had just run the race of his life, was finally allowing himself to enjoy the moment – although still awaiting the confirmation that Workforce was in the clear with the stewards - as he said: “If you have any ambition from the time you start training you want to win the Arc de Triomphe. We’ve had a lot of horses run particularly well, without doing it, so thrilled. This horse was so impressive on Derby day and the King George performance was inexplicable.
“Ryan blamed himself, he felt that he should have switched him off more, and I think I may have trained him too hard for the race. I said that to Prince Khalid afterwards. I think I was proved right on that – we took a different path this time.”
The irony is that this victory may now have set Workforce on the path to retirement after just five races. Asked about the likelihood of training the horse next season Stoute said: “Well, I don’t know if I’m likely to but I’d love to.”
On any other day Goldikova would have been the star of the show at Longchamp as she broke the record for the number of career Group or Grade One races.
Freddie Head’s mare had been tied on 10 such victories with another mare Miesque, the great miler of the 1980s whom Head rode, but Goldikova stepped out on her own with a victory in the Prix de la Forêt.
A year ago, from a wide draw, Olivier Peslier elected to commit to the lead, over a seven-furlong trip that is below her best, but Goldikova ran far too freely and she finished only third. This time, breaking from a rail-draw, Peslier was in front early but Goldikova had dropped the bit and was relaxed on the lead.
Peslier was equally relaxed, confident enough in the mare not to panic when Adrian Nicholls injected more pace with Regal Parade. Peslier eased Goldikova into a position where he could challenge for the race when he wanted, which was just as Ryan Moore launched d**k Turpin into the fray near the furlong pole.
Richard Hughes was playing his hand late with Paco Boy – who had finished behind Goldikova the two times they met this season. But it was not tactics or ground, but simply a better horse that did for Paco Boy as Goldikova got the win again, with d**k Turpin in third. Paco Boy’s connections said that they will be heading to Churchill Downs next month, for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which means yet another clash with Goldikova.
The mare will be attempting an unprecedented third victory in the race – which Head won twice on Miesque in 1987 and again the following year – and it is hard to see Paco Boy, or any other horse, denying her.
“She’s great, she’s extraordinary – what can you say?” Head said. “I was very scared about the going – I was really touch and go to run – but Olivier rode a great race. But she’s fantastic.”
And Workforce wasn’t too shabby either.
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