At Longchamp last Sunday, an epic battle took place between last year’s exuberant Arc winner, Treve, and the old pretender Cirrus Des Aigles.
Cirrus Des Aigles added to his big race tally by upsetting the favourite Treve to take victory by a nose in the Prix Ganay over 2000 metres.
Pacemaker Belle De Crecy ensured a strong gallop for the race. As they hit the final bend, Cirrus Des Aigles held the lead. Treve was just behind and ready to capitalise on the pacemaker’s hard work.
As they hit the 400-metre marker, she drew level. Over the remainder of the race they exchanged the lead. As they drove to the line, the gelding edged ahead. The performance was impressive even if allowing for the fact that it was Treves’ seasonal reappearance.
Due to his gelded status, Cirrus Des Aigles is now in his seventh year in training.
This is virtually unheard of in the European flat circuit where most thoroughbreds retire to breeding after a two to three year racing career. He has now become a defining horse to handicappers and rating systems such as Timeform.
It’s hard to believe that Sundays victory was only his fourth win at Group 1 level, but the quality of opposition in these races and other Group 1s he has been placed in include the best middle distance horses in the world, past and present.
Cirrus Des Aigles has now defeated So You Think (rated 133 by Timeform), Treve (rated 134) and St. Nicholas Abbey (rated 130).
He has been narrowly defeated by Japanese supermare Gentledonna in this year’s Dubai Sheema Classic and the high class Fahrr in last year’s Champion Stakes. Of course, he also pushed the immortal Frankel to two lengths in the 2012 version of the Champion Stakes.
That duel against Frankel was a career-best performance by Cirrus Des Aigles. He earned a Timeform rating of 136.
The longevity of Cirrus Des Aigles career has given us racing fans a valuable link to the thoroughbred generations. Due to the nature of the breeding industry, we’re unlikely to see too many compete at the top level for so long in the future.
This is the reality of flat horse racing, where there’s more money in stud than on the track. It is only because he’s a gelding we’ve seen him race over multiple seasons. Let’s appreciate him while he keeps racing.
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