RAIL LINK VICTORY LEAVES SPORT IN AWE OF FABRE
THE Japanese poured into Longchamp in awe of one horse but found
a sport in awe of one trainer after Andre Fabre clinched an
extraordinary seventh Arc triumph on Sunday.
The level of fanaticism for Deep Impact had to be seen to be
believed. An army of over 3,000 supporters had flown 6,000 miles in
anticipation of only one outcome, sending their hero off the 1-2
favourite in a massive gamble on the French tote.
Deep Impact overcame the two other giants in the field,
Hurricane Run and Shirocco, but was ultimately floored by Fabre’s
third string, the three-year-old colt Rail Link, who turned the
accepted world order on its head by resisting the mare Pride to
claim the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Lucien Barriere.
Tears fell for Deep Impact, but there were cheers for the Khalid
Abdullah-owned-and-bred Rail Link who, under jockey Stephane
Pasquier, maintained his handler’s vice-like grip on Europe’s
premier Flat race.
In victory Rail Link, who is set to stay in training next
season, became the tenth runner in the last 13 renewals of the Prix
Niel to use that trial as a pit stop before the big one, and
maintained recent three-year-old supremacy in joining the likes of
Dalakhani, Bago and Hurricane Run in recent years.
After riding only the second Group 1 winner of his career,
Pasquier was almost apologetic. “I know we beat the three older
horses but the Arc is very often a race for the three-year-olds,”
he said. “Today youth won, David beat Goliath.
“I hid behind Deep Impact, waiting for him to start his run, and
when he did I started mine as well. Deep Impact is a very good
horse who has won most of his races until now. I am sorry for the
Japanese and I hope they come again.”
Despite connections’ belief in Rail Link’s talent, few expected
the winner to emerge from outside the trio of Deep Impact,
Hurricane Run and Shirocco.
Yet when the race unfolded, only the Japanese colt had a whiff
of victory. The cries went up from the stands when Yutaka Take made
his surge forward halfway up the straight, but Pasquier had the
move covered. He collared the Japanese superstar almost immediately
and edged ahead to record a neck win with Pride finishing late to
snatch second from Deep Impact - suffering only his second defeat
in 12 starts - by half a 0length. Hurricane Run, held up in
traffic at one point, ran on again to fill fourth but Shirocco, who
had turned for home in second, dropped right back to finish last,
one place behind Sixties Icon.
Fabre always reckoned Rail Link was a top-quality performer but
inevitably all the pre-race attention for his team was focussed on
Hurricane Run and Shirocco.
“The Japanese runner is a world-class horse and we saw Heart’s
Cry run so well at Ascot,” said Fabre. “Of course he was the horse
to beat.
“The ability has always been there in Rail Link but no-one knew
whether he could beat the older horses. He was a laid-back, big
horse. We always knew he was good. He won all his races unextended.
He is a Group 1 winner of the Grand Prix de Paris so ought to run
in the Arc.
“You have to match the generations against each other. I fancied
all three of them but the race is the race. It is always a big
reward for an owner-breeder like Prince Khalid to win this race
with a three-year-old. The horse is finished for the season now.
Shirocco probably didn’t have the ideal race and Hurricane Run got
boxed in on the rail.”
Prince Khalid decided not to travel to Paris having arrived late
back from the United States on Saturday night and watched his first
Arc victory since Dancing Brave’s triumph 20 years earlier on
television.
His racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: “I don’t think we
expected to win but we were very hopeful. He is a slow-maturing
horse. His career began inauspiciously when he unshipped his jockey
but he has progressed brilliantly.
“This win proves Rail Link is the best three-year-old. He has
beaten the three greatest racehorses in the world, the Japanese
horse, last year’s Arc winner Hurricane Run and the outstanding
Breeders’ Cup winner Shirocco. It would be a brave man who put
another horse in front of him. He has had five quite hard races now
and has probably done enough for this year.
“The stud stands his sire DANSILI, we have two generations of the
female line, bred and race Danehill, DANSILI'S sire, so this is a huge success
for Juddmonte.”
Date:
02 October 2006