| my miss storm cat |
10-09-2007 08:53 AM |
Racing Post.....
Triple Group 1 winner Mandesha is retired
by Desmond Stoneham
STAR French filly Mandesha, who won three consecutive Group1s in the second half of last season, has been retired after finishing only seventh in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Owned by the Princess Zahra Aga Khan, the daughter of Desert Style hasn't really shown the same spark this season after her exploits in 2006, when she enjoyed top-level success at trips ranging from 1m to 1m4f, winning the Prix d'Astarte, Prix Vermeille and the Prix de l'Opera.
This year she won the Group 2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud in May before finishing runner-up in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Nassau Stakes (to Peeping Fawn) and Prix Foy (to Manduro).
Hopes were high that the addition of cheekpieces in the Arc might work the oracle, but once again Mandesha failed to produce her finishing kick in the straight and was well beaten behind Dylan Thomas. It was the first time she had finished out of the first two in 11 starts since her debut at Longchamp in April 2006.
Revealing news of the filly's retirement, trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre said on Monday: “She is a younglady who is ready for stud. She was a great filly on the racecourse, and my only worry on Sunday was to see that she didn't come to any harm in the race.” Christophe Soumillon, who rode Mandesha in all but one of her races, added his tribute.“She was a superb performer last year and, when she won the d'Astarte over a mile, I was sure that was her best distance.
“I had my doubts when Alain de Royer-Dupre ran her over a mile and a half in the Vermeille, but then she was just as brilliant – and then she won the Opera over ten furlongs.”
Looking at the Arc, Soumillon added: “Regrettably, she hasn't shown the same form as last year, but she worked brilliantly with cheekpieces last Tuesday and we were hoping she would show the same sparkle in the Arc. Unfortunately, she did not.”
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