Bago surges home in style

RACING/Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe report: Bago fulfilled his huge potential in style with a surging success in yesterday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but both Oratorio and Alexander Goldrun guaranteed that the Irish made their presence felt at Longchamp with their own Group One victories.

Oratorio came out on top in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere with a powerful late drive up the rail that gave Aidan O'Brien and Jamie Spencer their second top level juvenile prize in three days after Ad Valorem's Middle Park success.

"He's a real racer this fellah," said O'Brien who was winning France's main two-year-old colt's race for the fifth time.

Oratorio had to be a real racer too because he was checked a couple of furlongs down and only a dramatic assault up the inside of Early March and the favourite Layman got him up.

The inside rail was also kind to Kevin Manning who came from last to first in the Prix de l'Opera to get Alexander Goldrun up from Grey Lilas. O'Brien's Yesterday was fourth.

Jim Bolger was adding to Polonia's 1987 Prix de l'Abbaye win and he said: "We were a little concerned at the going but clearly we had no reason to be. It was always the plan to come here."

With Osterhase a fine fourth behind Var in the Prix de l'Abbaye, and the O'Brien trained outsider Acropolis running a stormer to fill the same position in the Arc, it was a good day for the Irish overall except for Grey Swallow's lack-lustre effort in the big race.

Just off the pace on the turn in, the big hope for just a sixth Irish win in the 83 history of the Arc faded away to finish 18th.

"Things didn't go his way. He was bumped and messed about but really it was the residue of the hold up we had with him. He ran flat. You didn't see the real Grey Swallow today," said Dermot Weld.

The "real" Grey Swallow was the champion Irish two-year-old last year but it was Bago who was rated the best overall in Europe. Two Group One's in the spring raised hopes that the French had a real superstar in their midst but defeats at York and in the Prix Niel seemed to tear those dreams. Yesterday Bago got the glue out with a vengeance.

Under a perfect Thierry Gillet ride, he carved through the field to overhaul Cherry Mix in the shadow of the post with Ouija Board doing best of the visitors in third and Acropolis just edging out North Light for fourth.

North Light and the Japanese horse Tap Dance City had made it a good pace from the start but any lingering suspicions about Bago's stamina were dismissed.

"I'm glad we ran!" said his Eton educated trainer, Jonathon Pease, who has trained in France for 25 years but is from Northumberland. "He is the best horse I've trained and the quick ground helped him. It was very sticky at York and sticky in the Niel too where he didn't run the race we'd hoped. He was a champion two- year-old and he might be champion three-year-old now. I don't know about next year."

Both Ouija Board and North Light will stay in training at four and both camps were looking ahead.

However, Ouija Board's rider John Murtagh reported: "I thought I would win at one point but she flattened out in the last half furlong."