Equinties - AlpiniSTAR

Gm Equinauts 

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Now, let's dive in.

L’Arc Preview

Longchamp really delivered yesterday. Banger after banger, the best horses racing and the best horses winning. Here are the three best bits from yesterday’s action

The Plot King landed Europe’s biggest race

We start with one of the best moments this flat season has seen. Sir Mark Prescott finally got his hands on the Gr1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe yesterday as his wonder mare ALPINISTA won the £4.2 million contest in bottomless conditions under a mustard ride from Luke Morris. 

The five-year-old by FRANKEL, handing her sire his first victory in the Arc, travelled all over the 20-strong field 300m from home and kicked on to hold off the fast-advancing VADENI and last year’s winner TORQUATOR TASSO – yesterday also showed that TORQUATOR TASSO is a proper horse having run brilliantly in two consecutive Arcs, this time from stall 18.  

As the rain came down before the off, so did the price of ALPINISTA – she was as big as 6/1 in the morning before going off a well-backed 33/10 when the flag dropped. 

Ice cold as always, seeing SMP finally land the big one after years of trying is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face, as it did for him during the event. 

We can’t go any further without mentioning the winning jockey, the absolutely superb Luke Morris, a man who spends most of the week riding for Michael Appleby around Wolverhampton or Tony Carroll at Brighton – his patience to keep waiting until the right opportunity came up to let her stride on in the deep conditions was exemplary and he deserves this Arc victory more than anyone else.  

There are few moments in racing that are considered unanimously special regardless of whether you backed the winning horse or not – yesterday’s Arc victory for ALPINISTA is one of them. Truly special. We send our congrats to all who are connected to her. 

The new staying King…

Looking back to Saturday, Aidan O’Brien’s KYPRIOS galloped the Prix du Cadran field into submission as the Moyglare colt bolted up in the Group 1 contest by 20 lengths.  

It’s hard to know what the form will be worth in the near future (I predict not much considering two opponents pulled up and a mid-80-rated horse finished second) but you can’t take anything away from the four-year-old by GALILEO, who even had time to say hello to the crowd before winning.

A step back in trip to a mile and a half over in Hong Kong or America could be next on the agenda for KYPRIOS, as O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing after the contest.  

Saturday’s performance only cemented KYPRIOS’ status as the top dog in the staying flat division, a place he will continue to be for many years to come.  

…and the new sprinting Queen

THE PLATINUM QUEEN secured her first Group 1 success yesterday as she made virtually all to win the Gr1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.  

Viewed from one of the worst camera angles ever to exist, Richard Fahey’s two-year-old made use of all the allowances to earn £168k for Middleham Park Racing, nearly three times what they bought her for in April of this year – this victory gave us potentially the most emotional celebration captured on live TV. 

Following seven races, including three Gr1s, since the start of June, it would be unsurprising to see her put away for the rest of the season, especially considering how tough conditions were at Longchamp yesterday, something that can easily affect her recovery.  

Risk On

I’m racing today so will live tweet bets.