John Ingles profiles Through Seven Seas who will be bidding to give Japan a long-awaited first victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Three Japanese-trained horses featured among the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe entries when they were published in May, and while a couple of those have fallen by the wayside since, it’s all systems go for their third entry, Through Seven Seas. She arrived safely in Chantilly a week ago where the finishing touches to her Arc preparation will be carried out from Nicolas Clement’s stable.
The five-year-old mare is trained by Tomohito Ozeki, best known internationally for handling Glory Vase, dual winner of the Hong Kong Vase. But ten years ago Ozeki ventured to Longchamp with Stellar Wind who was seventh in the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, rather than contesting the big race itself, having finished fifth in the Prix Foy beforehand.
Through Seven Seas’ jockey, on the other hand, is much more familiar with Longchamp, though like the Japanese, Christophe Lemaire is yet to taste victory in Europe’s most valuable race despite numerous attempts, his last four rides in the race all coming for Japanese stables. Currently engaged in a close battle for another jockeys’ title in Japan with Yuga Kawada, who ended Lemaire’s run of five successive championships last year, Lemaire has won on all three occasions that he has ridden Through Seven Seas in the past.
Memories of Orfevre
So what do we know about Japan’s latest Arc challenger? She’s a daughter of Dream Journey who was a high-class horse in his own right, though something of a late developer, peaking at the age of five when he won two of Japan’s major middle-distance contests, the Takarazuka Kinen and the Arima Kinen. Better known in Europe, however, was Dream Journey’s top-class brother Orfevre who was twice runner-up in the Arc, including when memorably throwing away what had looked a certain victory on his first attempt.
Giving Through Seven Seas an Arc entry back in May seems a bold call as her credentials for the race at the time looked far from solid. After all, she had finished down the field in both her previous attempts in Group 1 company as a three-year-old (including in Japan’s Oaks), she wasn’t proven over a mile and a half (the Oaks remains her only try at the trip) and her biggest success to date has come in a Group 3 contest over nine furlongs, a handicap in which she received weight from some of her rivals.
On the other hand, Through Seven Seas is lightly raced for a five-year-old – she has had only a dozen starts – and is evidently taking after her sire in getting better with age as she won her first two starts this year, including that Group 3 in March, the Nakayama Himba Stakes. All four of her career wins have come at Nakayama, incidentally, and one of those came on soft ground.
Excellent effort behind Equinox
However, Through Seven Seas’ most recent start showed that her Arc entry wasn’t so fanciful after all. Through Seven Seas was returned to Group 1 company for the Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin at the end of June, Japan’s mid-year middle-distance championship race which has been won not only by her sire but also by Orfevre among a number of Japan’s former Arc challengers. Only tenth choice in the betting, Through Seven Seas was sent off a largely unconsidered 55/1 shot, though most in the field were at long odds up against Japan’s reigning Horse of The Year Equinox.
Equinox was having his first start back on home turf since his hugely impressive victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic, form which has been franked in no uncertain terms since by the next three home, Westover, Zagrey and Mostahdaf, who have all won Group 1 races in Europe in recent months. There was speculation after his win at Meydan that Equinox would be heading for the Arc himself, though he wasn’t entered for the race and is being aimed at the Japan Cup instead.
With Lemaire in the saddle as usual, Equinox was settled at the rear of the 17-strong field for the Takarazuka Kinen with only one rival – Through Seven Seas, wearing a hood this time – behind him. Approaching the home turn, Equinox was asked to improve, Lemaire bringing him very wide to ensure a clear run down the outside in the short straight. Through Seven Seas made her move shortly afterwards, she too coming wider than most. But a gap closed on her early in the straight, causing her to lose a couple of lengths on Equinox just as he was quickening to the front without Lemaire having to ask him for maximum effort. To her credit, Through Seven Seas got going again, emerging from the pack to get within a neck of the winner at the line.
The first two ran the fastest last three furlongs of the race, with Through Seven Seas marginally quicker than Equinox for that final section. Despite the trouble she found, her proximity to the world’s highest-rated horse flatters her somewhat. After all, Equinox won with something up his sleeve after going the long way round himself, and with the first seven home covered by less than three lengths, it’s clear that the winner didn’t have to run to his Dubai form where he’d won under completely different tactics from the front.
Even so, Through Seven Seas ran a clear career best at Hanshin and is evidently peaking at just the right time for her Arc challenge. Her latest run was her third narrow defeat from as many starts over 11 furlongs and it’s unlikely to be the slightly longer trip that’s to blame if she’s found wanting at Longchamp.
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