Sir Mark lands the Arc!
I’ve been watching the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for as long as I’ve been fascinated by horse racing. I can still picture myself seeing Sassafras beat Nijinsky in 1970 after persuading my mother to let me stay at my aunt’s house and see the race when it used to be at the end of the card. I had picked the French horse out but now can feel for connections of the second Nijinsky, who was denied victory in Europe’s premier horserace after landing the (still) elusive Triple Crown of English Guineas, Derby and Leger. There have been great results and races in Paris since but on an emotional level there have been few Arc de Triomphes to match today’s result for the master trainer Sir Mark Prescott and his marvellous mare Alpinista. Prescott is steeped in the game and this victory crowns a fabulous career. Don McRae’s interview with the baronet published in the Guardian earlier this week will have brought this fascinating individual to a wider public than purely racing followers and for that I’m very pleased.
It’s incredible to think that if Alpinista had not raced today we would now have been talking about Vadeni’s victory and whether Christophe Soumillon should have even been riding at all after Friday’s shameful behaviour at Saint-Cloud. Racing got a lucky break today and when Prescott decided all those years to devote his life to the sport. Hope you enjoyed today’s coverage and see you for Champions Day at Ascot on October 15th and the return of the great Baaeed.
Prix de la Foret (5pm) result
1 Kinross 11-8f
2 Malavath 28-1
3 Entscheiden 80-1
Victory on Arc day for @FrankieDettori!
— Sky Sports Racing (@SkySportsRacing) October 2, 2022
Kinross is an impressive winner of the Group One Qatar Prix de la Foret at @paris_longchamp for @RalphBeckett pic.twitter.com/Euc49PuJwv
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