Cirrus Des Aigles

After finally getting the G1 monkey off his back at Ascot back in October, winning the G1 Champion Stakes, Cirrus Des Aigles has already begun the 2012 season with back to back wins in the G1 Sheema Classic in Dubai, and today, he won the G1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp!! Much deserved G1 success finally coming this horse's way!!

Like him today! Just stay the last quarter!

According to an article today on the French racing web-site, CanalTurf.com, the connections of Cirrus Des Aigles have decided to race him in the G1 Sheema Classic on turf over 12f instead of the G1 Dubai World Cup on tapeta over 10f on March 31st. Cirrus Des Aigles raced in a conditions race over 9-1/2f on the fibresand track at Deauville back on March 3rd, but was beaten 2 lengths by the German horse, Zazou. His connections said that race on a synthetic surface factored into the decision to race him in the Sheema Classic instead of the DWC. Personally, I like the decision. Because the Sheema Classic field isn't stacking up to be as deep as the DWC or the Duty Free field is this year, and even though Cirrus Des Aigles won the G1 Champion Stakes at 10f back in October, I've always felt like he's a more effective horse at 12f. I thought his win in the G2 Grand Prix De Deauville at 12f and his 2nd place finish, nailed right on the wire by Sarafina in the G1 Grand Prix De Saint Cloud at 12f were two of the strongest races he ran in 2011. JMO.

It just came out late this evening on Racing Post's web-site that the connections of Cirrus Des Aigles have entered him in the G1 Duty Free, the G1 Sheema Classic, and the G1 Dubai World Cup all three. So here's another top class horse most likely to be turning up at Meydan on March 31st!! Personally, I can't see his connections running him in the Dubai World Cup against what's likely to be an awfully deep field when both of those big purses in the Duty Free and Sheema Classic look like they're going to wide open races just there for the taking. Personally, I'd like to see them run him in the Sheema Classic over 12f. Even though Cirrus Des Aigles won the first G1 stakes of his career when he won the G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot over 10f back in October, I've still always thought this horse is even stronger at 12f than he is at 10f. Other than the Champion Stakes, his win in the G2 Grand Prix De Deauville at 12f and his 2nd place finish when just nosed out at the wire by Sarafina in the G1 Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud at 12f were the 2 best runs of the 2011 season for Cirrus Des Aigles, IMO. I think he's more than capable of winning the Duty Free at 9f, but I'd put his odds of winning the Sheema Classic at 12f higher. TJMO.

Looks like he could be going to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Cup next. http://horse-racing.bettor.com/king-george-plan-for-cirrus-des-aigles/news/1347933

He is denied a chance to run in the Arc in his homeland, them comes to Britain to take the Champion, beating So You Think, no easy feat--but then loses his jockey to the new whip rule--Soumillion banned from racing for 5 days for striking Cirrus 7 times in the stretch, exceeding the limit by 2 strikes.