Torquator Tasso gave Germany a third victory in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as he caused a seismic 80/1 upset in the ParisLongchamp showpiece.
The Marcel Weiss-trained colt pounced late in the hands of Rene Piechulek to emulate compatriots Danedream in 2011 and Star Appeal in 1975.
Torquator Tasso got up close home to score from Dermot Weld’s Tarnawa and the Charlie Appleby-trained Hurricane Lane, whose stablemate Adayar was fourth after leading for much of the way.
Mojo Star and Hurricane Lane broke well from their inside draws, but William Buck soon hit the front on the free-running Adayar.
The Derby and King George hero entered the straight a few lengths to the good, but he tired in the final furlong. Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane came on strong towards the inside – but Torquator Tasso was the last to challenge and nabbed the pair in the dying strides.
Weiss, a former assistant to Jens Hershberger, is in just his second year with a licence. He trains 50 kilometres from Mulheim and is a private trainer for owner Gestut Auenquelle.
Weiss said: “That was beautiful. He’s a very nice horse, he’s all heart. He’s a very strong horse. That was amazing.
“Rene is a very cool jockey, very cool. It was his first ride in the race.
“It’s very hard to digest and put into words how I feel, but our plan was hatched last winter. I felt he deserved to go for it and my hopes rose when the ground came in our favour.
“We planned to chase the leading horses and launch our challenge wide into the straight. It’s a long straight and we knew he would finish strongly.
“I had 20 years as an assistant before taking the reins two years ago and I’m so pleased the owner turned down an offer for the horse.
“He could go to Japan, but let’s get him back and see how he is in the next week or so.”
Reflecting further, Weiss said: "It's very, very difficult to understand I've won this race.
"Before the Arc, he's produced some very good performances - he's a dual Group One winner and a Group Two winner already. Even though I thought this was the strongest Arc of the last few years, we thought he deserved to run.
"We would have been very happy if he'd finished third, fourth, fifth or sixth - we would have considered that a success.
"The race itself went as we wanted. We wanted him to challenge on the outside, and launch himself in the straight. That he has won is a bonus.
"I'm just so happy I got to train a horse like Torquator Tasso, who was already a star in Germany. His owners refused an offer that was made, so I'm delighted to have him in my yard.
"You can't really go higher than the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - I've dreamt about it, and now I've won it. It's absolutely unreal."
Piechulek said: "I think it will be only tomorrow that I realise what it really means to win this race.
"I wanted to be in position, when we got into the final straight, to really launch my horse - because he really quickens and gets faster the longer the straight is.
“I know the horse and am thankful the owner trusted me to ride him, even though I had never ridden in the Arc before.
“When I got out of the stalls there wasn’t a lot of pace. I tried to get as close to the leading horses as possible.”
Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe result
1st - TORQUATOR TASSO 80/1
2nd - Tarnawa 5/1
3rd - Hurricane Lane 5/2 favourite
4th - Adayar 3/1
5th - Sealiway 33/1
A HUGE SHOCK IN THE ARC!
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) October 3, 2021
🏇🇩🇪 German raider Torquator Tasso storms home down the outside to land the 2021 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at 80/1!#QPAT pic.twitter.com/s46RIJw2s1
It was not to be for Tarnawa, who is now likely to defend her Breeders’ Cup Turf crown at Del Mar.
Weld said of Christophe Soumillon’s mount: “We know the speed she has, but she just couldn’t quicken in the gluey ground.
“We tried so hard. We had her very, very well today and everything was right, but my worry was all the rain that came last night.
“This filly has a lot of pace – we saw the way she won at the Breeders’ Cup. She just couldn’t pick up today.
“I did say in one of my interviews beforehand this was a wide-open Arc and could well be one for an outsider. This is a very tough game and being a trainer is a very tough life. These are the knocks you take.
“I just wanted to win for His Highness the Aga Khan, as much as myself. We had a filly who was at her very maximum today, but in that ground she just couldn’t quicken like she can.
“I’ll speak with His Highness and decide, but the Breeders’ Cup is a definite possibility.”
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