Timeform Daily View
Timeform Daily View | Sunday preview and tips
By John Ingles
16:23 · SAT October 05, 2024
John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Sunday.
Three points of interest
Zarigana can uphold family honour in Marcel Boussac
Aidan O’Brien won the Prix Marcel Boussac (12:55) for a fifth time last year with Opera Singer and has a smart contender again this time in Bedtime Story. She made a really big impression in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and has since beaten stablemate Exactly, who accompanies her again here, in pattern races at Leopardstown and the Curragh. However, Bedtime Story reportedly finished lame when losing her unbeaten record in the Moyglare Stud Stakes last time and, even at the top of her game, will do well to get the better of French filly Zarigana who has won both her starts.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for the Aga Khan, Zarigana has looked the most exciting French two-year-old filly this season with impressive wins in a newcomers race at Chantilly in July and the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale at Longchamp last month. Stepping up to a mile and on softer ground than for her debut, Zarigana again showed a fine turn of foot to win by three lengths last time from Angeal who gives substance to the form as she was already a Group 3 winner herself and unbeaten in three starts.
Besides winning the Arc in her unbeaten career, Zarigana’s top-class grandam Zarkava also won the Marcel Boussac among her other Group 1 successes and there’s every chance that her granddaughter, who tops the Timeform ratings and looks sure to improve further, can emulate her 17 years later.
"He's got an outstanding chance" | Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe preview and tips!
Round three for top sprinters Bradsell and Believing in Abbaye
The Prix de l’Abbaye (14:05) sees a third consecutive meeting between Britain’s two leading five-furlong performers, Archie Watson’s colt Bradsell and George Boughey’s filly Believing, who are clear of the rest on Timeform ratings in what is, as usual, a field largely consisting of other sprinters who have made the trip across the Channel.
Bradsell has come out on top in both his meetings with Believing so far, firstly in the Nunthorpe at York and then in the Flying Five at the Curragh. In both races the pair were drawn wide apart and both times Bradsell appeared to have the better of the draw. At York he led by halfway on the far rail and was soon in command, holding on by three quarters of a length as, from off the pace and wider out, Believing kept on well to take second in the final strides. Bradsell’s high cruising speed gave him the perfect position to follow up at the Curragh, whereas Believing, more prominent this time, still never looked like reversing the form in the centre of the track, though again finishing off to good effect to be beaten a length and a quarter.
This time, Bradsell and Believing have been drawn closer together, in stalls 9 and 5 respectively, which is good news for both as Longchamp’s five furlongs tends to favour low-drawn horses quite significantly. Believing’s connections are therefore entitled to think they might have a better shot at defeating Bradsell this time, but Bradsell has been dominant the last twice and is just favoured to give his rider Hollie Doyle her second victory in the Abbaye two years after winning it on two-year-old filly The Platinum Queen.
Fabre going for ninth Arc win but Camelot pair hold solid claims in wide-open race
It might not be a vintage edition of Europe’s richest race but this year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (15:20) is certainly a competitive one, with no fewer than ten of the field covered by just 4 lb at the head of the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Andre Fabre runs three in his bid to extend his record number of wins in the contest to nine, and of his trio it’s three-year-old colt Sosie whose profile matches most of Fabre’s previous winners. Six of Fabre’s eight Arc winners were three-year-old colts, and five of those went into the race on the back of a win in one of the main trials, the Prix Niel. The one who didn’t, Peintre Celebre, was an unlucky loser in the Niel. Also successful in the Grand Prix de Paris, Sosie won the same race himself three weeks ago when he turned the tables on Look de Vega, the previously unbeaten colt who’d had Sosie back in third in the Prix du Jockey Club. By Arc winner Sea The Stars, Sosie will need to improve further in his first race against older rivals, but given his trainer’s record, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he pulled out a bit more for the big occasion.
Camelot finished seventh in the 2012 Arc shortly after just failing to complete the Triple Crown when beaten in the St Leger. But he could yet enjoy success in the Arc as a stallion as he has three representatives in this year’s field. While one of Fabre’s other runners, the stayer Sevenna’s Knight, has a stiff task, Camelot’s other two runners have solid place claims at the very least. Irish Derby winner Los Angeles will be well suited by the return to a mile and a half after staying on to be beaten only around a length behind Economics in the Irish Champion Stakes last time, while Bluestocking showed the benefit of a step back up to the Arc trip when winning another of the trials, the Prix Vermeille, last month and has been supplemented to take her chance.
Tip of the Day
Traprain Law – 15:50 Kelso
Flags: Horse In Focus, Horses For Courses, Top-Rated
The most valuable contest on Kelso’s card is the Ray & Anita Green Chasing 500 Winners Handicap Chase, worth over £20,000 to the winner. Owner Ray Green has a good chance of taking a step nearer that milestone with his progressive six-year-old Traprain Law making his return in this contest.
Already twice a winner over hurdles at Kelso, Traprain Law got off the mark over fences over this course and distance last December before winning again at Ayr later in the season. A strong-travelling front-runner, Traprain Law was an excellent second in the Scotty Brand Handicap Chase on Scottish Grand National day when last seen, where he was denied only by Tommy’s Oscar who was produced from off the pace.
The pair meet again here with Tommy’s Oscar bidding to win this for the second year running, but Traprain Law looks a chaser to follow and can turn the tables on that rival, having likely been laid out for this contest.
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