Legendary Japanese reinsman Yutaka Take will be aboard Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, according to Japan's NetKeiba publication.
Now owned by Masaaki Matsushima and the Al Riffa Syndicate, the 4-year-old colt claimed the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten in their colours on Aug. 11. Take will be making his 11th attempt in the storied contest, and first since Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in 2022. Matsushima was also involved in the ownership of the latter.
“I received an offer to ride in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, but it was a bit too short notice,” Take told the racing press at Sapporo Racecourse recently of the Joseph O'Brien trainee. “If everything goes smoothly, we are aiming for the Arc. There's also talk of riding him in a trial race beforehand, which I'm thrilled about. It's a big offer, and I'm excited. His last race, where he finished second in the G1 Eclipse Stakes, was impressive. I'm really looking forward to this.”
Al Riffa doubled his tally of Group 1 races on Sunday, as he was a winner of the G1 National Stakes as a juvenile. Prior to his Hoppegarten heroics, he had run second to 2024 G1 Derby hero City Of Troy (Justify) in the G1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
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