Trainer Criquette Head-Maarek has admitted her brilliant filly Treve would not be running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday week if she had not changed ownership mid-season.
At the original entry stage, Treve was owned by Head-Maarek’s stud Haras Du Quesnay, but she was purchased by Sheikh Joann Al Thani after winning the Prix de Diane (French Oaks).
She won the Prix Vermeille on her first run for new connections to take her perfect track record to four and will be added to the field for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest at the supplementary stage.
Head-Maarek revealed she did not consider Treve for this season’s Arc at the start of the campaign, but was looking forward to a possible tilt at the Group One prize in 2014.
When asked whether Treve would be running on Sunday week had she remained in her original ownership, Head-Maarek told At The Races: “No, because I didn’t put her in and I did it on purpose.
“She was a light-framed filly and my idea was to run her in the Arc next year as a four-year-old and not give her tough things to do as a three-year-old and go through that age easily.
“I wanted to save her. I did it on purpose, not to go to the Arc because it is a tough race. People don’t think but it is a killing race for horses.
“When she ran in May we had to enter for the Arc and that was when she ran her first race this year. As she hadn’t run I thought she’s not built enough to go there, we are going to pass the Arc and go for the Breeders’ Cup maybe.
“The Prix Diane and the Vermeille were always my targets.
“Sheikh Joann didn’t put pressure on me. He bought that filly because people told him that she was the best three-year-old and that (she) was a filly to win the Arc and I’m sure that the people who said that to him were right.”
