Criquette Head-Maarek, whose outstanding racemare Treve has won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the past two years, said here on Monday that she feels her horse is “better than last year” and “stronger physically” as Treve approaches her attempt to record an unprecedented third success.
This year’s Arc promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated renewals for many years, with little or no rain forecast for the Paris area this week and the chance that Golden Horn, the Derby winner, will take his place in the field increasing by the day. New Bay, the French Derby winner, is also due to line up for Head-Maarek’s close neighbour André Fabre, who has saddled a record seven winners of the race, but Treve remains the hot favourite with British bookmakers at a top-price of even-money.
An exceptional performance to win the Prix Vermeille over the Arc course and distance last time at the big-race trials meeting ensured that Treve would start at short odds. Twelve months ago she went off an 11-1 chance after two defeats, including a fourth in the Vermeille, in the run-up to the race. This year, however, her preparation has been as flawless as her three-from-three racing record.
“She is very well and did a canter on Thursday on the grass; her action was good and she was travelling OK,” Head-Maarek said on Monday. “We did exactly the same work last year and the year before, but I feel she’s better than last year. For me, she is back to her best, that’s for sure. She is exactly the same, the only change is that she is stronger physically. She has grown and put a lot of weight on, and she is stronger.
“She was improving all the time [last year], and because she was beaten [in the Vermeille] it does not mean she was not improving. I didn’t want her to have a tough race, I said to Thierry [Jarnet, the jockey]: ‘Don’t do anything foolish.’
“Last year, her foot was not right and then her back was all over the place. That was the only problem. [To heal] a foot, it takes a long time. Everybody was saying that she had gone, but people don’t know, they say silly things.”
Jarnet has ridden Treve to both her Arc victories and in her last five starts since replacing Frankie Dettori, the No1 jockey to the mare’s owner Sheikh Joaan al-Thani, after she finished only third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June last year.
The decision to restore Jarnet to Treve’s saddle, despite her owner’s contract with Dettori, was made at Head-Maarek’s insistence, and Treve’s record since backs it up comprehensively.
“I thought Jarnet was better to ride her than Frankie, even if I think Frankie is the best jockey you can find,” Head-Maarek said. “That filly can pull a lot and Jarnet rides her with longer reins. Dettori rides horses with more grip, it’s a different style of riding, that’s all, it’s not a question of the jockey. Dettori is a fantastic jockey and won a lot of races for me as a younger jockey.
“It was not easy, saying to someone I don’t want you, it’s never easy to say that, but he did agree. I told Frankie, I called him and explained. I must say he was disappointed, but very nice, he said: ‘Criquette, I understand perfectly, it’s not the first time I’ve been stood down from a horse and I do understand.’
“I didn’t want him to feel bad because it was not his fault. It’s not because the mare didn’t run well, but I always felt Jarnet was a better rider for this mare. In a race the jockey does everything so it’s important to have the right man on the right horse.”
Head-Maarek will leave as little as possible to chance this weekend, and put a pacemaker in Sunday’s race to ensure an even gallop. “I see everybody is going away, so we need a regular race,” she said. “When there are a lot of runners there’s no need for a pacemaker, but if there’s only two or three to beat, it’s going to be tactical race, a jockeys’ race, and I don’t want that. That’s why I want to put in a pacemaker. Whatever happens, there won’t be any excuse.”
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