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Midday Rules the Roost as Sariska Disgraces Herself – Again
14/09/10

Henry Cecil’s outstanding mare Midday landed yet another big success when battling on bravely to land the Group 1 Qatar Prix Vermeille at Longchamp at the weekend, cementing her position as hot favourite to win her second Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs on November 6, writes Elliot Slater.

Sariska edges out Midday in a thrilling finish to the 2009 Epsom Oaks

Most horse betting firms make the high class daughter of Oasis Dream an Evens chance to win the feature US contest, and judging by the way in which she knuckled down determinedly to outrun French fillies Plumania and Sarafina, she is every bit as good, if not better, than last year. In contrast, last season’s dual Oaks heroine Sariska, (who had defeated Midday in the Middleton Stakes at York earlier in the season), has been retired to the paddocks after another mulish display that saw her refuse to budge once the stalls opened. Her behaviour was a carbon copy of last month’s Yorkshire Oaks (won by Midday), in which the hapless Jamie Spencer was once again left pondering what might have been and would surely have lit up a cigar, had one been available.

Sariska retires as a particularly talented filly, but one who by the middle of this, her third racing season, had decided that she’d rather be doing other things. Her trainer Michael Bell ruefully observed, “We’ve done everything we could and she just didn’t come out, so enough is enough.”

Henry Cecil made it crystal clear to those looking at events such as Ayr gold cup 2010 betting that he has no intention of sending Midday to have a crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in three weeks time, expressing himself delighted with this weekend’s victory and suggesting it will put Prince Khaled Abdullah’s four-year-old spot on for her return trip Stateside.