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| Punter's Diary by Malcolm Heyhoe |
[current diary] 2b1os
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| Updated: 1st October 2012 - GG.com |
Autumn Fireworks
The first Sunday in October can mean only one thing and that is Paris in the autumn for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 7.
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Sadly this year's Group 1 race bonanza featuring Europe's greatest race will not be shown on terrestrial television and the absence of the Flat season's best day of racing is just another blow in what has been a frustrating and downbeat Flat campaign, Frankel honourably excepted, of course.
Part of the reason for the stuttering narrative to this year's Flat action has been the poor crop of three-year-olds, unable to win a Group 1 race against their elders and finding it hard to string together two or more consecutive victories at the top level.
This dearth of talent among the Classic generation is sure to have serious implications for the outcome of the 2012 Arc in a race that traditionally favours the younger horses against their older counterparts.
I suspect that this time around an older horse will land the spoils on the Bois de Boulogne. There is no shortage of plausible candidates for the top race in Europe and among the more potent contenders has to be Snow Fairy, who has returned from a serious injury with a whirlwind turn of foot and a stronger profile than ever before while Japanese superstar Orfevre bids to atone for several near-misses by his compatriots in Europe's greatest race and the zip that he showed to quicken up and land the Prix Foy last time suggests he should go very close to giving Japan its first ever Arc winner.
The rest of the Arc card features six more Group 1 races with Swiss Spirit looking an intriguing contender for the Cesarewitch holds pride of place on a superb card and this brutal test of stamina has always been a hard race to win but this time around the David Simcock-trained Montaser should be in with a big shout following a promising prep run at Yarmouth the other day.
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