Meisho Tabaru, Admire Terra fall short as l'Arc stands tall for Japan once again

Meisho Tabaru and Admire Terra finished in double digits in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on yet another disappointing October afternoon at ParisLongchamp for the JRA on Sunday (Oct. 4).

Two-time Takarazuka Kinen champion Meisho Tabaru went off as the second betting favorite on the JRA betting odds but came home an unexpected 14th out of 16, as the first choice and 4-year-old Daryz won the 2,400-meter race in 2 minutes, 27.11 seconds on firm going. Daryz became the first male horse since Alleged in 1978 to defend the title.

The other entry from Japan, this season’s Hanshin Daishoten winner Admire Terra did not fare much better, finishing 11th.

No Japanese horse has ever won the Arc. Since 1969 when Speed Symboli first took a shot, a total of 38 runners have tried with three of them managing second place – El Condor Pasa (1999), Nakayama Festa (2010) and Orfevre (2012, 2013).

Meisho Tabaru’s jockey Yutaka Take, competing in the Arc for his 12th time, was slightly befuddled by the lopsided loss.

“I’m really frustrated and disappointed with the result,” said Take, now 57 and who has ridden the Arc since 1994.

“I thought he was in great form. He felt good in workouts, was at ease and giving off good vibes. He was running at his rhythm. The plan was to take the race to them if we had the chance, and I thought it was going to work.

“But he stopped responding turning for home so I guess that was that. I think it just took more out of him than I thought. In all my experience of riding the Arc, I thought the going today was the fairest it’s been. The turf wasn’t too hard and I thought it was the right condition for Meisho Tabaru.

“It’s incredibly tough but I hope we can build on this somehow and keep trying.”

The 5-year-old horse’s trainer, Mamoru Ishibashi, felt the defeat stemmed from something more fundamental.

“I feel like we need to apologize to the fans,” Ishibashi said. “It was only a one-hour ride to the racetrack, just like in Japan. He was calm to start and traveled really easily so I left it in Yutaka’s hands.

“He’s won in the past like today, from the outside barrier, so I don’t think the buildup was bad. To be honest, I noticed a difference in the quality of the horses. I feel responsible about the result and so sorry to all Tabaru’s fans because he’s the one who got us this far.”

The Admire Terra camp felt the pace, which never picked up during the journey, doomed their 5-year-old.

“The jockey rode him really well and traveled in perfect position,” trainer Yasuo Tomomichi said. “It was slow, and everything came down to the end which wasn’t in his favor. I wish it was more of a race from start to finish.”

Added Admire Terra’s jockey Cristian Demuro, “The race became a sprint for the finish. We had the position we wanted right behind the frontrunners.

“But the pace was a little slow. It would have been better if we had more pace, but this horse has just one gear. He gave it everything he had though.”

Official result
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

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