It’s not that females haven’t won arguably the most prestigious turf race in the world before, they actually enjoy a strong history at Longchamp -- names like Corrida, Allez France, Detroit, All Along, Urban Sea, and Danedream jump right off the page when looking at the winner’s roll call, it's just that what the current Queen of the turf is doing is truly reaching uncharted territories. Once upon a time, the promising young Treve announced herself as a bonafide superstar by becoming an undefeated winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, while leaving the Japanese superstar Orfevre, and the rest, hopelessly beaten. The victory, in only her fifth lifetime start, back on October 6, 2013, was pure electricity in a bottle...
Even the great ones must suffer through a few bumps in the road now and again, and so it was for the Criquette Head-Maarek trained star in 2014. Set back by both foot and back ailments, Treve was suddenly not the one racing to the winner's enclosure. In fact, by the time she had arrived at the Arc of last year, she was riding a three-race losing streak. Those losses, at Longchamp, Ascot, and Longchamp respectively, were by no means bad performances, just not quite in the same league as the sensational performaces in which the world fell in love, from the undefeated three-year-old filly version of Treve.
Despite her trainer's steadfast confidence of her star in the days leading up to last year's Arc, it was hard for the betting public to believe that the real Treve was still in there. Sent off at 11-1, there were plenty who doubted that the Al Shaquab Racing filly could become just the second female to win France's signature race twice. The doubts proved unfounded. In a performance that made her first three defeats magically drift away, she poured it on late once again in front of the French fans during another powerhouse performance in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe...
Confidence restored to all her backers, the racing world was bestowed the gift of having Treve come back for her five-year-old season. And thus far the daughter of Motivator has found nary a bump in her most recent path. In fact, Treve has been at her magnificent, overpowering best in two starts so far this season. In her first start since defending her Arc title, she swept to victory against other females in the Group 2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Clould. Better than that was her most recent start at the same course this past weekend, where she dominated the classy male Flintshire much like she had when winning her second Arc.
Treve is now 8-for-11 lifetime, but more importantly she is 2-for-2 in the Arc, and as you can see, she is clearly in fantastic form. As good as she looked winning the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, the hope for an unprecedented three-peat come October seems more than realistic, it seems almost inevitable. Last year she did something special, but if she can win another one, it would be downright historic. No horse, of either gender, has ever won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe three times.
In just over three months we may not be hailing one of the great female turfers, we may be celebrating one of the greatest turf horses (male or female) in history. What a year of racing 2015 is turning out to be!
