City Of Troy may not have the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on his agenda later this season, but the horse that chased him home in the Eclipse earlier this month, Al Riffa, has Paris on the first Sunday in October firmly in his sights.
Joseph O’Brien’s 2022 National Stakes winner came within a length of a massive upset in the Sandown contest, and the trainer is adopting a patient approach towards getting the colt to Longchamp this autumn.
“It was a great run, he ran a fantastic race. He’s pulled up well and we’re looking forward to an autumn campaign for him now. We’re excited about what the rest of the season has in store for him, hopefully,” said O’Brien.
“The Arc would be the plan. We have a few ideas how we get there, but nothing has been finalised yet. We will see how the horse feels and then lock in our targets from there.”
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In other news, English amateur jockey Alice Proctor remained in intensive care on Sunday following a heavy fall at the Cartmel track in Cumbria a day earlier.
The 21-year-old rider sustained the fall from her mount Uggy Uggy Uggy at the second flight of a handicap hurdle for female jockeys. She received medical attention on track before being taken via air ambulance to Preston.
The Arc would be the plan. We have a few ideas how we get there, but nothing has been finalised yet
A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund on Sunday said: “Amateur jockey Alice Procter had a fall at Cartmel Racecourse yesterday and immediately reported back pain.
“She was flown by helicopter to the major trauma centre at Royal Preston Hospital. Following scans, she was then taken to the operating theatre under the care of the spinal team. She is now in the ICU with her family in attendance.”
Proctor hasn’t yet ridden a winner under rules, but has had success as a rider and a trainer in point-to-points. Her parents, Doug and Lucy Proctor, bred the dual-Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle in 2014.
Separately, connections of the July Cup runner-up Swingalong are confident she can secure a valuable Group One prize at some point in her career, and Haydock’s Sprint Cup in September could be her next shot at a top-flight success.
Beaten a neck by Millstream at Newmarket, the Karl Burke-trained sprinter also filled the runner-up spot behind Khadeem in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
“It’s going to come. I would imagine she will be going straight to Haydock, I think that will be the main objective now,” said former Classic winning jockey Philip Robinson, spokesman for Swingalong’s ownership.
“I’m just hoping the Haydock race will be her day. She was fourth last year, beaten by a length and a half, and I think she is at least a two-length better filly this year. So I think that will be her main objective, to go back to Haydock, and fingers crossed that will be her day.
“It’s a nice level track at Haydock, and I think that is where she is at her best. Considering I don’t think Newmarket plays to her strengths, I thought she ran an incredible race, and up until the last couple of strides I thought she had won it.
“She’s very gutsy and tries her heart out, and I’m sure she will win a Group One sooner or later. If she doesn’t do it this season, then I hope her owner will agree to keep her in training for another year, because she will win one at some point soon.”
