Waiting along the rope in 5th position in a very rhythmic race led by the Japanese Titleholder, Alpinista made his effort 400 meters from goal to overtake the host. Then, 200 meters from the line, she beat all the attackers to win.
Undefeated in all her other races since April 2021 and well placed in the starting boxes with number 6, Alpinista thus confirms her skills on very soft ground.
«Every time she runs she is better. I am very happy,» said her trainer Sir Mark Prescott, the man with more than 2,000 winners who thus signs a first success in the queen gallop event.
«She’s really very special. It’s exceptional,» said English jockey Luke Morris at the finish after also converting his first try in the Arc.
Small in size, the gray mare offered her owner Kirsten Rausing the 2,857,000 euros promised to the winner, out of the 5 million total allocation.
In this mythical race, sponsored by Qatar and contested by 20 French, English, Irish, German and Japanese thoroughbreds, second place went to Frenchman Vadeni, 3 years old and driven by Belgian Christophe Soumillon.
«He did a great race mid-stretch I thought I was going to win but the mare is hard as a rock. It’s a bit frustrating,» commented the jockey.
The German Torquator Tasso, winner last year and entrusted to the Italian Lanfranco Dettori, finished third after a good effort in the last 200 meters.
As for the Japanese, they have still not managed to win on their 30th attempt when they had lined up four horses at the start, a record.
