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That was a fantastic result, especially for Kingston Hill who I can’t wait to see [hopefully] next year. Did Treve sweat up quite so much last year, though? Can’t be over the top with the amount of racing she’s had, so I wonder how much she’s had to fight against her back pain [or do Motivators tend to do that?]. Still can’t believe it, though [just going to rewatch on 4+1].
‘Greatest mare of the century’ is probably a little extreme given how weak this Arc field was. Don’t forget Goldikova, Zarkava and Zenyatta!
I think people were confusing ‘competitive Arc’ with ‘great Arc’ pre-race. The hopeful punts connections of the likes of Tapestry, Kingston Hill and even old Al Kazeem had at the race underline that fact.
Still, it’s a wonderful performance from Treve. She ripped them apart, gave away weight and showed how brilliant she really is.
In the process of winning successive renewals of the greatest race in the world, she has done what no horse has done since Alleged – 36 years ago – and that includes Zarkava.
She didn’t just win, either – she absolutely destroyed top, top class oppostion. I was Zenyatta’s biggest fan, but she never beat anything close to the level of opposition Treve has encountered, while Goldikova is perhaps the one filly/mare that is, and this is the key word, ‘arguably’ her superior based on class, consistency, longevity and versatility. In my opinion, Treve has more class, but has not produced it over the same duration as Goldikova.
She overcame physical problems to give weight away and show tactical versatility by winning from an inside draw after her success from an outside draw last year.
It’s one thing to compete and dominate in the manner of Goldikova, but to win what is consistently the best race in the world in successive years without turning a hair, showing a blistering turn of foot, that is something rare.
So rare, that it hasn’t been done since 1978! There is something about Treve that sets the pulse racing.
Is there a dry eye in the house? Incredible stuff: a magnificent filly and an astonishing training performance.
What a way for Treve to head off to stud- with her reputation restored and that of her trainer enhanced.
Today was magical and one of those days when even the most jaded of cynics must surely appreciate how special this sport can be. If you weren’t moved by Treve’s performance, I suggest that you find another sport to follow.
If only geldings could run in the Arc. A certain lad missing his two veg laughed at today’s Arc runner-up and beat the winner this season.
Magnificent filly. Magnificent trainer. I’m delighted for both. Treve could be called the winner a long way out
Two good picks today Joe. I thought Treve had too much improvement to find over her last run but perhaps this is the time of year that she blossoms and as soon as she started coming forward I knew it was all over for Taghrooda.
I was pleased to see Kingston Hill get quite prominent early and he ran a terrific race. I backed him in case it got soft and I feel he’d probably have been second if it had been but I doubt he’d have coped with a filly who won so well on soft herself last year.
Just a further thought, how many people would have bet that Al Kazeem would finish ahead of Avenir Certain, Ectot and Tapestry?
That’s one for form buffs to puzzle over.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Kingston Hill was my £10 win bet but I did put £2 on Treve as a ‘safety bet’ if KH failed … which turned out to be exactly that. So I didn’t lose
I think this year’s win for Treve was more significant and underlines what a smart mare she is. Have to admit though, I did write her off mid-season.
Some mentioned that Criquette Head-Maarek put up the training performance of all-time. Fine effort yes but all-time? … no way!
Nothing like racing to get the hyperbole machine on full tilt.
I would regard Treve’s effort as splendid-hard to believe we have to back to Alleged to find the last dual winner-but some questioning of what happened to the filly during the season is surely as apposite as beatifying CH-M on this occasion.
The filly clearly wasn’t at her best earlier and all she did on Sunday was to repeat her heroics from 2013. Is it possible that Head-Maarek made a complete Horlicks of the filly before yesterday? Did she miss tell-tale signs from the filly that all wasn’t well? for example, blaming Frankie at one stage for bad results.
The filly did no more than she had in previous seasons and, for whatever reasons, she wasn’t produced in best shape prior to Sunday. Deify the filly, not the trainer.
P.S. (alternatively) I reflect that Ballydoyle occasionally dig out a once-in-a-lifetime performance from their choicely-bred fillies and, perhaps, its just female – let’s be kind – unpredictability on show?
I agree.
She clearly did not have a bulls notion what was wrong with the filly.
And regardless of how you feel about Dettori or any jockey, his treatment goes personally against my value system. Nice to see a great filly but by the laws of Karma, Madame Head got away with a lot.
SHL
SHL
The filly’s had foot and back problems. I think someone on here quoted K Fallon as saying she was a ‘cripple’.
If she was as bad as that, then every move a trainer makes, feeding, working, chosing staff, vets, experts and even jockeys makes the difference between retirement and seeing her back on a racecourse again, never mind winning another Arc.
I remember after Dickinson’s famous five in the Gold Cup the number of professionals who said that the achievement of just getting 5 horses to the post in a top class race was close to unbelievable.
Credit to a magnificent mare, but her trainer is no less talented or classy imo
I dont see anything classy about Madame Heads behavior.
Also, its standard procedure to get the vets and any other top class help with an animal of that value. Lets not hand out garlands for that.
Credit the patience of giving the mare time to come back but what ever the problem was and im sure we still dont really know, then it wasnt really showing up at home so much or else why were they running her at all?
Fact is that some horses dont come back and some do and i dont see what amazing things her trainer has done that would compare to those trainers who can get very fragile horses to their peak every year. This situation in no way compares to Nicky Henderson and See You Then for example.
A fine trainer but lets leave out the hyperbole in this case
SHL
… Credit the patience of giving the mare time to come back but what ever the problem was and im sure we still dont really know, then it wasnt really showing up at home so much or else why were they running her at all?
Mdm Head said in an interview before the race in the parade-ring that Treve suffers from "kissing spine" and that this year Treve is 150 %, whereas she was 200 % the year before.
A fine trainer but lets leave out the hyperbole in this case
As hyperbole is in the eye of the beholder, maybe we’ll just agree to disagree
… Credit the patience of giving the mare time to come back but what ever the problem was and im sure we still dont really know, then it wasnt really showing up at home so much or else why were they running her at all?
Mdm Head said in an interview before the race in the parade-ring that Treve suffers from "kissing spine" and that this year Treve is 150 %, whereas she was 200 % the year before.
Then she said afterwards that she was only 95% or maybe 99.5% (her words)
IMO it was a tale of two seasons. Her 3 year old campaign would have been easier to plan; FTO conditions race as prep for the Dianne, a rest and then the Vermeille in prep for the Arc.
Not so easy to plan a 4yo campaign that this time was surely all about one race. No disgrace in losing out over an extended 10f to Cirrus De Aglais FTO, then bravely electing to travel, taking her to Ascot for a race she clearly shouldn’t have run in given the state of the ground – the interview with Alec Head post-race on Sunday was entertaining when he stated how he wouldn’t have let the horse run if he’d been there as she couldn’t even crawl
It’s highly likely that whatever ailment she suffered was caused/aggrevated by that run so it’s possible that she was nowhere near ready in her Arc prep this year.
Wonderful thing hindsight though and of course I didn’t back her on Sunday.
Trainer got out of jail is my take on it. By nearly ruining her running on unsuitable ground at Ascot but then bringing her back to her best in the Arc.
Lee
I dare say punters who backed Treve on her prep run for the Arc will have been a bit peeved to see her come through for a cosy win in the Arc itself, after she could finish only fourth when facing horses she should have had almost a stone and a half in hand of on the ratings.
Perhaps the trainer got lucky that Treve found something like her best on the day in the Arc or perhaps she was just never fully ripe on the three previous runs this year.
Several posters here had said that the whole season was about the one race for last year’s heroine and if you take out the narrow defeat behind Cirrus, you can then say she had the one bad race next time and probably was a recipient of a bit of "training in public" on her comeback.
I think credit is due for having the horse ready for action on the day when it really mattered. When we look back over the years it’s the big races that stand out and I don’t think the trainers who win multiple classics and group 1 races can be labelled as lucky.
I can only assume that everyone who felt that Treve just had to do what she did last year had nice big, thick, wads of cash on her this past Sunday.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
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