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| Staff Writer |
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For just the third time in 100 runnings of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a horse trained in Germany was first across the line on Sunday, to the great surprise of almost every racegoer at Longchamp, and punters across Europe and beyond.
Torquator Tasso and Rene Piechulek were 69-1 shots on the French Tote and 80-1 with British bookmakers to win one of the strongest Arcs for many years but chased down the better-fancied Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane well inside the final furlong to win by three-quarters of a length.
This was an Arc that confounded expectations from start to finish. Adayar, the Derby winner, and Japan’s big hope, Chrono Genesis were drawn wide in 11 and 14 respectively, but somehow found their way to the front with a mile still to run, in Chrono Genesis’s case after racing alone in the middle of the track for the first three furlongs under Oisin Murphy.
They were still first and second on the final turn, and William Buick soon kicked Adayar into a useful lead, challenging the field to pick up and catch him on heavy, holding ground. He was just in front with a furlong to run but Hurricane Lane, the St Leger winner, and Dermot Weld’s mare Tarnawa were closing and finally got to him half a furlong from the post.