Jockey Thierry Jarnet rides Al Shaqab Racing’s Treve to an emphatic win the Prix Corrida at the Saint-Cloud racecourse in Paris on Friday.
Agencies/Paris
Al Shaqab Racing’s wonder mare Treve set out on the road to an unprecedented third Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with an impressive victory on her eagerly-awaited return in the Prix Corrida at the Saint-Cloud racecourse in Paris on Friday.
Making her first public appearance since defying her critics with a resounding second success in the Longchamp showpiece in October, trainer Criquette Head-Maarek’s five-year-old champion delighted connections as she raced away to a comprehensive victory in style.
After a smart start, Treve was reined back by jockey Thierry Jarnet as stablemate Silvaplana adopted a pace setting role in the Group II contest over an extended mile and a quarter.
Having travelled strongly throughout, sporting the famous silks of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, Treve moved closer to the front from the home turn and once let down by Jarnet, quickly asserted, with her trademark acceleration seeing her bound clear a furlong out.
Jarnet only had to keep riding Treve, with hands and heels to pull relentlessly clear of last season’s Prix de l’Opera winner We Are and win by a widening margin of four lengths. “I am delighted,” Head-Marek said. “I have to be. She has done everything I thought she would and she will improve a lot from the run because she spent three months on the farm during the winter and hadn’t run since last October.”
“Thierry said she was very relaxed throughout the race and I could tell from the look on his face when he came back in that he is as thrilled as I am. To see a five-year-old mare do what she did today is quite something and tells us we might have much to look forward to in her buildup to the Arc.”
That buildup will continue next on June 28, when Treve will return for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. She should be better again over that longer trip of a mile and a half but she may need to be, as Cirrus Des Aigles is expected to line up against her in what will surely be billed as the mare’s big chance for revenge.
If it comes off, it will be a race to witness, although Cirrus Des Aigles’ most recent outing was rather a non-event when one of his shoes snapped in half and he trailed home last. Between them the pair have won more than £11 million, both having put together the kind of extended careers normally associated with jumpers. Under current plans Treve would then have one more run, in September’s Prix de Vermeille, before the Arc on October 4.
The trainer confirmed the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 28 would be next on the agenda. “It was important that she ran well but it was a preparation for tougher races ahead and now our attention is set on the Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud at the end of next month,” said Head-Maarek.
“She will appreciate moving up to a mile and a half. To see a five-year-old mare do what she did today is quite something, and tells us we might have much to look forward to in her build up to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October.”
Sheikh Joaan’s racing manager, Harry Herbert, said: “It’s fantastic to see her do out there on the track today what she’s been doing on the gallops. In fact it’s almost a bonus at this time of year. The rest has done her the power of good. We couldn’t really have hoped for anything more and Criquette is adamant she will improve.”
Jockey Jarnet said: “She’s been working very well so I was expecting a good performance. It’s encouraging for the future.”
Criquette Head-Maarek’s brilliant mare looked set to be retired after successfully defending her crown in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp last October. But Sheikh Joaan sportingly decided to bring her back for another campaign in the hope she can become the first horse to win Europe’s premier middle-distance event three times.
Treve defeated Orfevre in winning the 2013 Arc and returned in the 2014 edition to beat Flintshire by two lengths. She has indicated her willingness to strike with an emphatic victory on her return to the race track. She is well on track for a deserved hat-trick, which is unlikely ever to be rewritten.