Ruler Of The World Is Back! Weekend Racing Review

The ante-post markets came in for plenty of activity over the weekend, with the likes of Cursory Glance punted in for next season’s 1,000 Guineas.

Roger Varian’s filly may have won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh by only a neck, but that particular race in recent years has been won by Rizeena, Sky Lantern and Misty For Me, who all won major Group 1 events the following season; Sky Lantern won the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Punters clearly took the hint that victory on this race is a solid pointer for the Classics, and she is now the clear 10/1 favourite the 1,000 Guineas. Cursory Glance may not be seen again this season, so it will be interesting to see if the form is boosted by either of Lucida (20/1 for the 1,000), Found (20/1) or Malabar (25/1) – who were all closely behind – during the next few months.

In the 2,000 Guineas, Aidan O’Brien’s Gleneagles, remains unchanged for next season’s 2,000 Guineas on 16/1, with 20/1 still available for the Derby. The lack of any price change in Gleneagles’ price was down to him winning by just over 1l, though he couldn’t have been any more professional, and he has done little to wrong to date.

There was a complete contrast in the Arc de Triomphe betting, however, as a number of notable performances took place on Saturday and Sunday, including from last year’s Derby Ruler Of The World.

Ballydoyle’s “forgotten horse”, hit back to win his first race since that memorable day at Epsom 15 months ago, via an excellent front-running ride which was good enough to land a Group 2 at Longchamp on Sunday.

It was a performance that saw Ruler Of The World’s odds slashed into 14/1, having been available as big as 25/1 prior to the weekend.

At the other end of the scale, last year’s Arc winner, Treve, was well beaten in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille on Sunday, trailing in a disappointing fourth. Treve has now been beaten in all three outings this year, which isn’t the traditional profile of Arc winners, and as a result her odds are now out to 8/1. She has a bit to prove.

One of the key trials for the Arc down the years has been the Group 2 Prix Niel, having been won by a host of subsequent Arc winners over the last 25 years, and Sunday’s winner, Ectot, is now 7/1, having been as big as 14/1 on Sunday morning. This French colt now has a career record of 6-7, and having swept past his field on the bridle before idling in front, there looks a lot more to come on Arc day.

But, let’s not forget what happened in the final Classic of the year at Doncaster where Kingston Hill justified favouritism to win the St Leger. The Derby runner-up finally gained compensation for some creditable efforts this season, and is now to 8/1 (from 14/1 a week ago) for the Arc. Should the ground come up soft at Longchamp – as is the norm – then a testing 1m4f could be right up his street.

One thing’s for sure, this year’s Arc is shaping up to be an absolute belter – the question is: who’s your money on at this stage?