ZAMBEZI SUN IS CUT FOR ARC AFTER GRAND PRIX DE PARIS
WIN
Article taken from the Racing Post, written by Andrew Scutts
ZAMBEZI SUN'S five-length victory in Saturday night's Juddmonte
Grand Prix de Paris marked him out as a "feasible contender" for
the Arc, in the words of Racing Post handicapper Simon Turner.
While stressing that the Longchamp Group 1 did not generate a
"great deal of excitement from a ratings perspective", Turner added
that Zambezi Sun's promotion to second or third favourite for the
Arc was "understandable".
The Pascal Bary-trained colt's easy victory was not without
controversy, as Zambezi Sun's rider Stephane Pasquier appeared to
lean into Kieren Fallon on Eagle Mountain in order to keep him in a
pocket after three furlongs, a manoeuvre which resulted in Fallon
being jettisoned out of the saddle.
With the Derby runner-up out of the race, Khalid Abdullah's
colthad little trouble in posting a third victory in four
starts.
The stewards held an inquiry but, after lengthy deliberation,
ruled no-one was at fault for the incident which caused Fallon's
tumble.
Paddy Power promoted Zambezi Sun to 11-2 second favourite for
the Arc behind Authorized, though most firms have Rail Link, also
owned by Khalid Abdullah and last year's Grand Prix de Paris and
Arc winner, second best. Ladbrokes go 6-1 the pair.
Turner added: "Zambezi Sun's winning figure of 118 doesn't put
him in the top dozen three-year-olds of the year, but he has a
typical French profile.
"It was a promising run the time before, to be fourth in the
French Derby, and he stepped up on that. He didn't beat a great
deal, but as a stepping stone theGrand Prix de Paris is a
reasonable race.
"It's understandable he's around 6-1 for the Arc, given that
Authorized was beaten last time."
Bary said on Sunday: "Zambezi Sun is fine this morning. He came
out of the race well, with no problems. The Prix Niel in September
should be his next race."
Reflecting on the ease of Saturday night's success, Bary said:
"It was a bit of a strange race, what with the loose horse. Zambezi
Sun was always clear in the straight, while some of the others may
have been troubled by the loose horse."
Looking ahead to Arc trials day and the big race itself, Bary said:
"Zambezi Sun prefers good ground, like he had yesterday. I don't
know who Stephane will ride in the Arc if our horse and Rail Link
come through their trials. We'll have to see about that nearer the
time."
Should Zambezi Sun impress in the Prix Niel, many will expect
Pasquier to stick with Bary's colt in the Arc, given he is probably
more likely than the year-older Rail Link - winner of the 2006 Prix
Niel and scheduled to return from injury in the Prix Foy on
September 16 - to race on next year.
Bary said: "Zambezi Sun is improving. He has run only four times
and may be better next year."
Bary has a second, third and fourth to his name in the Arc, with
Sulamani in 2002 coming closest to success, when beaten
three-quarters of a length by Marienbard. Croco Rouge was fourth in
1998 and third the following year.
Date:
16 July 2007