Place du Carrousel (Ire)

The four-day Arqana Vente d'Elevage concluded on Tuesday, with four fillies and mares making €1 million or more, and 668 horses (77%) marked as sold for a gross of €47,135,000. Overall, the average was down 8% to €70,561, however, the median rose to €20,000, an increase of 16% off of 2022's mark. The sale was topped by Group 1 winner Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) at €4.025 million from leading buyer Portofino Bloodstock. Taking just Tuesday's trade into account, 109 lots sold (79%) for a gross of...

Al Shaqab Racing's Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), already a Group 1 winner in last year's G1 Prix de l'Opera, defeated defending champion Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) by a neck to take Sunday's G2 Qatar Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp. The latter was a half-length to the good of 2022 G1 Deutsches Derby and G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen hero Sammarco (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in third. The 4-year-old filly was the 13-5 second choice behind her G1 Prix Ganay conqueress Iresine at 1-2. Content to race midfield as...

Twelve months ago, Cheveley Park Stud's Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was using Deauville's G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois as a springboard back to the big time having suffered a shock reversal in the G1 Falmouth S. This time around, the John and Thady Gosden-trained homebred is in Normandy attempting to make up for another defeat having been bogged down in Goodwood's unexpectedly tacky surface in the G1 Sussex S. As she had shown when disappointing in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day, easy...

Nurlan Bizakov's homebred Group 1 winner Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}), successful by a neck in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere earlier in the month, will not travel for the Breeders' Cup meeting at Keeneland, and instead enjoy the winter off. Trained by Andre Fabre, the colt also won the G3 Prix du Bois in June. "He's done for the year, we decided he did not need to run again," said Fabre. "I don't see him having any problem in staying a mile next season, he would have had no problem...

Al Shaqab Racing's Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Traffic Jam {Ire}, by Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), off the track since failing to land a blow in Chantilly's June 19 G1 Prix de Diane, exacted revenge on that Classic's winner, 'TDN Rising Star' Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), with a late rush to secure a career high in the flickering embers of Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines at ParisLongchamp. The €260,000 Arqana August graduate had earlier annexed Saint-Cloud's Apr. 29 G3 Prix Cleopatre before taking second behind another 'TDN...

Ensuring there was no repeat of the Prix du Jockey Club double-draw farce, an independent bailiff was on hand to oversee Thursday morning's presentation for the 173rd edition of Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane Longines. Proceedings concluded without hitch, with the overnight pre-confirmations all standing their ground and a final field of 18 is set to head postward for Sunday's €1,000,000 10 1/2-furlong Classic, turfdom's very own Competition of Elegance. Imad Al Sagar's G1 Cazoo Oaks third Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is among the nominees and has drawn gate two,...

Second best in the May 4 Listed Cheshire Oaks, TDN Rising Star Above the Curve (American Pharoah) made sure she was front and centre where it mattered in Sunday's G1 St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp. Sent up to track the steady pace by Ryan Moore in a close second, the 7-5 favourite was committed with 300 metres remaining and stayed on to deny Place du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) by a length, with Queen Trezy (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}) the same margin away in third. "They...

Off the mark over nine furlongs at Fontainebleau Apr. 12, Al Shaqab Racing and Ballylinch Stud's Place du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) came through her first major test in style to annexe Friday's G3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud. Bred to appreciate at least this 10 1/2-furlong trip, being out of the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris winner Traffic Jam (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), the Andre Fabre trainee was held up in last early in contrast to her last outing when she was sent forward from the...