Treve To Chase Third Arc Win; Australia Retired

Treve To Chase Third Arc Win; Australia Retired

Treve will next year try to become the first horse to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for a third time after the decision to retire her was reversed.

The four-year-old filly was retired immediately after winning a second Arc last Sunday, but owner Sheikh Joaan Al Thani has changed his mind. “It’s a case of the dust settling,” Harry Herbert, racing manager for Al Shaqab Racing, told BBC Sport.

“Winning a third Arc would give her a fantastic place in the history books.” Herbert added the Sheikh had changed his mind after he and his family visited Treve’s trainer, Criquette Head-Maarek.

He said: “They chatted and ended up saying: ‘She’s in fantastic condition, fit and well, so why not?” The 11-1 winner of this year’s Arc had been written off in many quarters after three successive defeats, but an electric burst of pace secured victory at Longchamp.

In doing so, she became just the seventh horse to win the race twice, and the first to win successive titles since Alleged in 1978.

She was retired immediately after the race, not least because of back and feet problems she had suffered. It was also announced later in the week that she would visit sire Dubawi. Herbert said: “Anyone who saw the Arc will know that those problems have been well and truly sorted.

“That said, her fans should know that she’ll be carefully monitored and if at any time Criquette says ‘no’ then we’ll stop straight away.” Herbert said there was no plan to bring Treve to Britain for Champions Day at Ascot on 18 October.

He added: “She’ll have two or three runs before the Arc, and will start in June or July, maybe in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud.”

The 2014 Derby winner Australia [pictured above as a yearling] has been retired following injury concerns.

Spokesman Kevin Buckley told Channel Four: “He developed a problem in a right hind hoof. The decision was made yesterday to retire him.” Australia was described earlier this year by Aidan O’Brien as the best horse he has trained.

The colt, who will be retired to stud at Coolmore in County Tipperary, had been expected to run on British Champions Day at Ascot next weekend. Australia was an unlucky third in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May before winning the English and Irish Derbies and the Juddmonte Stakes at York.

Ridden by the trainer’s son Joseph, he made history when winning at Epsom as Aidan O’Brien became the first trainer to win the Derby three years running.

But, he was beaten by The Grey Gatsby on his last run in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last month. His overall record saw five victories from eight starts.

Australia, who earned more than £2m in prize money, was a well-bred son of 2001 Derby winner Galileo and 2004 Oaks victor Ouija Board. Buckley confirmed the decision to retire him came after consultation between resident farrier at Ballydoyle Jeff Henderson, vet John Halley, and the respective owners.

Henderson accepted the challenge of getting Australia ready for Ascot was over once an infection in the problematic hoof had worsened.

“At the beginning of the week we discovered a bit of soreness in the heel, which made us suspicious of a hoof abscess,” Buckley said. He added that a couple of days later, the horse pulled out lame and, on inspection, the infection had worsened.

Australia would have been one of the star attractions on Champions Day next weekend, but Buckley was adamant the Ballydoyle team could not afford to take any risks at this stage of his career.

“We were all looking forward to going to Ascot, but as you can appreciate, any type of setback like that jeopardises the training regime,” he said. “Hence we had to take that decision he wouldn’t be ready for the Champion Stakes.”

David O’Loughlin, Coolmore director of sales, added: “Australia nearly won the best Guineas in the modern era. “He’s probably quicker than Galileo.”

Yellow Star Stud stand the first son of Galileo to go to stud in South Africa.

Yellow Star is very pleased to report that the imposing grey stallion The Assayer, bred on the same lines as Frankel being out of a Danehill mare, has had his first mares test in foal.

visit yellowstarstud.co.za for more information.