Why would anyone ever lose any faith in a mare who has proved time and again that miracles are second nature to her?
If you have transformed yourself from a 57-rated handicapper into the best sprinter in Europe, rattling up a group 1 hat-trick within five weeks last summer, a minor detail such as a bad draw is unlikely to be insurmountable.
While the figures suggested that Highfield Princess might as well have stayed at home in Malton after being forced to start out wide in stall 14 on the five-furlong track at ParisLongchamp, this is not a mare who is likely to be fazed by common-or-garden statistics.
So while she was making heavy weather of things on the outside through much of the race, and Perdika took full advantage of her plum draw in stall one to lead the field on the inside rail, the faithful never lost their belief.
And Highfield Princess rewarded them gloriously, battling on in typically gutsy fashion to catch the front-runner close to home and land her first group 1 success of the year under Jason Hart in the Oct. 1 Prix de l’Abbaye (G1).
Watch Highfield Princess win the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines to secure a guaranteed spot in the #BreedersCup Turf Sprint! #WinAndYoureIn Congrats to all of the connections!pic.twitter.com/hj9TDo1rKB
— Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) October 1, 2023
“Having walked the course I thought there was going to be a massive bias to the stands’ rail,” the jockey said afterward.
“She was flat out most of the race but she tries so bloody hard that she kept powering all the way to the line.”
Trainer John Quinn added: “She tries so hard. She toughed it into the race and she toughed it out.
“At halfway she was off the bridle and you think ‘ooh’ but she tucked in and toughed it out. Typical her. At the line she was on top well. It shows how tough she is, she’s wonderful really.”
Quinn was delighted to break his duck on this card and said: “I’m thrilled. I’ve had plenty of horses run well at this meeting. This is one of the greatest meetings in the world, I’d hoped that one day I could train a winner here, it’s wonderful.”
Plenty more great meetings are open to Highfield Princess and Quinn said: “She’s shown she’s probably as good and as tough a sprinting mare as there is in training in the world.
“I wouldn’t rule out the Breeders’ Cup or the big sprint in Hong Kong in December.”
Highfield Princess’s win in the Abbaye gives her a guaranteed slot in the starting gate for the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Santa Anita Park since the race is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In. The daughter of Night of Thunder was fourth in last year’s edition of the race.
And the miracle mare could get the chance to overturn a few more statistical hoodoos as owner-breeder John Fairley said: “My instinct is she’s as good as ever and I’d be inclined to go on running her.”
Kelina Upsets Kinross in Prix de la Foret
Frankie Dettori’s final ride on Arc day ended in frustration after Kinross finished second in the Prix de la Foret (G1) and the jockey’s objection against the winner, Kelina , was dismissed by stewards.
Kelina prevails in the Prix De La Foret at ParisLongchamp
A furious Dettori stated his intention to appeal against the result after Kelina drifted across Kinross in the closing stages of the seven-furlong group 1, denying the soon-to-retire jockey a clear run for a few moments.
However, the interference was not deemed to have had any impact on the result and Dettori ended his final Arc meeting before his planned retirement without a winner.
Shock! 😮
KELINA holds off Kinross in the Prix de la Foret. #QPAT
— World Horse Racing (@WHR) October 1, 2023
Kinross, winner of the Prix de la Foret last year, was sent off the odds-on favorite to land the race for a second time and raced towards the rear of the field before being brought through to mount his challenge with a couple of furlongs to go.
However, Kelina traveled notably well alongside Kinross and edged in front of him with a furlong and a half to run. The filly shifted right under jockey Maxime Guyon but ran on powerfully to the line and was a decisive winner for owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer and trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias.
“In the Prix du Moulin, Kelina wasn’t well drawn and virtually didn’t have a race so perhaps freshness was a help,” said Laffon-Parias. “But today she had her ground and that changed everything.
“When we were not sure whether it would turn soft here or not, we also had an invite to go to Keeneland for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
“We accepted, but then having discussed it with Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, we decided to stay in France and it turned out to be the right choice.”
A beautifully bred daughter of Frankel , Kelina will be a prized addition to the Wertheimers’ broodmare band, although racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau didn’t rule out further racecourse targets.
“We’ll discuss the future with the owners, but if there is an obvious race left for her this year it’s the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” said Bureau. “And, who knows, she might stay in training next year if Carlos feels she is still in good form.”
Kinross finished second with Shouldvebeenaring (GB), the Haydock Sprint Cup (G1) runner-up, finishing third for trainer Richard Hannon and jockey Sean Levey.
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