SACRE BLEU!
Juddmonte’s Bluestocking careers away to famous Arc victory
Ralph Beckett cut an ecstatic figure at Longchamp on Sunday as he witnessed his four-year-old filly Bluestocking (4 f Camelot – Emulous by Dansili) land France’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m).
Having gone close in the previous two editions with Westover (Frankel), who ran sixth in 2022 before coming home in second behind Ace Impact (Cracksman) last year, Beckett and the filly’s owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms made the decision to supplement the daughter of Camelot (Montjeu) for a fee of €120,000 (approx. AU$193,910) on Wednesday, a choice that would prove to be a stroke of genius just days later.
Bluestocking had been something of a bridesmaid during her three-year-old season, finishing runner-up in the Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f), British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 3.5f), Stand Cup Stakes (Listed, 1m 4.5f), and Newbury Fillies’ Trial Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f), while also coming third in the Ribblesdale Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f) and fourth in the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f), in a campaign that somehow produced no wins.
However, returning as a four-year-old in May’s Middleton Fillies’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 2.5f) at York, Bluestocking marked herself down as a potential Group 1 winner in waiting when storming six lengths clear of Free Wind (Galileo) to banish the memories of last year’s run of placed efforts.
Stepped up to Group 1 level for the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) at the Curragh, the filly would go on to beat Emily Upjohn (Sea The Stars) by a half-length. A second-placed run and fourth-placed effort in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 4f) and International Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2.5f) respectively followed, before a victory in Longchamp’s Prix Vermeille (Gr 1, 2400m) last month sparked thoughts of potentially returning for Sunday’s showpiece.
Added to the final field midweek, the Bluestocking camp were handed even more hope when the filly drew barrier three in the 16-runner field, something that would prove crucial during the race.
Ridden by usual partner Rossa Ryan, Bluestocking broke very quickly from her inside berth and managed to gain an ideal position on the rail.
Tracking the pacesetting Los Angeles (Camelot) in second position, Ryan brought his mount up to challenge with 400 metres left to run and, having hit the front almost immediately after, Bluestocking displayed her class and staying ability in abundance as she kept on willingly to beat the Christophe Ferland-trained Aventure (Sea The Stars), who had also finished runner-up in the Prix Vermeille, by a length and a quarter. There was a further length and a half back to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Los Angeles, who kept on gamely after having been headed at the top of the straight, in third.
“This is our best ever day – it has to be,” a joyous Beckett said. “I have been lucky to win a couple of Oaks, but this is our best ever day for sure.
“I think the draw helped. He [Ryan] got her into the right place and everything went to plan and he was able to pull it off.
“It is a tribute to her constitution as much as anything else. It is extraordinary to have a horse who started in May, and danced all those dances, the King George, the Juddmonte, get beat, and then to come back and do that only three weeks after what looked like a tough race in the Vermeille, it is just extraordinary. She is an extraordinary beast.
“The Juddmonte team are an extraordinary outfit to work for in the sense that there is no pressure ever. You live or die by your own actions but there has never been any pressure.”
Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s general manager of Ireland and European racing, said: “The owner has been pushing and pushing to supplement her and it is unbelievable – what a filly!
“I believe that is Juddmonte’s seventh win in the race, which is the winning-most owner of all time so that is a special record.
“She had a perfect trip the whole way round. Rossa had a plan in his head he was going to be handy. We thought Ryan would go forward and we just set off and had a lovely trip the whole way and at the top of the stretch I thought it was going to take a good one to beat her.”
Ryan, who celebrated his third Group 1 success by putting his finger over his lips before pointing at the winning horse, said: “I can’t really believe it, this filly has been something else in my career.
“I want to say a big thank you to everyone at Kimpton [Down Stables] for all their hard work as well as Barry [Mahon, Juddmonte manager] and his highness for trusting me. It’s a big team effort and I couldn’t be here without them.”
Christophe Ferland, who trained the runner-up Aventure, was proud of his filly’s performance, stating: “She’s run the perfect race, she was exceptional. We had the same fight as in the Vermeille. Obviously there is some regret that we were second but it was a beautiful second in an Arc de Triomphe.
“When she went after the leader there was a moment when I thought she’d do it but we’ve once again come across a real racehorse and an exceptional four-year-old filly.”
O’Brien, who watched Los Angeles finish a gallant third, lamented the lack of early pace in the race, with jockey Ryan Moore having to make the running on the colt.
“I imagine Ryan might have preferred to get a lead but everybody was going slow and he did the right thing,” he said. “He [Los Angeles] was bowling along, and maybe idling a little bit in front but he still ran very well.”
Bluestocking is a half-sister to winners Qirat (Showcasing), Desirous (Kingman) and Pomelo (Dubawi), being the fifth foal out of the 2011 Matron Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) winner Emulous (Dansili).