Tag Archives: Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

Where Next for Saudi Cup Winner Mishriff?

Source: Unsplash.

Mishriff produced the performance of his career to claim the 2021 Saudi Cup earlier this year at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh. John Gosden’s runner got the better of the American horse Charlatan in the closing stages of the prestigious dirt contest.

His win in Riyadh opens a lot of doors for the British-based horse, including some of the major races on the surface which are set to take place in the United States over the course of the rest of the year. Here is a look at some of those targets.

Royal Ascot Likely to Be Next

The Royal Meeting at Ascot is one of the biggest weeks of the year in Europe and given Mishriff is based in the UK, it would be a surprise if he did not line up in one of the races across the five days.

If he runs at Ascot in June, it will be his first appearance at the track since coming home at the back end of the field in the Champion Stakes last October. It will be interesting to see how Gosden’s runner fares in the horse racing predictions for the meeting.  As the community speculates on who will win, tools such as this will consider all elements when deciding odds. He has yet to win at the track but his latest form is excellent, two factors that will be worked into the tools used to predict the winners. These systems can offer greater insight which may even change your betting patterns.

Options at Royal Ascot include the Queen Anne Stakes (1m), Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1m2f), and Hardwicke Stakes (1m4f). The middle of those three races looks the most likely. Gosden has been successful on four occasions in that contest, including last year with Lord North.

Breeders’ Cup Classic Must Be a Target

Consideration is surely going to be given to the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year for Mishriff. The feature race of the world championship meeting is one of the most prestigious events in world racing. Success in the race would help elevate the horse into one of the best of his generation.

This year’s Breeders’ Cup meeting takes place at Del Mark Racecourse in California. A rematch with Charlatan could take place in that race in what would be a fascinating dual. It is Bob Baffert’s runner who currently tops the betting for the 1m2f contest on day two of the meeting.

Gosden became the first European trainer to win the Breeders’ Cup when he was successful with Raven’s Pass in 2008. If he can land the prize again 13 years later, it will be a huge achievement for the man who was once based in California.

Arc Hard to Refuse

Another race the British horse is likely to be campaigned for in 2021 is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris. That race takes place on turf, something which should not be a problem for him as he recently scored in the Sheema Classic.

The Arc attracts the best middle-distance horses from Europe, Japan, and other places around the world. It is a difficult race to win as it is often a large field, leaving the runners short for room on the course at Longchamp.

Gosden has won the Arc three times. He did so with the Derby winner Golden Horn in 2015, while the super mare, Enable, was victorious in 2017 and 2018.

This could be the final year we see Mishriff on the track before a career at stud. The more valuable races he sweeps up before then, the higher his value will become once he retires from the track.

The World’s Biggest Horse Races

Photo credit – Pixabay.

Horse racing is known as the sport of Kings. For generations, people have flocked to the track to share in the excitement generated by a horse race meet.

The horses and jockeys become household names and often the skills behind the events are underestimated. Trainers put months of work into keeping the horses in great shape; jockeys train incessantly to ensure they’re in tip-top condition.

Horse racing is a science, a sport of tactics, outside variables, and opinion. Across the world, some races are so rewarding and famous that a win can turn the career of a jockey in an instant. Some countries have a signature race, one which not only enthusiasts watch, but even people with no more than a passing interest in sport.

So, here are some of the biggest horse races in the world.

Kentucky Derby

Churchill Downs hosts perhaps the most famous horse race in the U.S and one that is recognizable across the world. Inaugurated in 1875, it was first run over the same length as the Epsom Derby in the UK, before shortening to its current length of 10 furlongs just before the turn of the 19th century.

Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack share the record for the most wins by a single jockey, coming in first on five occasions each. In more modern times, Calvin Borel entered the record books for winning three out of four races, as outlined by a Bloomberg report.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

The French capital is a hotbed of activity for horse enthusiasts, not just in the racing genre. The 11th Longines Masters of Paris saw three French riders in podium places, but the city’s premier horse racing event is rarely as cut and dried.

bwin Horse Racing calls the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Europe’s richest race with a total prize purse in the region of €5m ($5.59m). It came a little later than the Kentucky Derby, first being run in 1920, but it has risen to be one of the major events on the European sporting calendar.

Renowned jockey Frankie Dettori holds the records for the most wins, spanning 13 years. His first victory came back in 1995 on Lammtarra (1995), before winning on Sakhee (2001), Marienbard (2002), Golden Horn (2015), and a double with Enable (2017, 2018).

Grand National

Just across the channel lies the United Kingdom, one of the first countries to embrace horse racing as a passion. The biggest race in the country takes place in the early part of the year having been run ever since 1839 at Aintree on Merseyside.

It’s run over a gruelling four miles and isn’t without controversy; some calls have been made in British media to stop the race from happening.

Perhaps the most famous name in Grand National history is Red Rum; the champion thoroughbred won the race in 1973, 1974, and 1977, finishing second in 1975 and 1976. Such was his legacy, when he died in 1995 aged 30, they buried him at the finishing post of the race he had come to define.