ENGLISH TEXTS
5 with the aim of preparing her for the Arc . She ’ s a big mare , who has obviously strengthened up well at 4 and even more so at 5 . Her pedigree is not incompatible with such a goal . And she has already had the opportunity to prove herself over the Arc trip , albeit without success .’’
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JÉRÔME REYNIER ’ S THREE ACES
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By Cédric Philippe
Jérôme Reynier is 38 years old and even though his planned association with Jean-Claude Rouget fell through , he has established himself this year as one of the leading trainers in France . Two years ago , for the first time , his Calas stable passed the 100-win mark in France , but it is also on the international scene that the Frenchman , a graduate of Darley ’ s Flying Start programme , has made his mark , and it is again outside of France that he intends to ride this Mediterranean wave , with three exceptional charges ...
Zarakem « We were thinking about the Qatar Prix de l ’ Arc de Triomphe very early in the season for Zarakem . As soon as he won the Prix d ’ Harcourt ( Gr2 ) on April 7th on very testing ground . He confirmed that potential on good ground at Royal Ascot ( 2nd in the Prince of Wales ’ s Stakes-Gr1 , June 19th ). He hasn ’ t raced over further than 2,100 metres this season , but he was successful over the Classic distance last year . And I honestly have no doubts about his stamina . He can deal with any ground conditions , appreciating a strong pace and the Longchamp course . He ticks a lot of boxes . This will be my second runner in the Arc de Triomphe after Royal Julius , who ran in 2020 ( 10th ). We ’ re going there with ambition but without pressure , on a traditional and classic preparation , with a gallop on the grass at Borely , eight days before the race . Finally , he ’ s a colt and many excellent horses these days are geldings and therefore not allowed to run in this prestigious race . A frustration concerning geldings that I have experienced with quite a few of my best horses , like Facteur Cheval and Lazzat .»
Facteur Cheval « He obviously gave us immense pleasure at Meydan by winning the Dubai Turf ( Gr1 ) on March 30th . He then confirmed his quality and potential without always having favourable race conditions . Like at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne Stakes , when he pulled a shoe coming out of the stalls and raced on his own throughout . So we can ’ t blame him . As for his latest run in the Sussex Stakes ( Gr1 ), he didn ’ t disgrace himself on ground that was a bit quick for him . He has nothing to be ashamed of in that performance . He has an entry at Ascot in mid-October or we will try an American adventure with the Breeders ’ Cup Classic which could also be an option . It was certainly only morning work but at Meydan , he had a very good action and was particularly pleasing on the dirt . It is possible that his owners will be tempted by this magnificent American race .»
Lazzat « All year long he has been incredible , pushing his limits with each race and success . His most recent victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest ( Gr1 , August 4th ), facing older horses and the cream of European sprinters , was his most emphatic . Ridden offensively , he didn ’ t even look at them , so to speak . If he had been a colt , we would naturally have aimed him at the Prix de la Forêt ( Gr1 ) with a view to his stallion career . But as Lazzat is a gelding , the doors to these races remain closed . A small personal point : I find the prize money for this Prix de la Forêt insufficient . Because offering a little less than 200,000 euros to the winner of a race of such a level and with such a global reach seems paltry . Lazzat is scheduled to run in Australia in early November in a Group 1 over 1,200 metres . It ’ s a very exciting prospect for many reasons . The logistics are very complicated for this race , however . His quarantine in Newmarket started on September 26th . It runs until October 13th . Then he will fly to Australia . He will arrive on October 15th for another two weeks of quarantine . He will be ‘ released ’ only three days before the race as the competition , the Golden Eagle , is scheduled for November 2nd . It is a race over 1,500 metres on a straight course with no traps , a bend that is taken twice and a 400-metre straight . There will probably be a lot of runners and the race promises to be a fast one . We know that the horse has a lot of natural speed and has no problem with the 1,500 metres . It is a long journey and a drastic change of environment . We deliberately made him spend the whole month of August in Deauville to see how he would adapt over time to this upheaval in his daily life and he did very well . Besides , this Deauville meeting , away from Calas , has made him mature a lot , in my opinion .»
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