Sottsass secures the win

Full of drama before it even began, this year’s race goes to Sottsass, as Enable is left out of her comfort zone

- MARCUS ARMYTAGE

Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Longchamp, France

THE most dramatic moment in this year’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in France came at 9 pm the night before when, with consequences which go far beyond the race, Aidan O’Brien announced he was withdrawing all four Ballydoyle runners because of a contaminated batch of feed.

On the face of it, the loss of Mogul, Serpentine, Sovereign and Japan made Enable’s task (a record third Arc) easier but, counter-intuitively, Enable’s trainer John Gosden’s heart must have sunk when he heard the news, because with that announcement, all the pace went out of the race.

For Enable to win, she would have to overcome not only the heavy ground but a sprint finish and, in the end, that conspired against her sporting attempt at history. With hindsight, there is also the very real possibility that the winner, Sottsass – who was just behind Enable in third last year – has gained strength from three to four, while she may have lost a little from five to six.

The writing was on the wall as far as a record third Arc was concerned when jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot set the tempo for a Sunday afternoon drive round Longchamp on Persian King – that he finished third is testament to Boudot’s ride. But Cristian Demuro – an Italian like Frankie Dettori – had Sottsass beautifully placed just behind the pace. Although he was level with Enable when the inevitable two furlong sprint began, in that ground it was the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Siyouni colt who had the gears.