One of the myths that has developed over time in the Breeders’ Cup is that European turf horses cannot win against Americans on dirt. That’s why City of Troy’s appearance in the $7 million Classic is the only talk of the town in the buildup. in Saturday’s race.
Famously, the Classic has only been won once by a European horse on clay and that was in 1993 with Arcangues creating one of the biggest shocks in racing history by triumphing under the direction of the legendary American Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey at 133-1.
At the time, the European spirit of adventure for having a crack on the dirt was at its peak and the difficulty of getting from grass to this surface had not been marked, as it is today, by a series of high-profile near misses and failures. and the fact that it is Aidan O’Brien’s most significant blank with no winners from 17 attempts.
At Churchill Downs, just two years before Arcangues’ success, Arazi powered through the field to win the Juvenile for France and Alex Scott also won the Sprint with Sheikh Albadou on dirt.
A year before, Paul Cole’s Ibn Bey had found Unbridled too good for him in the Classic at Belmont and, had it not been for jumping the shadow of the winning post, Dayjur would have won the Sprint.
Arcangues had worked remarkably well
Arcangues was not a serial winner. He won five times in 18 starts during his career and his only Group 1 success before going to Santa Anita was the Prix d’Ispahan in May.
But by July he had worked remarkably well on a new all-weather gallop with dirt-like properties for Andre Fabre to give him a Classic entry and the trainer maintained enough optimism that a correspondent national racing gives him a tip.
“I only got the mount four days before,” recalls Bailey, who won five Classics before retiring to become an analyst for NBC. “I didn’t know what to expect. I was a great strategist when I was riding. It was all preparation and knowing what to expect based on form.
“There were very few videos at the time, so I depended on the fitness and knowledge of the people around the horse. But Arcangues’ form contained only slogans, no details, so I relied on Fabre to provide information.
What happened next was a comedy of errors. “I went into the Santa Anita paddock and there were about 1,000 people there and André Fabre is about my height,” Bailey continues. “So I couldn’t find it.” I thought, “I’ll just go see the horse.”
“They told me everything – but in French – so I had no idea”
“Fabre wasn’t there but his assistants were very helpful and told me everything I needed to know – but in French – so I had no idea. I was on horseback about to go through the tunnel when Fabre caught up with me and all he said to me was, “Good luck.” That’s all he said.
“I looked at the charts, he was 99-1. I thought European horses ran from the back, I’m going to ease him up and try to let him finish in the middle, just so I don’t get embarrassed.
“But he jumped, I picked him up again, and as he came up my back he started to pick me up. I didn’t ask him anything earlier.
“He took all the land, no problem. I knew in the far turn he would be on the board (placed), not winning, but I was confident he would run well.
“But by the time we got home, I knew he would win. All I needed was somewhere to run and he ran through a tiny opening.
“There was never any hesitation on his part and never any adjustment when I thought he was getting used to the surface. You have to assume that a trainer like that doesn’t bring a horse like that to embarrass himself.
And that’s what Bailey thinks about City of Troy. “I realize Coolmore is a sportsman and races horses to support the event, not always because they think they’re going to win, but Aidan is a pretty smart guy and I don’t think that he would take her if he didn’t have the chance.
“The city of Troy is small. He looks like a turf horse, he is longer and smaller than Arcangues who was a large, fleshy and strong horse. He has a long stride and therein lies the big question mark; It’s clear from Aidan’s statements that once he takes that step, he’s in it forever. It’s about getting into that stride comfortably and not getting lost at the start of the race trying to keep up.
“Not only does he have to be up to it physically, but with rebounding, he has to be up to par mentally. That’s where it comes in. If they’re mentally strong, he might take a step or two, but after that he’s fine. But if they are mentally weak, it bothers them more.
“It’s not a Flightline type race where there’s a monster, but there are some really good horses running close to the pace. Arthur’s Ride (the almost white horse) is not to be outdone and is not fierce. They’ll control the pace even if Fierceness slows down, which was his undoing, but he gets the stalking type trip he wants.
“The city of Troy will dictate to Ryan how he rides it.”
Bailey always gives advice on the eve of the Breeders’ Cup to Ballydoyle jockeys. So what will he say to Ryan Moore?
“I’m going to tell him what he will already know, that the two horses which will be one and two are the horses he must beat. It’s not like you don’t have to worry about it. They won’t dictate how he rides City of Troy.
“The city of Troy will dictate to Ryan how he rides it. I didn’t have to make too many decisions on Arcangues, he took me into the race. Whatever the race, if the horse wants it and takes you, he makes it easier.
And Fabre? What does he think? “Arcangues was a good horse but he was not three years old,” he explains. “But I think there’s a lot of noise about turf and dirt, it’s rubbish. I don’t think it takes anything different to win these races, it’s just a matter of the horse’s ability.
Is Arcangues Fabre’s best performance in training? “Not really,” he said modestly, “but it was a good day.” »
