French filly wins Arc
October 7, 2012
An unusually open race was won in a close finish by another filly, the French horse Solemia. She narrowly beat the Japanese raider, Orfevre.
The winning horse, Solemia, trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias and ridden by Olivier Peslier, went into the race a forty-to-one outsider in the betting.
Japanese Triple Crown raider Orfevre, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, started as one of the pre-race favorites and only just failed to take the race, coming in second in a close fought finish to the line.
"You need a real champion to win the Arc, who is efficient over a mile as well as over a mile and a half as you need speed and stamina, and he must be easy to handle," Soumillon said.
Winner of the Epsom Derby, Camelot, came in seventh.
The four-year-old German filly, Danedream, won the race last year and then added Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes to her tally in July.
Danedream is trained at a Cologne racecourse, which is now under strict quarantine following the detection of a case of swamp fever last week. Officially known as Equine Infectious Anaemia, it can cause fever, anaemia, emaciation and death.
A spokesman for French racing's governing body, France Galop, said: "There is a quarantine period of 90 days." For that reason, Danedream could not compete on Sunday.
jm/slk (AFP, Reuters)