Murtagh sweet on Marmalade capping great season with success in Arc
The atmosphere over there is second to none and, with the prizemoney being upped to the second largest pot in the world, it just adds to the thrill of the whole thing.”
That’s how jockey Johnny Murtagh describes the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and, on the first Sunday in October each year, in the spiritual home of soft ground, the best of the season’s middle distance performers converge on Longchamp for the race which invariably crowns the champion of the European Racing scene.
As has become customary of the redoubtable and meticulous Aidan O’Brien team, little has been left to chance in a bid to retain the race they won for the first time with Dylan Thomas in 2007.
The ground will always be a key factor at this time of year and, in Duke Of Marmalade and Soldier Of Fortune, Ballydoyle have that angle well and truly covered.
The former, a proven good ground performer, would be less favoured by slow underfoot conditions but, in the case of a deluge over the next 24 hours, step up Soldier Of Fortune.
Mightily impressive on soft to heavy ground in last year’s Irish Derby, he finished fifth in this race last season and has been trained to the minute for his return journey. He’ll, doubtlessly, have been tapping out a rain-dance in his stable over the last couple of weeks but, it seems, the rains may be falling a little too late for him.
Jockey Johnny Murtagh, triumphant aboard John Oxx’s Sinndar in 2000, knows exactly what it takes to win this race and firmly believes that, in horses and trainer, his team has the right ingredients.
“When I won it on Sindaar, it was a marvellous occasion. He had won the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby but when he won his Arc trial (the Prix Niel), I had a fair idea that he was going to be hard to beat.
“He was breathtaking that day and his work before the Arc was exceptional so I knew we had a huge chance. Montjeu had won it the year before and he was the one we had to beat but I believe that, on that day, Sinndar would have taken some beating.
“Aidan O’Brien reminds me of a young John Oxx. He’s a total gentleman with a nice personality and is a true professional. They live for the game and I suppose you could say they get out of it what they put into it — which is 24 hours a day, really. They eat, sleep and drink horses.
“To win the Arc, the horse itself has to have a bit of everything. It takes a pretty unique horse to be at the top of their game after going through such a long season in England and Ireland.
“The ground is always riding on the soft side of good and when you look down the list of successful horses, only top horses have won the Arc.
“I suppose the French horses have a little advantage as they go around Longchamp so often but this is not a typical French race. This is more of an English style race — they go fast all the way and there’s absolutely no let up. It’s a full-on mile and a half.”
The tough decision on which horse to ride was, understandably, left to the last minute but it’s an enviable position that Murtagh has found himself in on numerous occasions this season and, ultimately, he came down on the side of Duke Of Marmalade, the horse that has carried him to five Group 1 successes in a remarkable year.
“Aidan picked out the Arc as Soldier Of Fortune’s main target for the season and he’s been training him for that race all year. I rode him during the week and he feels like he’s in great form. He ran fifth there last year after getting a bit of interference so he could go very close this year.”
“However, Duke Of Marmalade is unbeaten this season and has been terrific all year. I suppose his two wins in Ascot would be the highlight of his year. No horse had won the King George and the Arc in the same year before Dylan Thomas did it last year but I’ll be hoping that the Duke can do it again.
“He has had a lot of racing but if any horse can do it, he can. He has a great constitution and he’s had a bit of a break since he won the International at Newmarket. I think missing the Irish Champion Stakes will be a big plus for him and he’s going as well now as he was during the year.”
