Qatar Vermeille: Snowfall melts, Teona runs

September 12, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). - Leading favourite of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr1) after her Oaks treble at Epsom, The Curragh and York, the Irish champion filly Snowfall (Deep Impact) was unable to reach Teona (Sea the Stars) at the end of the Qatar Prix Vermeille (Gr1) one mile and a half trip, for her first trial on the ParisLongchamp racecourse.

The race was led by the favourite's stablemate at Aidan O'Brien's, La Joconde (Frankel), soon joined by the Prix de Diane Longines (Gr1) winner Joan of Arc (Galileo), followed by Teona, Burgarita (Sea the Stars ) and Snowfall on one single line. At the beginning of the straight, challenges abounded and most of the runners still had their chance with 2 furlongs to go but Snowfall did not extend her strides as expected while Teona, on the contrary, accelerated to take over La Joconde. The latter never gave in and lost the second place next to the post, Snowfall managing to take beat her by a half a length, one and a half length behind the winner, Burgarita taking the fourth place at a short head.

Teona had been beaten twice previously by Snowfall, in the Musidora Stakes (Gr2) at York in May (3rd), then at Epsom (10th) on heavy ground that she did not like - her trainer Roger Varian has felt that she had been affected by that effort. Absent for nearly three months after that, she had just won again in a Listed race in Windsor by winning over 11.5 furlongs.

The filly was bred in Ireland by Rabbah Bloodstock. She was bought at Tattersalls by Hugo Merry Bloodstock for £ 280,000. This is the third foal out of Ambivalent (Authorized), winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr1) under the same colours as Teona, those of Ali Saeed, and for the same trainer Roger Varian. Her career ended with a failure in the Melbourne Cup after finishing 3rd to Cirrus des Aigles and Flintshire in the Coronation Cup (Gr1) at Epsom.

Ambivalent also gave Al Hilalee (Dubawi), winner of the Prix Hocquart (Gr2), his last race, in 2019.