Equinties - Solario Saturday

Gm Equinauts

It’s such a shame PUBLISH isn’t running. It’s kind of ruined the racing today but the Gosden’s know best… right!?

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

GOING FOR IT

It’s been nearly a month since MERCHANT won the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, which is quite unbelievable to think of, really.

Since then, MANY MEN, the horse he beat at York, was just touched off in the Melrose Handicap, and both WINDLORD and SERIOUS CONTENDER – two horses he has beaten this season – have been sold to Hong Kong.

At the time, the feeling was that MERCHANT was a potential Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe horse, and William Haggas didn’t really want to go to the St Leger. Well, actually, he ruled out the Leger, but he still said that the Arc was “not certain to happen”.

Well, fast forward a month, and they are going for it. He’s not currently in the Arc, but there are two ways he could he added to the field. He either has to be supplemented, or he can win the Prix Neil next Saturday, which would give him a place in the Longchamp feature later this season.

It seems like connections have decided with the latter, as Harry Herbert, Highclere’s racing manager, said: "My team were at the stables on Thursday morning and William reports him to be in really good form and on course to run in the Prix Niel.

"The race is a win-and-you're-in for the Arc. When the entries closed he was rated 82, so he was never going to be an early entry. It shows how ridiculous these systems are for the big races sometimes. If he wins the Niel then he's in, and if he doesn't win then he isn't going to win an Arc. We're very much going down that route and fingers crossed we haven't seen the end of his improvement.

"Physically he looks great and we're hoping for a lot of luck and a win next Sunday. If he can win, what an excitement it will be for the syndicate to potentially have a runner in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but it's one step at a time."

This is a great move by all involved. Herbert knows that if he doesn’t win the Neil, he won’t win the Arc, and Highclere Racing can save their pennies. However, the inverse is obviously true, so if he does win, the dream can live on, and they still wouldn’t have to fork out any money to do so.
It’s a win-win.
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