David Menuisier

Olivier Peslier to Ride Wonderful Tonight in the Arc

Former French champion jockey Olivier Peslier will ride multiple Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October, her trainer David Menuisier announced on Tuesday. The regular rider of the bay is William Buick, who will most likely be aboard one of Godolphin's duo of Classic winners Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) or Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the ParisLongchamp cornerstone. "I think he is one of the best in the business," said Menuisier of the veteran Frenchman. "He...

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Le Havre's Wonderful Tonight In Charge In The Lillie Langtry

After the rain missed Saturday's fast-ground G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., Goodwood had an abundance of it in the interim to ensure that things fell in the favour of the re-routed Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) ahead of Saturday's G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. Too keen early tracking the leader Makawee (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) on the soft going she needs, Christopher Wright's G1 Prix de Royallieu, G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G2 Hardwicke S. heroine was eventually allowed to stride to the...

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Wonderful Tonight The Saturday Star

   With Goodwood Saturday centred around the Stewards Cup for the sprinters, the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. is the sole black-type contest on the closing card but it features one of Europe's best in Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Christopher Wright's G1 Prix de Royallieu, G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G2 Hardwicke S. heroine was forced to miss last Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. due to the fast surface and despite the ground drying out all the time here,  she...

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King George Next For Wonderful Tonight

Christopher Wright's Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who won the G2 Hardwicke S. last out at Royal Ascot, is targeting the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 24. Scratched out of this past Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse, she defeated Sunday's G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud hero Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the Hardwicke. In 2020, the filly scored in the G1 Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp on Arc Day, and doubled down at that level in the QIPCO British Champions Fillies...

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The Weekly Wrap: Happy and Glorious

On each day of Royal Ascot, there was at least one result truly to savour, if not more. Moreover, the meeting in its entirety felt at last like a return to some sort of normality. Even the British weather played its typically quirky part: boiling one day, rain of biblical proportions the next. One regrettable absence was the buzz of the crowd. The maximum number of 12,000 attendees per day is of course low by usual standards. With the late announcement that even this number would be permitted, not to...

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Le Havre's Wonderful Tonight Dismisses Hardwicke Opposition

There was one certainty in Saturday's G2 Hardwicke S. and that was that Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) would love the underfoot conditions and despite trainer David Menuisier's misgivings about her readiness, Christopher Wright's G1 Prix de Royallieu and G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. heroine was able to register an impressive win on her comeback. Keen initially for William Buick before being granted a lead, the 5-1 shot moved three-wide on the home bend and had plenty in reserve to seize the advantage two out en...

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Wonderful Tonight Likely For G1 Cazoo Coronation Cup

Christopher dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) is on target for a start in the June 4 G1 Cazoo Coronation Cup at Epsom. A winner of the G3 Prix Minerve last August, she scooped the G1 Qatar Prix Royallieu two starts later on Oct. 3 and doubled down with a win in the Oct. 17 G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot for trainer David Menuisier. The Coronation Cup will be her first start as a 4-year-old. Menuisier said, "I think the timing...

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Menuisier Focused On Arc With Wonderful Tonight

Christopher Wright's dual Group 1-winning mare Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) is likely to have a later start to her 4-year-old campaign, with all roads leading to the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, according to trainer David Menuisier. Wonderful Tonight won the G3 Prix Minerve last summer before scoring at the top level for the first time in the G1 Prix de Royallieu over 14 furlongs. Rather than supplementing for the Arc, connections opted to take in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. over the same...

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David Doing A Wonderful Job Against Goliath

Triumph and disaster. In racing, the two are rarely far from each other. For David Menuisier to cast his mind back to last autumn will doubtless bring mixed emotions. At his local course of Goodwood on Sept. 23 he lost the horse who played an enormous part in the growing success of his stable, Thundering Blue (Exchange Rate). The 7-year-old's fatal injury in the listed Foundation S. was a cruel blow which brought the trainer and his partner Kim Johnstone to tears. But when the racing gods take, they so...

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No Breeders' Cup For Wonderful Tonight

Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), winner of the G1 Prix de Royallieu and the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. this month, will bypass this year's Breeders' Cup with a 4-year-old campaign in mind. "She's not going to the Breeders' Cup--I don't think it would be fair," said trainer David Menuisier. "If the filly was four and it was her last ever race, maybe we would have rolled the dice, but in this instance I think it would be greed. I would be scared to ask too much...

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Le Havre's Wonderful Tonight Unstoppable in the Fillies & Mares

It's been the best part of three decades since Culture Vulture (Timeless Moment) strutted her stuff at the top table in Chris Wright's blue-and-yellow silks and the music supremo has found a jewel to match that luminary's achievements after David Menuisier incumbent Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) backed up a career best in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix de Royallieu earlier this month with a game victory in Saturday's G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot. The bay sophomore was in receipt of a six-pound pull from her...

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Le Havre's Wonderful Tonight Prevails in the Royallieu

One of the few to welcome the ravages of the storm front, connections of Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) were celebrating after their filly made light of ParisLongchamp's conditions to win Saturday's G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu. With trainer David Menuisier openly toying with the idea of supplementing for Sunday's Arc beforehand, the warning was there for opponents of Christopher Wright's bargain buy who had already demonstrated her deadliness in this ground when winning Deauville's Aug. 16 G3 Prix Minerve. Sent off the 49-10 favourite as a result, the...

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