Maltese Cross can claim Arc glory for William Haggas
LEADING HOPE: Maltese Cross powers to victory in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York in August. Picture: Healy Racing
Eight years after Sea Of Class was agonisingly thwarted by the great Enable, William Haggas can add the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to his CV courtesy of the progressive Maltese Cross.
The Sea The Stars colt who has gone from strength to strength this season, following up narrow wins at Newbury and Lingfield by running a cracker when second to Christmas Day in the Derby on softer ground than ideal.
He backed up that performance with a first Group 1 success when winning the Grand Prix de Paris in July, again showing a terrific attitude in the process.
Last time out, Maltese Cross defied a penalty to get the better of Pierre Bonnard by two lengths in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.
Lowering the colours of reigning champion Daryz will require another career-best effort but Maltese Cross has shown an admirable ability to find a way to come out on top several times this season and, with ground conditions in his favour, he may be able to do so again on the biggest stage of all.
Like Maltese Cross, Daryz is a son of 2009 Arc hero Sea The Stars who he emulated when winning this race last year.
Only once has the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained four-year-old tasted defeat in his home country so the favourite undoubtedly brings impeccable credentials to the table.
However, dual Arc winners are rare and dual Arc-winning colts are rarer still with the Vincent O’Brien-trained Alleged to last male to complete the double in 1978.
Aside from the weight of history, the prospect of unusually fast Arc ground is a further concern.
Two of his three career defeats, at York last year and Royal Ascot this season, came on rattling fast ground and while last month’s Prix Foy win came in quick conditions, the rivals Daryz beat in that prep race in a time five seconds slower than the Prix Vermeille and Prix Niel on the same card were horses with a bigger preference for some give underfoot.
Conditions are also a worry for Thundering On, the shortest-priced Irish horse in the market.
A visually stunning winner of what time has since shown to be a poor renewal of the Epsom Oaks, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Frankel filly disappointed on quicker ground when fourth in the Pretty Polly Stakes over 10 furlongs but bounced back to winning ways in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes on her return to the Curragh last month.
Given the allowances they get, three-year-old fillies are always dangerous in the Arc but there’s little doubt softer conditions would be better for Thundering On.
The other three Irish contenders are trained by Aidan O’Brien and it’s hard to bullish about any of them.
Minnie Hauk was just touched off by Daryz last year and finished in front of him when second to Ombudsman in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.
However, she has only won one of her five starts this season so it’s hard to shake the sense that her best chance of Arc glory has come and gone.
Diamond Necklace, who was beaten for the first time when second at Deauville last time out, was expected to be the choice of Ryan Moore before the four-time Group 1 winner was handed the widest stall draw of all, a huge negative for a horse tackling 12 furlongs for the first time.
Moore has instead opted for Benvenuto Cellini and the Irish Derby hero has solid each-way prospects if he bounces back from a disappointing run in the Prix Niel last month.
The Andrew Balding-trained Kalpana finished seventh in this race last year but the five-year-old has looked better than ever this season, enjoying her finest hour when beating Calandagan in the King George at Ascot. She followed that up by just getting the better of Sparan Nua in the Yorkshire Oaks in August but she had to dig seriously deep to do so and the fear that race may have left a mark makes her opposable this weekend.
1: Maltese Cross
2: Daryz
3: Benvenuto Cellini
