Glass Slippers Seeks Repeat in Prix de l'Abbaye

ParisLongchamp's five-furlong course is Battaash 's final frontier (his Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines, G1, win came at Chantilly in 2017) and it's not especially hard to see why. They are similarly-charged ions in a sense, both having idiosyncrasies to which they rarely cede.

Battaash does not run in this year's Abbaye Oct. 4, the ground rather than the track taking the blame, and the final field is historically small. The last time as few as 11 turned up was right at the beginning of the century.

That's one of only two crumbs of comfort for connections of last year's winner Glass Slippers, who has been drawn in stall 10. Being drawn wide is often terminal in the Abbaye, where the rail hogs the action, so if you're to be in the proverbial car park it's easier to take when the field is smaller. The other consolation is that the only horse outside of her, noted mudlark Make A Challenge, is the second favorite.

Glass Slippers won this race by three lengths last year, the sort of margin that makes you forget about a poor draw to an extent, and she confirmed her form with a win in the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (G1) at the Curragh last month. She deserves to be favorite, but the draw takes matters out of her hands a little.

The Curragh form brings in many of the big players from Britain and Ireland. Keep Busy was second, Make A Challenge fifth, Liberty Beach seventh. Their hopes largely rest on the different conditions, both underfoot (good going at the Curragh) and in terms of the positional concession Glass Slippers is offering.

The main French form is the Qatar Prix du Petit Couvert (G3), which Glass Slippers won last year on the way to this race. Air de Valse made all from stall 7 and breaks from the same position this time. She is quicker than Wooded, who is probably more of a six-furlong horse and therefore may not have the speed to make the best use of his handy draw in stall 2.

Similarly, Archer's Dream will come from the inside stall but is habitually held up. It may hamper her run through, but if Tom Marquand is willing to hold her position this filly, whose three standout efforts have all come on soft ground, could put up more of a fight than her fairly unflattering odds imply. She would be far from the first outsider to go well in the ever-quirky Prix de l'Abbaye.

"She needs to find a bit of improvement but ran well for a long way at Haydock," said James Fanshawe, trainer of Archer's Dream. "She loves soft ground and it'll be interesting to see how she fares dropping back to five furlongs. She'll like conditions and she has a nice draw."

Glass Slippers Out to Equal Lochsong's 26-Year Record

Glass Slippers has a leading chance of becoming a rare back-to-back winner of the Prix de l'Abbaye, as she looks to become the first since the great Lochsong in 1994.

Since her outstanding three-length win in the group 1 last season, the Kevin Ryan-trained filly has enjoyed a productive campaign. She ran two solid races behind Battaash and, in that rival's absence, scored impressively in the Flying Five at the Curragh.

While the testing ground forced Battaash out of the race, Glass Slippers will relish conditions at Longchamp as she goes for a second group 1 in just 21 days.

Ryan said: "I'm delighted with the filly going into the race. She's doing very well and her form at the track is great, having won the race last year. We're very happy with her. The ground was soft last season, so she should be fine on it."

Since Lochsong, only Marsha has gone close to defending her Abbaye crown when a creditable second to an explosive Battaash in 2017.

Elsewhere, there have been only three French-trained winners since the turn of the century, but in Prix du Petit Couvert one-two, Air de Valse and Wooded, they have a strong challenge.

"He ran very well in the Prix du Petit Couvert on his first try at 1,000 meters (five furlongs) and he quickly understood what was required of him," said Francis Graffard, trainer of Wooded. "The 1,200 meters (six furlongs) is his ideal trip, but I don't have any other choice. The real concern for me is heavy ground."

Those concerns aren't apparent in the Air de Valse camp.

"She has risen up the ranks and got better with racing, while she has a great temperament. I rode her work on Wednesday morning and she's thriving, while soft ground won't bother her," said Ronan Thomas, jockey of Air de Valse. "She's completely (ground) versatile because she ran the fastest time in the history of the Prix du Petit Couvert and got close to the course record."

Progressive Irish raider Make A Challenge would be a poignant first group 1 winner for Denis Hogan, after the yard tragically lost stable star Sceptical earlier this year.

John Quinn has two key chances with King's Stand (G1) third Liberty Beach and Keep Busy, who was second to Glass Slippers at the Curragh last time.

Earthlight Casts Long Shadow on Foret Elders

The Qatar Prix de la Foret (G1) has struggled to find its place on Arc weekend, flitting between the Saturday and Sunday in the last decade. It is partly because the race's place in the wider pattern tends to fluctuate.

The seven-furlong group has traditionally been something of a misfit division, but things are improving. If it were not for the riches Godolphin hold, the Foret might well have included Pinatubo and Space Blues and been the race of the weekend.

Earthlight is the sole Godolphin representative for Sunday and he casts a long shadow as it is. His only defeat was when fourth to Space Blues in the LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1), which might be well outnumbered by his seven wins, including two group 1s, but it is notable that it represents his only previous test at the top level in open-age company.

For context, the horse he beat into second at group 3 level on his last run, Tropbeau, is a 16-1 chance here.

"Earthlight is in the best form he has been in all year," said Andre Fabre, trainer of Earthlight. "Mickael (Barzalona) commented after his last piece of work that he feels better than ever, both mentally and physically. He is a laid-back horse, but with a devastating turn of foot and I am hopeful of a very good run here. My only concerns are around the level of form of the 3-year-olds this year."

One Master can get one up on Enable if she wins, as it would complete a hat-trick in the Foret. She is adaptable and consistent and duly one of the most popular horses in training, with her narrow second to Wichita in the Bet365 Park Stakes (G2) last time showing she is every bit as good as last year.

That form with Wichita means the latter's stablemate Lope Y Fernandez will have had his card marked. He, like Wichita up to then, has struggled to find his place.

The signs have been there. He finished third in the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1), second (to Pinatubo) in the Qatar Prix Jean Prat (G1), and a running-on third in the Maurice de Gheest. He is no sprinter and cannot quite hack it against the best milers. Seven furlongs appeals as being just right and this is a rare attempt at the trip.

There is not an awful lot of pace in the race (likeliest front-runner Pretreville is drawn wide), so Jason Hart may see an opportunity to reprise forcing tactics on Safe Voyage. They worked in rain-softened ground when he thumped One Master in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes (G2) and he followed up with a win in Ireland.

The seven-furlong course at Longchamp drops about five meters from start to finish, most of it in the first couple of furlongs, and a speed test at the trip will be getting on for Safe Voyage's minimum. A good pace on testing ground is possibly a prerequisite for him to show his best form.

One Master Out to Make History

It's all about the 6-year-old British mare bidding to make history by winning the race for the third time—sound familiar?

However Enable gets on in her date with destiny in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), her contemporary One Master could rewrite the record books later on the card in a race she has made her own.

And unlike Enable, the William Haggas-trained mare is unbeaten in the Prix de la Foret, Europe's only all-aged group 1 event over seven furlongs.

She was a 33-1 shot when coming from behind to lead close home under Pierre-Charles Boudot in 2018, but showed that was no fluke with a string of good efforts, capped by a repeat victory with the same man on board on very soft ground 12 months ago at just 17-5.

That made her the sixth dual winner of a race which was first run in 1858 and she has given every sign that a record third success is within her grasp.

One Master looked as good ever when coming from a seemingly impossible position to lead in the last stride at Goodwood in July, then ran a blinder when just denied by Wichita on ground firmer than ideal at Doncaster on St. Leger day.

Conditions will be more suitable and the winning duo is reunited, with Boudot back on board in place of Tom Marquand for just the second time this year.

Haggas said: "She's in good form, the ground's OK, and the trip's good. She ran a good race at Doncaster.

"Pierre-Charles has ridden her in the last two Forets and we felt it was right to put him on in this one. Tom will learn how to ride that track in time but Pierre-Charles has done nothing but good things on her.

"It will be tough, it's never an easy race. I just hope for a clear run."