Turf Travel V

The first sunday in october is a must for any serious racegoer, and this year doublely so: Sea the Stars had provided us with an unforgettable season when taking the Guineas, the Derby, The Eclipse, the International and the Irish Champion-Stakes in a cleansweep of major Group 1- races, and would he be able to add an unprecedented 6th success in what surely would be his last ever race in Europe? As said in his own chapter, we were by now firmly in the believers camp, so we traveled to Paris to truely Sea A Star. The race provided connections and fans alike with a day to remember, it certainly was an "I was there"- moment. Just an hour after this magic moment the curtain came down on the career of one of the most remarkable horses in training, when 4-times Ascot Gold Cup hero Yeats ran his farewell race on french soil. No fairytale ending for the old boy, but no disgrace in going down narrowly, and fans and authorities alike made it a a proper farewell for one very special horse indeed!

On a weekend of highclass racing with Group-races galore it wasnt only the Tsue-family around Sea The Stars who had every reason to smile. The first Group-race on saturday set the ball rolling for a host of Aga Khan bred and -owned winners; this was Manighar in the Prix Chaudenay:

Varenar carried the same colours to victory in the Prix de la Foret, the sole Group 1 race left on the saturday; but it was oh-so-tight against a 40-1 shot in second and the mighty Goldikova, on the rails and totally covered, in third:

Another chestnut, the same green silks - Daryakana, a daughter of old stalward Selkirk, takes the Prix Royallieu:

Pipedreamer, red silks second from the left, takes the Prix Dollar in a thrilling finish:

Six Group 1 races on the sunday has no equal in Europe - and once again the British dominate the Prix de la Abbaye, this time in the shape of the Stan Moore trained Total Gallery (blue, in the middle):

But green ruled day 2 as well, and Rosanara started the party for the Aga Khan when taking the Prix Marcel Boussac in smart fashion. She was the talking horse before and did not disappoint: