Longchamp Arc Meeting / Geoffrey Riddle / 02 October 2011 / Leave a Comment

On the biggest day of the European flat racing season, Geoffrey Riddle has crossed the Channel and is in position at Longchamp to bring you all the latest trackside news, views and race results. If you want to get in touch email me at theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com or get in touch on Twitter at: @louchepunter

Well folks, the night is beginning to bruise and I've got to get home. Danedream showed us something special here today, and Graham Cunningham was kind enough to share with me that only Ribot, Sea Bird and Sakhee have won the Arc by more than the five lengths by which the German filly scored today.

She also broke the track record and owner Heiko Volz has said that the ultimate aim for him is to win the Arc once again so get those bets on....

Prix l'Opera result:
1: Nahrain
2: Announce
3: Banimpire
Frankie Dettori wins by the skin of his teeth for the second time this afternoon by denying Announce on the line. Announce traded at [1.04]while backers could have got [11.0] on the winner.

4.25pm:
Neil Callan won the Arab race on Areej, if anyone is interested. In doing so, the British jockey picked up €250,000, which, if I remember rightly, is the same amount as the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot is worth.

4.15pm:
While the Arabian World Cup was being run, Heiko Volz, the owner of Danedream, was outlining how he had bought his filly for a mere €9,000.

"My agent called up and said that he found a good filly in the breeze up," said the German. "I asked our trainer and he said it was a solid horse but nothing more so we did not want to invest too much. She was only meant to be a fun horse. We didn't know she would become such a racehorse."

3.45pm:
Danedream's trainer, Peter Schiergen, was amazed in the winners' enclosure at his filly's five-length romp in the Arc just now.

"It is the greatest feeling in my life. She is a fantastic filly," he said. "I had a good feeling before the race. She was an easy winner in Group 1s in Germany the last two times. She travelled well and I am stunned."

"It is a big boost for German trainers. It is a big day for us."

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe result:
1: Danedream
2: Shareta
3: Snow Fairy

3.10pm:
German trainer had no qualms with the going as his horse went out to the track. "I think she is in good form and I hope she can run very well," he said.

"She won on soft ground last time, of course, but the ground was good when she won her other Group One. I don't think the ground matters to her.

"I think she has drawn a good number in two."

3pm:
Have you made up your mind yet? No me, neither. Most years I can narrow the Arc down to a handful of runners, but this year I think virtually every runner has a fair chance. With that in mind, I'm going to lay Sarafina.

Timeform rate her behind So You Think, Snow Fairy and last year's winner Workforce. Only Sakhee and Dalakhani have won from a wide draw in recent times and although she is a hold up horse she could really struggle form there. If there is a gap, such as the one she went through when winning here last month she is liable to be barged out of the way by the brutish-looking So You Think.
With the soft-ground loving Dream Ahead scoring here a moment ago it proves that the track is not rattling fast, which also brings in Reliable Man into the equation. Throw in Nakayama Festa, who finished ahead of Sarafina last season and the dangerous filly Danedream and there are grounds for thinking the betting should be about 9-1 the field.

2.45pm:
Khalifa Dasmal admitted a moment ago that he had sold most of Dream Ahead to Ballylinch stud in Ireland and the colt is unlikely to run again.

A spokesman for Ballylinch stated that perhaps Dream Ahead might run in Hong Kong or at the Breeders Cup, but the colt will not run next season.

For those of you who have not heard of Ballylinch Stud before, they claim to be ireland's Premier Horse Stud Farm. So Coolmore might have something to say about that...

Prix de la Foret result:
1: Dream Ahead
2: Goldikova
3: Surfrider

2.12pm:
So this is it then. Goldikova's last race in France. What a sad moment. She's odds-on to make this her 16th Group 1 success, and despite John Gosden's comments the going must have gone against Dream Ahead, who is out to [5.5].

Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere result:
1: Dabirsim
2: So Fast
Dabirsim notches Frankie Dettori's 500th Group winner, but it was a close run thing. The Italian raider Salure looked to have pinched the race, but through an idiosyncratic style of racing, or mistaking the false winning post here, the jockey seemed to miss a beat 100m from home.

Salure was matched at as low as [1.62] at that point, but Dettori needed no second invitation and began to thread a path to victory on the inside rail. Dabirsim was matched at as big as [18.0] in-running.

1.50pm:
Timeform rate Dabirsim at 133, with improvement expected. It is a rating that would have been good enough to win the last five Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere. It is no surprise therefore to see that the mount of Frankie Dettori trades at [1.55] on Betfair. Short, but sweet.

1.40pm
John Gosden was clearly not a layer in-running of Zantenda.

"It was amazing that the favourite didn't get there on the fair rail," he said.
Elusive Kate drifted towards the middle of the track but Gosden blamed it on the contours of Longchamp.

Gosden intimated that Elusive Kate would go to the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, and her price for next year's 1,000 Guineas has halved. She's priced at around 8-1 for Newmarket.

For those of you who have backed soft ground horses in the Arc, Gosden was quick to allay fears of lightening quick going.

"I think the ground is perfect. I walked the course this morning. I think it is truly good ground, but by Arc time it might be just on the faster side of that.

Prix Marcel Boussac result:
1: Elusive Kate
2: Fire Lily
3: Zantenda
A victory for Timeform ratings. I highlighted that Zantenda was too short in the betting and so it proved when Olivier Peslier's mount was traded at as short as [1.21] to be beaten by two fillies rated higher than her.

It is a curious price, because she never really looked like winning on the rail and on the television pictures here they have a line across the screen at each 100m which shows that Elusive Kate was up on the other side of the track.

1.05pm:
Good old Tom Eaves. The winning jockey of the Prix l'Abbaye can scarcely believe he's won at the highest level.
"It's my first Group 1," said the jockey of Tangerine Trees' win. "It's still sinking in. I hoped for a result like that. I think that is all I can do in a race like that. It's an amazing place."

Trainer Brian Smart was not here to witness his second Group 1 success after Sil Sila's win tin eh 1996 Prix Diane as his father is ill at home.

12.56pm:
Zantenda is the hot favourite in the Prix Marcel Boussac, up next. Freddie Head's charge trades at [2.56] on Betfair but on Timeform ratings she's got a lot to do.

The ratings service has her on a perch of 122, with improvement expected, but Yellow Rosebud is on the same mark and Elusive Kate and Fire Lilly are rated higher.

It is possibly the reason why Godolphin thought they would chance their arm and supplement Falls Of Lorra, who intriguingly will be ridden by Kieren Fallon despite the presence of Frankie Dettori here.

Prix l'Abbaye result:
1: Tangerine Trees
2: Secret Asset
3: Sole Power
Graham Cunningham strikes for Betting.Betfair readers! To give GC his credit, Tangerine Trees never really looked like losing. He barely traded above the price he was sent off at and little else got into the race.
Sole Power made a late bid in the final 100 yards and was matched at as low as [2.14]. but that really was about it.

12.35pm:
It seems the evergreen Kasbah Bliss will have another crack at the Prix du Cadran next year.
"At nine years old he is as good as ever," Francois Doumen, the trainer of Kasbah Bliss, has just said. "Mosse [the jockey] got off and said he won so easily. It was as if he was cantering in the morning. It has to be a case of see you again next year."

12.29pm:
The Prix l'Abbaye is up next. It has been farmed recently by British sprinters who have taken the five furlong charge in eight of the past nine seasons.

It is a race that has regularly gone to the more lightly-raced horses, which would be a worry for Margot Did and Prohibit backers who have been on the go all season. The fresh-faced youth of Whizz Kid has attracted a lot of money, and Robert Collett's three-year-old is duelling with Margot Did to be second favourite on Betfair right now.

Remember, Graham Cunningham has gone for Tangerine Trees.

12.22pm
The Longchamp clerk of the course has just said that the going is officially good, although he did add that it was "conducive to speed." I think that translates as good to firm.

Prix du Cadran result:
1: Kasbah Bliss
2: Tres Rock Danon
3: Ley Hunter
Gerald Mosse conjures up a late run from old stager Kasbah Bliss to take the opener. The favourite Brigatin came with a rattling run but was only matched at as low as [2.5]. It was an extraordinary run by Tres Rock Danon, who set most of the pace, but stayed on admirably to take second. Considering he was matched at a high of [60.0] he rewarded back-to-lay specialists by trading as low as [4.0].

Noon:
It's absolutely sweltering here. The runners are in the parade ring for the first race, the punishing Prix du Cadran over 4,000m, or 2m4f to you guys in Britain.

Imagine having to run that far in 30c? It doesn't bear thinking about what these horses have to go through.

For those who are still to get to grips with the vagaries of Japanese form (and let's be honest, that's most of us) Gentoo, last year's Cadran winner, subsequently went on to finish seven lengths behind Hiruno D'Armour, the Japanese horse, in May.

Hiruno D'Amour has been well backed for the Arc, especially after the Seagull tipped it up in his Pricewise column today.

11.30am:
Bienvenue a Longchamp everybody. The band Green Day sang Wake Me Up When September Ends and here we are on the first weekend of October for the best flat card in the world.

Seven Group 1 thoroughbred races are staged on the card here and if Arabians do it for you then the Qatar Arabian World Cup is also run at the highest level.

The Betting.Betfair analysts have been hard at work the past week and first up check out Graham Cunningham's best bets. The maestro hasn't been overly dogmatic about the Arc itself, but he's highlighted a a few select bet on the undercard.

It's Timeform's role to have an opinion and although the first three home last year in Europe's middle-distance championship all re-oppose this afternoon the respected ratings service rates another runner the most likely winner. To read their runner-by-runner guide click here:

Finally if you are still in a muddle about who is going to win the big one, Timeform's Flat editor, Jamie Lynch believes it is time to think straight....

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