Impressions of The French Trio

Although I've briefly crossed paths with the French brigade the past couple of days, I finally got a good look at them on Friday morning. Arlington Million (G1) hopeful SPIRIT ONE (Fr) (Anabaa Blue) was the stand-out of the lot, while Beverly D. S. (G1) entrants CICEROLE (Fr) (Barathea [Ire]) and TOQUE DE QUEDA (GB) (Dansili [GB]) were a study in contrasts.

Spirit One is a sturdy, powerfully built, muscular type with a lengthy barrel. His coat was exceptionally good, a rich bay with layers of mahogany becoming apparent in the bright sunlight. During his routine canter on the Polytrack, he ambled along on his left lead while flicking his tail a couple of times. There was nothing temperamental about it at all, just a casual motion while he went about his job. Afterward in the paddock, he walked around the ring on excellent terms with himself, telegraphing that he was relaxed and comfortable in his surroundings.

Of the three international shippers for the Million, Spirit One has the lightest resume, in that he has not won past the Group 3 level. Having said that, it must be pointed out that he has run some terrific races against top-level animals. In addition to his just being subdued by MOUNT NELSON (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) in the Criterium International (Fr-G1) as a juvenile, Spirit One has played second fiddle to the likes of Soldier of Fortune (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) and Literato (Kendor), when the latter was at his peak. Two starts back, Spirit One finished fourth in a tough edition of the Prix Ganay (Fr-G1), where he set the pace before surrendering to Duke of Marmalade (Danehill) and two other Group 1 winners.

That profile reminds me of Doctor Dino (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]), whom I underestimated in last year's Arlington Million, only to see him finish a strong third. At that time, Doctor Dino was a mere Group 3 winner with a pair of Group 1 placings, one of them in the Ganay. It's arguable that Doctor Dino had a greater scope for development than Spirit One does, but the parallel may be useful.

Interestingly, Spirit One has a collateral formline with Arlington Million favorite ARCHIPENKO (Kingmambo). In his 2008 debut, Spirit One rolled to a three-length victory over Balius (Mujahid) in the Prix Exbury (Fr-G3). Balius has since finished second to Archipenko in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-G1), and went on to place third in the Singapore Airlines International Cup (Mal-G1). I wouldn't push that point too far, for Balius improved significantly when getting good ground and a fast pace in the Far East, but the fact that Spirit One beat Balius has played at least a partial role in his connections' decision to tackle Archipenko at Arlington.

Since Spirit One is a free-running individual, he stands to reap the most benefits from the withdrawal of Sudan (Ire) (Peintre Celebre). If Spirit One winds up being the controlling speed, he could be dangerous. But according to assistant trainer Ludovic Rovisse, he is not a need-the-lead type, and if someone else decides to take the initiative, he is content to stalk.

I also asked Rovisse about Spirit One's last race, a runner-up effort in the June 14 La Coupe (Fr-G3) to the useful Crossharbour (Zamindar). That's Spirit One's only outing since the April 27 Ganay, and it smacked of a brief freshening, followed by a designated prep.

Rovisse advised that the La Coupe was just a prep, “an easy race at Longchamp” for him. He added that they had been aiming for the Million for about the last month and a half.

Spirit One has his work cut out for him, but he could not look any better, and on his best day, he can shake things up.

It's a lot harder to make a case for the French in the Beverly D. Cicerole is a multiple listed winner who is coming off a closing second in the Princess Elizabeth S. (Eng-G3) at Epsom, but that was a fairly weak event. There were a couple of nice fillies behind her, including Barshiba (Barathea [Ire]), who ran the race of her life to finish second to Archipenko in the Summer Mile (Eng-G2), but miserably failed to handle the unique demands of Epsom. In short, the form of the Princess Elizabeth shouldn't be taken too literally.

In her first start of the year, Cicerole defeated a marginal bunch of older males, so I can't read too much into that either. Her most impressive attribute is her consistency, winning or placing in nine of 10 career starts. This will be the most searching test of her life, though.

Cicerole is long-bodied, with a low-to-the-ground appearance. At a walk, her stride is short, quick, almost mincing. In contrast, Toque de Queda is a taller, lankier, angular type, with a longer stride. She was well beaten by Cicerole last year, and she would need to take a giant step forward to threaten here.