Looking back, the decision was an easy one: Bluestocking had won a 1 ½-mile Group 1 race against fillies at Longchamp on Sept. 15, so why not take on the boys in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at the same track over the same distance three weeks later?
Voila!
After owner Juddmonte Farm ponied up a $125,000 supplemental entry fee earlier in the week, Bluestocking made it pay off big time Sunday with a 1 1/4-length victory over Aventure in the $5.5 million Arc, one of the most prestigious races in the world.
Bluestocking. Scoop Dyga Photo.
Bluestocking conquers the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
British trainer Ralph Beckett was elated: “She is an extraordinary beast,’’ he told ITV Racing.
Bluestocking, a 4-year-old filly ridden by Rossa Ryan, broke from post three in a full field of 16 and settled in behind Aidan O’Brien-trained pacesetter Los Angeles. As they rounded the final bend into the stretch, Bluestocking took the lead with about a quarter mile to go, then held off fellow filly Aventure, with Los Angeles finishing third. Sosie was fourth.
The turf course was soft as it rained early but let up as the day carried on with a total of five Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In’’ races. Bluestocking earned a fees-paid automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) on No. 2 at Del Mar.
The Arc was marred by a serious injury to Haya Zark just before the halfway point.
While it was a record seventh Arc victory for Juddmonte, Beckett and Rossa became Arc winners for the first time.
“It’s a dream. I went through the form and thought she could be very competitive – she had won one of the strongest Vermeilles and she didn’t let me down,’’ Rossa, a 24-year-old Irishman, said. “They say a horse can really change your life, and she has done (that).
“Turning in, she came alive underneath me and it’s hard to stop a train. I owe everything to Ralph and the team – they deserve all the credit. To do it on this stage is what it’s all about.”
Bluestocking went off at 11-2, while Sosie was the 10-3 favorite. Sevenna’s Knight finished fifth, followed by Zarakem, Survie, Delius, Fantastic Moon, Sunway, Al Riffa, Shin Emperor, Look De Vega, Mqse De Sevigne, and Continuous.
Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “It’s absolutely amazing, the job Ralph has done with this filly all year has been unreal. It’s unbelievable, what a filly … It’s a brilliant day. She had a perfect trip the whole way round, Rossa had it all planned in his head. He was going to be handy … and at the top of the straight I thought it was going to take a good one to beat her.”
While there was much discussion about a Sosie-Look De Vega rematch, or whether Japan would win its first Arc, the race came down to England-bred 4-year-old filly Bluestocking, a word defined in the Cambridge dictionary as an intelligent and well-educated woman.
Four more “Win and You’re In” race results Longchamp:
In the other “Win and You’re In’’ races, all Group 1s, with their corresponding Breeders’ Cup berths in parentheses: Makarova won the Prix de l’Abbaye (BC Turf Sprint); Friendly Soul took the Prix de l’Opera (BC Filly & Mare Turf); Vertical Blue won the Prix Marcel Boussac-Criterium des Pouliches (BC Juvenile Fillies Turf); and Camille Pissaro won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (BC Juvenile Turf).
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
