Puerto Rico, Maranoa Charlie among BC WAYI heroes on Arc Day

Sunday’s star-studded Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) card included five other Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” events at ParisLongchamp.

Prix Marcel Boussac (G1)

Hot favorite Diamond Necklace ($4.20) extended her record to 3-for-3 while handing Aidan O’Brien his sixth win in the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1). But the immediate postrace comments suggested that the €1.7 million Arqana August sale topper would call it a season, rather than jet off to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). 

From the first crop of Coolmore stallion St Mark’s Basilica, Diamond Necklace is a half-sister to Ballydoyle’s Group 1-winning globetrotter Magic Wand and 2013 Irish Oaks (G1) heroine Chicquita. She might end up trumping their achievements.

Diamond Necklace traveled ominously well in midpack for Christophe Soumillon, who confidently let her roll late. Driving one length clear of the leading French hope, Green Spirit, she covered the metric mile on very soft going in 1:41.31.

“We’re absolutely delighted with her,” O’Brien said, “and the fact she’s by St Mark’s Basilica makes it even more special. 

“Over the past two months, his progeny have been improving week after week. Remember, he didn’t win his first Group race until the Dewhurst S. (G1) on Oct. 10 (in 2020), and we all know what he did at three. He’s clearly passing on his own profile — they’re not early types. 

“I was a bit concerned that Diamond Necklace might still be a baby for this race, and I spoke to Christophe Soumillon about it. He advised running her and then giving her a quiet winter. She’s a filly who could aim for the 1000 Guineas (G1) and then the Oaks (G1), as I believe she’ll stay 2,400 meters. She’s one of our best two-year-olds. The Moyglare Stud (G1) winner, Precise, is also very good.”

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1)

O’Brien and Soumillon came right back to take the next race, the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1), with Puerto Rico ($9.80). The front-running colt booked his ticket to the Juvenile Turf (G1), and connections sounded inclined to employ his speed around Del Mar.

Winless until going up to seven furlongs in the Champagne (G2) last out, Puerto Rico had nevertheless recorded placings in the Railway (G2) and Richmond (G2). The dark bay continued his progress with a decisive 2 1/2-length coup here, clocking about seven furlongs in 1:21.53.

Puerto Rico was giving O’Brien his 10th Lagardere winner, and the second straight by his late sire Wootton Bassett, after Camille Pissaro. Himself the 2007 Lagardere hero, Wootton Bassett served up the exacta in Sunday’s renewal when his son Nighttime finished second. 

Favored Rayif was along for a belated third. Longshots Campacite and Imperial Me Cen dead-heated for fourth in the nine-horse field. 

The Lagardere also serves as a qualifier on the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby, worth points on the 10-5-3-2-1 scale. 

“Christophe gave him a lovely ride,” O’Brien said of Puerto Rico. “He’s a beautiful horse — big, strong, mature and with plenty of speed. So yes, I’m absolutely thrilled. 

“It’s special, because Wootton Bassett himself won this race, and as you know, we lost him recently. This horse reminds me a lot of him. 

“Camille Pissarro was also a big, powerful, dark horse — just like Wootton Bassett — and this one is the same: big, strong, dark, and very fast. 

“Wootton Bassett himself had tremendous speed, and this colt has just as much of it. Christophe said he’s a very fast horse, a real miler. He added he won’t go beyond that trip, but he has an awful lot of pace….I probably ran him over trips that were a bit too short earlier on, because he was showing so much speed.”

That furnishes the context for Puerto Rico’s 7-2-3-0 line.

Prix de l’Abbaye (G1)

Favorite Asfoora ($7.20) made history as the first Australian trainee to win on French soil, but her Prix de l’Abbaye (G1) bid was almost scuppered. It wasn’t the very soft going – trainer Henry Dwyer said that the fresh strip of ground on the straight sprint course wasn’t that bad – but a missing passport. 

Inadvertently left behind in Chantilly, her passport had to be rushed over in the afternoon via Uber, and the driver arrived in the nick of time. Asfoora did the same in the about five-furlong dash, albeit more comfortably in the hands of Oisin Murphy.

Stalking the leaders until produced late, Asfoora reeled in the Czech longshot Jawwal by a half-length in :56.39. She’s Quality, in a contending position throughout, held third in the 17-horse field.

Asfoora, who compiled a record of 29-12-3-2, was turning a rare Nunthorpe (G1)/Abbaye double. According to Racing Post, the last sprinter to land the Nunthorpe during York’s Ebor Festival and the Abbaye in the same year was the great Lochsong in 1993. 

Asfoora’s first European venture in 2024 also yielded a marquee win in the King Charles III (G1) at Royal Ascot. The Flying Artie mare got off to a later start in Europe this term.

“This year we decided to mind her a little, with the goal of going to Ireland and then to France,” Dwyer said. “Unfortunately, the ground wasn’t in our favor in Ireland (when seventh in the Flying Five [G1] last out) — not completely today either, but she was able to handle it this time.

“The times she’s failed on soft ground — at York last year, at Goodwood this year, and at the Curragh — the ground was really horrible, properly heavy. Today, no one had raced on this part of the track for about a month.

“Racing, like life, is about experiences — about trying new things and living new adventures. As I’ve said many times, we’re not a big stable, but having a mare who allows us to live moments like this… I owe her everything. She’s given us the thrill of a lifetime.”

Asfoora’s thrills aren’t expected to extend to Del Mar. She’d already earned her spot in the Turf Sprint (G1) via the Nunthorpe, but plans have reportedly called for her to take a break with a view toward a third European campaign. 

If the Abbaye’s “Win and You’re In” provision is superfluous, it could still yield a contender or two for Del Mar. Third-placer She’s Quality, who prefers quicker going, is under Turf Sprint consideration, according to trainer Jack Davison.  

Prix de l’Opera (G1)

The Jessica Harrington-trained Barnavara ($21.60) scored her second straight new career high in the Prix de l’Opera (G1), securing a fees-paid berth to the Filly & Mare Turf (G1). 

Coming off a wire job in the Blandford (G2) at the Curragh during the Irish Champions Festival, the Calyx filly relied on the same tactics here with Shane Foley aboard. But she had to work a lot harder to parry the late thrusts of See the Fire and One Look in a desperate finish. Favored Wemightakedlongway was also involved in a close fourth.

Barnavara negotiated about 1 1/4 miles in 2:05.52 to improve her resume to 13-5-0-5 for the Alpha Racing syndicate.

“She was really brave today,” Harrington said. “She fought them all off. She’s a filly with a huge stride who loves to go forward and set the pace. We haven’t made any plans yet, though some Japanese representatives came to speak to me about the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) over there. Honestly, I don’t know. Today was the big target, and we hadn’t planned beyond it. We’ll sit down and work out what’s next.”

Jessica’s daughter, Kate, mentioned that the Nov. 14 Bahrain International Trophy (G2) is yet another option for Barnavara, in addition to the Breeders’ Cup and Japan.

Wherever Barnavara decides to go, the Opera is very likely to play a role in the Filly & Mare Turf. See the Fire, One Look, and Wemightakedlongway are all in the mix for Del Mar. 

Prix de la Foret (G1)

Christopher Head has made no secret of his high regard for Maranoa Charlie ($10.80), and the speedy sophomore broke through with a deserved Group 1 in the Prix de la Foret (G1). By giving the much-mourned Wootton Bassett a big-race double on Arc Day, he also secured his place in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). 

Maranoa Charlie’s crushing victory in the 2024 Prix Thomas Bryon (G3) as a juvenile, followed by scores in this season’s Prix Djebel (G3) and Prix Paul de Moussac (G3), stamped him as a colt of top-level talent. He had gone very close in the Prix Jean Prat (G1) and the City of York (G1) in his last pair, and everything aligned for him here.

Always in the vanguard with regular pilot Aurelien Lemaitre, Maranoa Charlie poured it on down the stretch and established a comfortable cushion. Favorite Zarigana made late headway into second, but the mercurial filly never looked like catching him.

Maranoa Charlie had 1 1/4 lengths to spare while finishing about seven furlongs in 1:20.80. 

With a record of 10-6-1-1, Maranoa Charlie is an even hotter commodity as a stallion prospect to carry on Wootton Bassett’s mantle. Those commercial discussions will have an impact on whether he uses his Breeders’ Cup ticket. 

“He’s got a tremendous rhythm; he simply drains his rivals,” Head said. “All season long, he’s proved he doesn’t need to go flat out early — he can build into his races. We’ll talk with his owner about the next step. He could be tried over further, since he’s shown he can settle behind a lead and finish strongly, but I’m not sure he’ll get the chance.

“He’s got the profile to win over a mile in the U.S., as he breaks sharply and has great cruising speed. But we’ll have to see what a Breeders’ Cup victory, for instance, could bring to his future as a stallion.”

“The stud duties can wait,” owner Charlie Bond of Bond Thoroughbreds said. “There’s been a lot of excitement before the race, so I’ll probably switch my phone off tonight and see what awaits us tomorrow morning regarding his future.”