Treve to return next season on the trail of second Arc

Treve covered the last two furlongs of the Arc faster than sprinters on the same card (Reuters)

Trainer Criquette Head-Maarek confirmed on Monday that her Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Treve will stay in training as a four-year-old next season to defend her Longchamp crown.

A trip to Hong Kong later this year is still under consideration, although far from certain, and Head-Maarek is already dreaming of back-to-back Arc victories in 12 months’ time following Treve’s five-length win on Sunday.

“She is just an amazing filly,” the trainer said. “She won the race very easily. They pushed her to the outside but when she came there in the false straight, I knew she was going to win. I know Thierry Jarnet’s riding very well, I could see he had a lot of horse underneath him and when he let her go, they were never going to catch her.

“It’s her turn of foot that is so unbelievable. When you look at the times, she ran the last 400 metres faster than the winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye and the Forêt, which is incredible after a long-distance race like the Arc.

“She will stay in training next season and I don’t think we will run her again this year. If she does have one more run, it will be in Hong Kong as the Breeders’ Cup is too close and the ground in Japan is always very hard.

“She will run in the spring and even though she stays the distance [12 furlongs] well, she has so much pace she could easily run over 2,000 metres [10 furlongs] or even over a mile. She can do everything.”

The most recent dual Arc winners were Alleged (1977/78) and Ribot (1955/56).

Likely to be Hong Kong-bound at the end of the year is the Prix de la Forêt winner Moonlight Cloud, whose trainer, Freddy Head, all but ruled out a return to the Breeders’ Cup. “It is doubtful she will go to Santa Anita, but she probably will go to Hong Kong,” he said. “She ran badly at the Breeders’ Cup last year, it’s two turns. We’re not that keen on taking her there. It is one turn in Hong Kong, which is better for her. She could stay in training next year. Nothing is decided yet,” Head added.

Connections of the 2,000 Guineas favourite Kingman have no choice but to wait for next year after the colt suffered a setback. “We are hopefully going to have him in very good shape for next year,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to the colt’s owner, Khalid Abdullah.