Torquator Tasso - a talent hidden in plain sight on Arc Centenary

It was billed as a clash for ages. The highlight of the year. A monumental showdown between the best horses from Europe and Japan for a place in history. And for one set of connections, it certainly was, as Torquator Tasso and jockey Rene Piechulek triumphed for trainer Marcel Weiss and owner Gestut Auenquelle in Europe’s most prestigious weight for age race, the Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe.

Tarnawa, Hurricane Lane and eventual winner Torquator Tasso do battle up the hallowed Longchamp turf

PHOTO: ©Jack Williams / JTW Equine Images

The win also secured a 3rd win in the race for Germany, after Star Appeal in 1975 and Danedream in 2011. Strangely unfancied despite his form at a massive 80-1, the 4-year-old son of recently-deceased stallion Adlerflug initially looked one paced in the straight, before grinding it out under his jockey’s urges to close down and nail both Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane on the line.

Before the race had even been run, many pundits and horseracing fans alike queried his massive odds. After all, his second to Alpinista in the Grosser Preis von Berlin was looking excellent form, as he went on to win the Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden on his next start, whilst Alpinista won the Preis von Europa on her latest outing.

His soft ground form was equally impressive, and when the heavens opened a deluge of rain on Longchamp on the evening before, and most dramatically on the morning of the race, connections must have been quietly confident that their horse would bely his huge odds.

Initially in the race, Broome set a very sensible pace given the heavy, soft in places going, and it looked as though everyone was happy enough. Chrono Genesis and Oisin Murphy, with the jockey already a winner on the card, stayed wide in the search of better ground. Adayar and William Buick were forward, and up with the pace, and somewhat settled, although that was much better than when he won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes, despite pulling hard in the early part of the race. In this case however, Buick sent Adayar on at the top of the bend, and had the rail as the field went through halfway and heading to the false straight.

Traffic problems looked to be the case for Tarnawa and Christophe Soumillon, whilst the other fancied horses Snowfall, Hurricane Lane and the gambled upon Alenquer were all settled in nicely as the field came around the bend and began the turn towards home.

Heading down the false straight Alenquer was the first to crack, jockey Tom Marquand starting to begin pushing and shoving to keep his mount in his place as the pace lifted and the field swung into the home straight with 500m to run.

Torquator Tasso and Rene Piechulek head out to the course before the Arc

PHOTO: ©Tom Williams / JTW Equine Images

Adayar was sent on again by William Buick, going on by three lengths, and seemingly slipping the field as the field ran towards two furlongs from home. Torquator Tasso looked unbalanced, Snowfall going up his inside and trying to join the charge for home. Chrono Genesis was bravely trying to get onto the leader’s coattails, but agonizingly for Japan she wasn’t making any effect on the gap and it seemed the bird had flown and was away.

In the tacky, holding conditions however, it transpired that Adayar had gone for home slightly too early. His momentum stopped and his stride shortened with 150 metres to go, and the gap to the chasing rivals began to close rapidly. Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane overhauled him with 100 metres to go, joined on the outside by Torquator Tasso, who was finishing with a wet sail having earlier been unbalanced. Chrono Genesis and Snowfall were trying vainly to join into the fight for the lead, but neither could get inroads on Adayar, who had slipped back to fourth.

With 100 metres to run Tarnawa was joined in battle by Hurricane Lane, the rivals eyeballing each other, and Torquator Tasso on the stand side. With 50 metres to run it was a case of three in line, with no quarter given to any of the rivals. With 20 metres to go Torquator Tasso edged ahead and prevailed at the line by around half a length to Tarnawa, running a mighty race in second, and a further short head to Hurricane Lane in third. Adayar ran very well to stay on for fourth, whilst Sealiway took fifth, Snowfall could only muster sixth, and the wait for a Japanese winner of the Arc continues, for Chrono Genesis was the first home from the Japanese pair in seventh.

Torquator Tasso and Rene Piechulek win the 2021 Qatar Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe

PHOTO: ©Tom Williams / JTW Equine Images

“I’m lost for words”, trainer Marcel Weiss said after the race. “I can’t believe I’ve won this”, he stated to the assembled media.

“He had already proven himself to be a class act at 3. He has done very well this year, having won at Group 2 and Group 1 level prior to this”.

“Given the sheer quality of the field…… we would have been delighted to be fourth or fifth”.

“He is a star”, he reflected on his charge. “The owners turned down some big offers for the horse, and I’m delighted to be able to train him”.

He noted to the media that they would discuss his future programme the week after, but within a matter of days it was determined that he would stay on to race at 4 and be aimed for a defence of his title next year.

Indeed, Julia Romich, representative at the stable, told the French racing site Equidia that the Arc winner is finished for the year and will not be running again until next season.

“His owners have resisted the temptation to go for the Group One Japan Cup ( Sunday 28th November 2021 at Tokyo Racecourse ) so that he can rest up for next year”.

“The objective is to defend his title in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc De Triomphe. As such, we will come back to Longchamp next year”.

Tarnawa, Hurricane Lane and eventual winner Torquator Tasso do battle up the hallowed Longchamp turf

PHOTO: ©Tom Williams / JTW Equine Images

It was jockey Rene Piechulek’s first ride in the Arc, and he was quite philosophical about his victory post-race.

“It was a great opportunity and I thank all connections”. “It won’t sink in until tomorrow that I’ve won!”

“I wanted to be quite close to the pace when turning into the straight. The horse has a superb power of acceleration and he showed that alright!”

Co-owner of the winner Peter Michael Endras was equally philosophical of his horse’s victory, but also showing the joy and emotion in his post race interview.

“It’s absolutely incredible. It’s the best race in the world!”

“We are breeders and we bought Torquator Tasso….. on the advice of our trainer ( Marcel Weiss ). He had already trained the high class Adlerflug for us”.

“We are very lucky”.

Post race celebrations after Torquator Tasso's triumph

PHOTO: ©Tom Williams / JTW Equine Images

In a stellar weekend for Torquator Tasso, it was also revealed via the Racing Post that they have entered the proceedings and contention for the Cartier Horse Of The Year.

Whilst he currently sits in ninth place on 96 behind St Mark’s Basilica on a whopping 160 points, the points only amount to around 30 percent of the awards, with a panel of journalists, handicappers and public votes from the Racing Post and Daily Telegraph making up the remaining 70 percent towards the awards.

Think of it as a similar scoring system to the Eurovision Song Contest for horses, without the outlandish outfits and questionable lyrics.

Beaten connections reports

“I’m not disappointed as we had a great race”, reported Christophe Soumillion after finishing second aboard Tarnawa. “We have nothing to be ashamed of”.

“I’m delighted with Tarnawa, congratulations to her team as they have done a great job”, he went on to say. “She has only run twice this year and had just run on good ground at Leopardstown”.

“I hope she gets the chance to win a nice race abroad before the end of the season. She’s a superstar, she’s second in the Arc”.

“The ground was a bit too sticky for Tarnawa”, he commented, and this was also added to by her trainer Dermot Weld, who was agonisingly close to breaking his Arc duck.

“The ground made the difference”, he lamented. “She didn’t have the required speed at the finish, and she lacked a little something when it came to winning the race”.

“It’s a shame because all her preparations have gone perfectly, and I was really confident”.

Regarding a next step for the mare, Dermot Weld said that a crack at the Breeders Cup is a possibility, but he would have to discuss it with the owner His Highness the Aga Khan.

Hurricane Lane “ran a very good race” and “can’t be faulted”, trainer Charlie Appleby said after the race. He also reflected on the performance of the fourth placed horse Adayar, again trained by him, saying that he had started “well, too well in fact”.

“He usually likes to have other horses in his sights. It’s difficult to kick for home early on sticky ground”.

“I think he will stay in training at 4, and he will be at home on trips ranging from 2,000m ( 1 mile 2 furlongs ) to 2,400m ( 1 mile 4 furlongs ).

Cedric Rossi, the trainer of fifth placed Sealiway, was hugely satisfied with the horse’s performance, especially as the horse had not run since the Prix Du Jockey Club in June, in which he finished only 1 and 3 quarter lengths behind the now retired St Mark’s Basilica.

“Before the race one could have thought that Sealiway needed the race”, he noted to the media at Longchamp. “One thing is for sure”, he went on to say, “his fifth place shows that we are working well!”, a bout of laughter accompanying his comments.

“We can dream of trying our luck in the Breeders Cup Turf”, giving indication for the next port of call for him.

Pauline Cheboub, the co-owner of Sealiway, was also positive about the performance despite the lack of a run, seemingly their only concern going into the race.

“What’s great is that he is a colt who’s going to improve for the race”. “There was a big gap between the Prix du Jockey-Club and today ( 119 days ), but he is an exceptional horse”.

“He was the best French 2-year-old, and he’s now the best 3-year-old in France!”

“I won’t hide the fact that it was not easy to prepare him for such a race as we are a young team”.

“His jockey ( Franck Blondel ) knows him by heart as he rides him every morning”.

“He will race again this year, either in the Breeders Cup Turf or at Ascot”. The latter would indicate a crack at the QIPCO Champion Stakes, where they are a general 12/1 chance for the race, having shortened considerably from 66/1 through to 12/1.

The winner’s conqueror earlier in the season, Alpinista, will head off on her winter holidays very soon after a bid for more German glory in the Grosser Preis von Bayern at Munich on November 7th, but trainer Sir Mark Prescott has stated this week that she will have a campaign revolved around the Arc next year, given how the horse she vanquished has now won the most prestigious Flat race in Europe.

Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, he stated that “the form was greatly enhanced on Sunday”, referring to the success of her rival at Longchamp in the Arc.

“After she won, the Arc winner went on and won his Group One ( Grosser Preis von Baden on September 5th ), and the Godolphin horse ( Walton Street, who was third at Hoppegarten ) went on to win the Canadian International ( at Woodbine, and by 5 and 3 quarter lengths ).

“She definitely stays in training….. while this one is capable of adding lustre to the family, ( she ) is better off winning races,a nd the others can get on with the breeding”.

A race for the ages it was, and a dramatic result where the winner’s price masked their form and potential. It certainly lived up to the billing it promised beforehand, and it whets the appetite for next season’s renewal. Will Torquator Tasso defend his title, will a new kid on the block steal the show, or will Japan finally get their elusive Arc they so desperately desire.

Time waits for no one. And only time will tell.