An upset of upsets marked the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the blue riband race of the Arc weekend, at the Chantilly racecourse here yesterday.
Neither the pre-Arc favourite, nor any of the closest contenders, came anywhere near. Rather it was the turn of three Irish outsiders to shine in glory in the 5,000,000 euros 16-horse race, run over 2400 metres on the historic course, and all from the same stable.
Found, a four-year-old bay filly by Galileo out of Red Evie, was the surprise winner of the 2016 Arc, leading stablemates Highland Reel and Order of St George for a remarkable one-two-three finish for trainer Aidan O’Brien.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, she trailed early but was always well positioned to mount her challenge. And she did it in the long straight, getting past the pace-setting Vedevani from the Aga Khan stable at the 400m mark and never looked back thereafter.
Arc favourite Postponed, on an unbeaten streak dating back to July 2015, could only finish fifth, while Japan’s Arc jinx continued when their big hope Makahiki hardly threatened in a poor 14th-place finish. Dual Derby hero Harzand, one of the Arc contenders behind Postponed, ended a distant ninth.
“It’s unbelievable… First, second and third in the Arc, it’s just incredible. Words can’t describe it. It’s just amazing,” said Michael Tabor, one of the three owners of the filly. “This is the time of the year for her. We knew we had a chance, but this is the Arc… it feels so unreal.”
Found’s trainer O’Brien was over the moon. “I’m so delighted for everyone. I couldn’t have imagined anything higher in my career than this. After all, this is the Arc… I still feel it’s a dream. She has run over a mile-and-a-half only four times before and she has been unlucky this season, with so many close second-place finishes. We came here very hopeful and had our eye on this for a long time,” the 46-year-old Irish trainer said.
“It’s a great feeling to saddle the first three home in an Arc, there’s not much to beat it, but it’s all down to a fantastic team effort. And what makes it amazing is that they are all by Galileo...it’s indeed a privilege to be here,” he added.
Fifth-placed Postponed’s trainer Roger Varian said he was surprised to see him not being able to quicken up at the right time. “(Jockey) Andrea (Atzeni) said he felt great going to the post, but after breaking well he was trapped three wide early on and couldn’t get in. It meant he met the big bend on the wrong lead and then he didn’t quicken up like he can. It’ a big disappointment as we went in hoping we would win, but the main thing is we still have a horse to go to war with and we can take him home and see how he comes out of this.”
Runner-up in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, Coronation Cup, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Yorkshire Oaks and Irish Champion Stakes on her last five starts, Found finally got her head in front when it mattered the most to end her bridesmaid’s tag in Europe’s richest race.
She had proved her quality at the age of two, winning her maiden race on her very first start in August 2014, and then ran directly into the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in September. She finished well in third place, despite her lack of experience. She then went to Longchamp for the Total Prix Marcel Boussac (Group 1), winning by over two lengths in a race that brings together all the best two-year-old French and European fillies. Since May this year, she has been successively place second.
It was time to end the jinx and she couldn’t have asked for a better occasion to do that.