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Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Sunday 2nd October 2011 |
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racing news /
Danedream Lands Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe for Germany
02/10/11
1 Danedream 27/1
2 Shareta 71/1
3 Snow Fairy 15/1
16 ran Distances: 5l, nk, ½l
TIME 2m 24.49s (fast by 6.01s)
Jockey: A Starke
Trainer: P Schiergen
German filly Danedream ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
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Supplemented into the race earlier in the week at a cost of 100,00 euros, she led home a 1-2-3 for the fairer sex as Shareta and Ed Dunlop's Snow Fairy filled the minor places.
Ridden by Andrasch Starke, Peter Schiergen's three-year-old sprinted clear inside the final furlong to add to her two Group One victories in her homeland.
The last German-trained Arc winner was Star Appeal, ridden by Greville Starkey, in 1975.
Aidan O'Brien's Irish Derby winner Treasure Beach put the pace into the race for his stablemates So You Think, who eventually finished fourth, and St Nicholas Abbey, who was one place behind.
Shareta, thought by many to be Sarafina's pacemaker, did incredibly well to cling on for second and though Snow Fairy had the perfect trip throughout under Frankie Dettori, she could not match the winner's turn of foot.
Starke said: "It was a dream for me just to ride in this race. I knew the filly could put up a great performance, but there was a lot of competition and good horses. In the last two furlongs she just gave me a great feeling and I was just dreaming. I don't know what has happened. It's a dream come true."
Schiergen added: "This is my best moment in racing. I don't believe it - she was such an easy winner. It's fantastic and she is the best horse I have trained. It's a great moment. She is a small filly with a big, big heart and there's no better race to win.
"I have trained some Group winners, but she is the greatest filly I have ever trained. She won her last two races very easily, but I didn't think she would be such an easy winner. This is a really big day for German racing."
Heiko Volz, representing winning connections of Gestut Burg Eberstein, said: "She's had a hard season and has run seven times, so I don't think she's needs to run again this year. She stays in training with Peter. The Arc is a race that everyone wants to win, and for me it is the number one race in the world."
FAIRY SHOW THRILLS CONNECTIONS
Connections of Snow Fairy were delighted with her display in finishing third behind German filly Danedream in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
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Her jockey Frankie Dettori said: "She ran a super race. A furlong and a half out I thought we had a big chance, but when the winner kicked that was that."
Dunlop added: "I'm very proud to be third in an Arc, it was a great run and she was the leading older horse in the race. It was probably the race of her life. We ran with a view to coming from off the pace and I was delighted with her effort.
"That was only her fourth run, so hopefully she'll go back to Japan for the race she won last year or maybe even the Japan Cup or Hong Kong. She stays in training next year. It's great for the German filly, she was exceptional today."
Aidan O'Brien said of fourth home So You Think: "I thought he ran very well. He was coming home very well and it was the first time he'd run over that trip for us.
"He's a big cruiser and I think he would handle the dirt (in the Breeders' Cup) no problem, but the boys will have to discuss it before we decide what to do next."
So You Think's jockey Seamie Heffernan added: "He had a very wide draw, so you had to make an early decision, and I wanted to make sure there was something left at the finish. I thought it was a good run."
