Treve Strikes Again at Saint-Cloud

TREVE ON TRACK
Building on her comeback win over 10 1/2 furlongs in the G2 Prix Corrida here May 29, Al Shaqab Racing's Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) returned to upstage some of France's premier performers in the venue's feature G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday without being asked a serious question. Sent off the 3-5 favorite, the bay raced keenly in customary fashion for Thierry Jarnet tracking the pace and after easing ahead of Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) with 300 meters remaining was always holding him in the run to the line for a 1 1/4-length verdict. “She's just terrific, but we've all known that for a long time,” trainer Criquette Head-Maarek said. “She's a once-in-a-lifetime horse for a trainer and I've been the lucky one. Thierry gave her a perfect ride, as he didn't want to give her a hard race and didn't have to. She is on holiday now and, as we have said all year, the [Oct. 4] G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe must be her target so she will run in a trial, either the G2 Prix Foy or G1 Prix Vermeille [at Longchamp Sept. 13] before trying to win it for a third time.”
Sunday, Saint-Cloud, France
GRAND PRIX DE SAINT-CLOUD-G1, €400,000, SCD, 6-28, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:27.59, gd.
1–TREVE (FR), 125, m, 5, by Motivator (GB)
     1st Dam: Trevise (Fr), by Anabaa
     2nd Dam: Trevillari, by Riverman
     3rd Dam: Trevilla, by Lyphard
(€22,000 RNA Yrl '11 AR11). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Haras du Quesnay (Fr); T-Criquette Head-Maarek; J-Thierry Jarnet; €74,100. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur & Fr at 11-14f, Hwt. Older Horse-Eur & Fr at 11-14f, Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 11-14f, Hwt. Older Mare-Fr at 9-11f, G1SP-Eng, 11 starts, 8 wins, 3 places, €6,859,093. *1/2 to Trois Rois (Fr) (Hernando {Fr}), SW & GSP-Fr, $194,460. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Flintshire (GB), 128, h, 5, Dansili (GB)–Dance Routine (GB), by Sadler's Wells. O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Andre Fabre. €91,440.
3–Dolniya (Fr), 125, f, 4, Azamour (Ire)–Daltama (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (FR); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre. €45,720.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2HF, 1HF. Odds: 0.60, 5.70, 4.10.
Also Ran: Manatee (GB), Meleagros (Ire), Feodora (Ger), Al Waab (Ire), Dauran (Ire), Altaira (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
When she heads to post, barring accidents, for this year's Arc, Treve will not be anything like the 14-1 on offer in 2014 with her season going as smoothly as last term's proved tumultuous. Surprisingly beaten for the first time but not disgraced when second to Cirrus des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top {Ire}) on her 4-year-old bow in the G1 Prix Ganay over 10 1/2 furlongs at Longchamp last April and only third in the G1 Prince of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot June 18, the bay was restored by Criquette Head-Maarek only just in time to vault to a second triumph in the autumn showcase and become only the seventh horse to win it twice. Back amongst her own sex in Saint-Cloud's G2 Prix Corrida last time, she turned in a reassuring display of dominance to best last year's G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) by four lengths and had ticked all the boxes leading up to this first major test of the year. Kept closer to the pace than has been the case in the past by Thierry Jarnet, Treve stalked the leading trio which included her lone-running pacemaker and the Arc runner-up Flintshire, who was at the head of the main contenders. Allowing him first run at the top of the straight, she never looked likely to do anything other than beat him hollow and it may have been the fast ground that led her to drift slightly right when sent past with 1 1/2 furlongs left. Straightened by some light taps with the whip, she was comfortably on top at the end of a race which served only to further advertise her considerable talent as a peaking 5-year-old. Harry Herbert, racing advisor to Al Shaqab Racing, was delighted with the outcome. “That was really exciting. It just shows she's as good as ever or better than ever, because it was a very impressive performance on ground that was certainly quicker than ideal,” he said. “She was a little bit free, but Thierry got her beautifully settled and she's just a champion. It's fingers crossed. Everything's gone well so far and it's been a great performance by Criquette. We hope now the plan can be executed. We're halfway through the plan.”