Good weather for Arc week; Sea The Stars likely to pass on the BC Classic
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Sporting LIfe:
Fans of Sea The Stars can take heart from the forecast of a generally dry week of weather in Paris ahead of Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
John Oxx's outstanding colt, winner of five consecutive major Group Ones this season, must not have the ground too soft or he will not be risked in the autumn European highlight.
"It's looking fine and warm for the majority of the week with good long spells of sunshine and temperatures of up to about 21 or 22 degrees centigrade," said Paul Mott, a forecaster with Meteogroup.
"There will just be a bit of mist and fog in the mornings.
"There is a cold front coming in at the weekend, which could bring some rain, but there is a little uncertainty as to when that will arrive.
"It may be Saturday night or Sunday morning, when temperatures will drop to about 17 degrees."
Bookmakers Victor Chandler are convinced Sea The Stars will turn up at Longchamp and offer him at 4-5 favourite to win.
Their spokesman Neal Wilkins said: "The lack of precipitation in recent weeks in the Paris area is a huge plus for the thousands who will almost certainly be seeing 'The Wonder Horse' for the last time on European soil but the industry fears another huge payout even at the present prohibitive odds."
Fans of Sea The Stars can take heart from the forecast of a generally dry week of weather in Paris ahead of Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
John Oxx's outstanding colt, winner of five consecutive major Group Ones this season, must not have the ground too soft or he will not be risked in the autumn European highlight.
"It's looking fine and warm for the majority of the week with good long spells of sunshine and temperatures of up to about 21 or 22 degrees centigrade," said Paul Mott, a forecaster with Meteogroup.
"There will just be a bit of mist and fog in the mornings.
"There is a cold front coming in at the weekend, which could bring some rain, but there is a little uncertainty as to when that will arrive.
"It may be Saturday night or Sunday morning, when temperatures will drop to about 17 degrees."
Bookmakers Victor Chandler are convinced Sea The Stars will turn up at Longchamp and offer him at 4-5 favourite to win.
Their spokesman Neal Wilkins said: "The lack of precipitation in recent weeks in the Paris area is a huge plus for the thousands who will almost certainly be seeing 'The Wonder Horse' for the last time on European soil but the industry fears another huge payout even at the present prohibitive odds."
Comments
The forecast of no rain for the Paris area came as welcome news for trainer John Oxx on Monday, as he conducted the final preparations of Sea The Stars' bid for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday.
Speaking at Goffs, where he was inspecting yearlings for the prestigious Orby Sale, which starts on Tuesday, Oxx said: "My French informants tell me that apart from the racecourse at Longchamp much of the ground in that part of Paris is brown, so it is good to hear that they are going to put a bitof water on the track."
Punters also digested the news, with the result that Sea The Stars, already a red-hot favourite for the world's richest turf race, was trimmed further.
The Investec Derby winner is now 5-6 (from 10-11) with Boylesports, 4-5 (from evens) with Coral, 4-5 (from 5-6) with William Hill, and 8-11 (from 10-11) with Paddy Power.
Oxx said: "He seems to be in very good form and is in no way down in himself or showing any effects of hiscampaign. He is giving us the normal good signals that he has been giving all season."
I remember Alex Solis was talking awhile back how they'd hoped The Pamplemousse would be back around October.
As mentioned in another thread, Joe Talamo is a guest on The Tonight Show tonight, so perhaps he'll give an update on I Want Revenge.
First time i hear anything re: The Pamplemousse i'll be sure and post it here. Last i saw of him (via a Mary Forney video from a couple of months ago), he was resting comfortably in Canani's barn and looked perfectly okay. My guess is he might be pointed at the Malibu (no reason to bring him back before then if he couldn't make the Breeders Cup), but who knows.