By Tom Frary
Arc clues were in abundance at ParisLongchamp on Sunday and the first piece of the puzzle was put in place by Japan as Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia) upstaged the Euro contingent in the G2 Qatar Prix Foy. Earning the special voyage with a win in Riyadh's G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap and a second in the G1 Tenno Sho Spring, Kazumi Yoshida's four-year-old was sprung from his cover by Oisin Murphy to overwhelm the 8-5 favourite Sosie (Sea The Stars) in the final yards and record a half-length success.
“He has a hot temperament, but he relaxed very well and was very strong in the finish, although he doesn't do a whole lot in front,” Murphy said of the Tomoyasu Sakaguchi-trained 11-1 shot. “If the ground is nice, he will have a chance in the most important race in the world. He has a very good turn of foot, but does want fast ground. He was much heavier today than in January and I'd hope he can be even better on Arc weekend–it's good ground today and that was a true-run race.”
In one of the strongest renewals of this course-and-distance prep for the older horses, Almaqam (Lope De Vega) and Los Angeles (Camelot) were third and fourth, two lengths and a head further behind. It was a true tempo set by Ballydoyle's pacemaker and the winner was able to employ his acceleration where it mattered, rounding off with a race-best 33.09 three-furlong culmination and a 10.75 penultimate split. That was faster than anything produced by the specialist milers in the Prix du Moulin later on the card, so we are dealing with a genuine top-notcher.
Tomoyasu Sakaguchi confirmed Murphy's fears about the going next month. “The horse was in very good condition and the jockey rode a perfect race–it's a beautiful victory,” he said. “He still has room for improvement and will be at the peak of his condition for the Arc. Today was just a prep race and he still has something in hand. The question will be the ground, but the main goal is to have the horse ready for the Arc and then we'll see how that turns out on the day.”
Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for the Wertheimers, was delighted with the effort of Sosie who put up a highly encouraging effort with the main event in mind. “That was a very good return–he hadn't run since early July and the idea was to prepare him for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe,” he said. “We were beaten by the horse we knew the least about, but against the other runners he clearly showed his quality. If all goes well, we'll be at the start in four weeks' time.”
Ed Walker said of Almaqam, “That's a very good performance. All week, I was worried about whether or not to run him but I think we made the right choice in coming here. He definitely stays the trip and we learned a lot today. He wasn't beaten by much, I think he'll be better on softer ground, he's had a light campaign this year and this is probably the best year to run in the Arc.”
“I believe he's a great horse,” he added. “The Champion Stakes will be a red-hot race and I think he really enjoys the mile-and-a-half, so why not try? If the boss agrees to take the chance, then I think we should go for it.”
Thriller!
Byzantine Dream 🇯🇵 and @oismurphy get up to beat Sosie in the Group Two Qatar Prix Foy! 🇫🇷#ビザンチンドリーム | @netkeiba pic.twitter.com/FdEOKImjW5
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 7, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Byzantine Dream's dam Japoni Chara (Jungle Pocket) hails from the family of the Hanshin Cup and Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes-winning champion Fusaichi Richard (Kurofune), the four times Group 1-winning Chrono Genesis (Bago) and the G1 Victoria Mile winner Normcore (Harbinger). She also has a twice-placed two-year-old filly by Admire Mars named La Mia Melodia.
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX FOY-G2, €119,000, ParisLongchamp, 9-7, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:28.32, g/s.
1–BYZANTINE DREAM (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Epiphaneia (Jpn)
1st Dam: Japoni Chara (Jpn), by Jungle Pocket (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Glitter Chara (Jpn), by French Deputy
3rd Dam: Fusaichi Airedale (Jpn), by Sunday Silence
O-Mme Kazumi Yoshida; B-Northern Racing; T-Tomoyasu Sakaguchi; J-Oisin Murphy. €67,830. Lifetime Record: MGSW & G1SP-Jpn, 10-4-1-0, €2,697,727. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sosie (Ire), 128, c, 4, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Sosia (Ger), by Shamardal. O/B-Wertheimer & Frere; T-Andre Fabre. €26,180.
3–Almaqam (GB), 128, c, 4, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Talmada, by Cape Cross (Ire). O-Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum; B-Godolphin; T-Ed Walker. €12,495.
Margins: HF, 2, HD. Odds: 11.00, 1.60, 5.10.
Also Ran: Los Angeles (Ire), Iresine (Fr), Arrow Eagle (Fr), Map Of Stars (GB), Cheeky Boy (Fr), Mont St Michel (Ire).
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