True Love Takes Prix de la Foret, BC Mile Could Be Next

Another group 1 for Aidan O'Brien, but was the Prix de la Foret (G1) Oct. 4 at Longchamp something more than that? To begin with, it was the first time he had won this group 1. On top of that, the success inched him a little closer still to the group/grade 1 record he is chasing after a weekend in Paris that yielded perhaps fewer triumphs than might have been anticipated. But possibly most notable of all was the return to the winner's enclosure of True Love (IRE), the brilliant One Thousand Guineas (G1) winner whose bright star had appeared to be on the wane. It was only in the final agonizing strides that True Love was able to force her head in front under Ryan Moore. Nighttime (FR) had scurried clear down the rail but, not for the first time on the afternoon, trainer Christopher Head and the Wertheimer brothers had to settle for a narrow second instead. "I'm delighted for everyone," O'Brien said, having produced his impressive party trick of naming all those involved in the preparation and ownership of the filly. "Ryan gave her a beautiful ride and she's a serious filly who has been on the go for a long time." There may be more to come for True Love as well, with victory in the Foret earning her a slot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) Oct. 31 at Keeneland through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win And You're In. It appears to be a challenge O'Brien is eager to take on. True Love's success proved to be the only one in Paris for O'Brien. However, while there were reverses for the likes of Scandinavia, Precise (IRE), Diamond Necklace (IRE), and Amelia Earhart (IRE), the form of the yard's horses is likely to provide encouragement for the remainder of the year. Paul Smith, part of the winning ownership group for True Love, said: "It's been a great day and the horses have run great. We've just hit the crossbar a few times. Aidan deserved that and the team deserved that." Miss Scott Lands Second G1 for Thoroughbred Corporation On a day dominated by owners from the Middle East, the Thoroughbred Corporation came away with significant bragging rights after Miss Scott (IRE) landed the second leg of a group 1 double for their green and white silks in the Prix de l'Opera (G1). The colors, previously worn by the likes of Epsom Derby (G1) winner Oath, have been revived in recent years by Prince Ahmed bin Salman's son, Prince Faisal, and the Saudi royal enjoyed a memorable day at Longchamp, with Green Empress (IRE) also landing a group 1 win. "What a pleasure it is to see two group 1 winners on the same day for this owner," said Thady Gosden, the joint-trainer of Miss Scott. "It's fantastic. Miss Scott is a filly we've always thought very highly of. She has been brought along quite gradually. This is the first time she has really stepped into the big league." The steady approach is likely to be maintained with Miss Scott, with Gosden only lukewarm on the idea of another outing in the Breeders' Cup, for which she earned an automatic, fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) with her win. "We'll see how she comes out of this race, but we could leave her alone until next year," he said. "She's still only a 3-year-old and we're quite late in the season. "The only target left for her would be the Breeders' Cup. That might be a little too much and a little too soon, but we'll see how she is." Christophe Soumillon maintained his 100% record on the filly, having also steered her to success at the Curragh in August, and the rider was keen to praise the filly. "I was quite confident before the race to finish in the first three," he said. "She was really professional and when you work for such great trainers the job is easy." Miss Yechance Provides Emotional Win in Prix de l'Abbaye Jack Nicholls enjoyed the biggest success of his career when steering Miss Yechance (IRE) to victory in the Prix de l'Abbaye (G1). Trained by Karl Burke, she provided the stable with an emotional victory after Fallen Angel suffered a fatal injury in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (G2) Oct. 3. Miss Yechance joined Burke's team in June from a spell in Dubai with Antonio Cintra and Julio Olascoaga and has shown marked improvement with every start. She was last seen outrunning her 12-1 odds to win a group 3 at Newbury last month, which was, at that point, the biggest success of Nicholls' career. That milestone has now been smashed out of the park after a gallant effort to hold off favorite Shiri (FR) by a neck in one of the most prestigious sprints in Europe. "We had a bad day yesterday losing Fallen Angel, and she might have been looking down on us and helped us out in those last 50 yards," Nicholls said. "I've never had a feeling like that. I've got no words to describe it and I can't take much credit. She does everything herself and I'm just the lucky lad who gets to sit on top of her." The victory comes 24 years after the young jockey's grandfather, David Nicholls, won the race with Continent. "My grandad and dad had classic sprinters and it's a dream come true. My dad's the best in the world and I went round to see him on Thursday and we talked through the race. "He told me it's the fastest 55 seconds of your life and it'll be the weirdest. He said, win, lose or draw, just enjoy it. He never puts pressure on me." Mission Central (IRE) claimed third for Aidan O'Brien in a race dominated by those with a single-figure draw. Naana's Shadow (IRE), who had been among the market leaders for Katie Scott, finished best of those drawn 10 or higher in seventh of 15. The victory earned Miss Yechance an automatic, fees-paid berth to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) Oct. 31 at Keeneland through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win And You're In.