fallight.com

Terrain : BON Temps du 1er : 02.31.70 (2400m)

Jockey Stephane Pasquier hugs Rail Link after the race. He said, "It is important for me to thank the Prince and Andr?Fabre for their confidence. Only one month ago in Deauville, I was on the sidelines because of my hand but above all I was depressed. And today, I've won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Rail Link! It was rather like David against Goliath. Now I'm pleased to have taken two months' rest! I am sorry for the Japanese but I hope that they'll come back."

Rail Link parades for the fans after the race. Winning jockey Stephane Pasquier said, "Andr?Fabre didn't give me any orders. He told me to ride the horse as I found him and to try and get the best possible trip. I took a position just behind Deep Impact and did not feel any pressure as I was riding an outsider. When I extracted my horse from behind Deep Impact he burst into action. I only realized that I had won when we passed the post but I still haven't grasped what this win really represents. I'll really appreciate it when I have the time to relax."

The trophy presentation with trainer Andre Fabre second from the left. Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager of winning owner and breeder Khalid Abdullah (Juddmonte Farms) said "He has probably done enough for this year and it is very unlikely that he will run again. The Breeders' Cup is possible but very unlikely. I was very hopeful beforehand but when one has a runner in the Arc de Triomphe one cannot be sure of winning, especially as Rail Link is backward and he had an unusual beginning to his racing career, as his jockey fell off. This is a great success for Juddmonte as we have his sire Dansili and above all two generations on his dam's side."

Second place finisher Pride warms up before the race. Her owner Sven Hanson said, "I'm thrilled and disappointed at the same time, and also very proud of Pride. She retires at the end of the season but we'll see how she comes out of this race before she runs again, which could be in Hong Kong or in Japan." Jockey Christophe Lemaire added, "I am sorry that the ground was not softer as that would have been an advantage for her. She's a mare who has to wait near the rear. I would have preferred to stay behind Rail Link in the back straight but I had to take a pull as Sixties Icon was on my outside pushing me in. She showed a long acceleration and kept going, not losing out by far."

Third place finisher and beaten favorite Deep Impact returns after the race. His jockey Yutaka Take said, "He was tense in the first part of the race and was pulling. That is the reason why he did not show his usual acceleration. In Japan, races are run at a much faster pace and he is not used to this style of racing."

Fourth place finisher Hurricane Run takes off after the post parade. His jockey Kieren Fallon said, "We were beaten by the ground, not by anything else. It is nothing to do with the incident a furlong out, that changed nothing. The horse did not pull but didn't relax. He needed a stronger pace."

Last place finisher and another of the favorites Shirocco in the post parade. His jockey Christophe Soumillon said, "I can't explain the reason why he was less reactive than usual when accelerating. At the entrance to the straight I already felt that he would have trouble accelerating and in effect he soon weakened. He remains a great horse and I hope he will show that before the end of the year."