Byzantine Dream wins this year’s Prix Foy at Longchamp in France.
Just 3 weeks after Alohi Alii's conquest of the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville, Japan pulled off another G2 victory in France with a dazzling show by Byzantine Dream in the Sept. 7 Prix Foy at ParisLongchamp ahead of the main event Oct. 5 Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
On a day featuring nine races, including two Group 1s and two Group 2s for Thoroughbreds, the 2,400-meter Prix Foy was the first of two races that would be contested by a Japan-based horse. The latter was the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, which saw Go to First finish only one off the back in a field of 12.
In the Prix Foy, nine horses competed, all but one aged 4 years old. And, racing over the good to soft ground, a gutsy, tenacious Byzantine Dream surprised with a stupendous performance, with an equally stupendous ride by Oisin Murphy.
The son of Epiphaneia had not raced since May, when he had lost the 3,200-meter Tenno Sho (Spring) to Redentor by a head. Though only a G3 winner at home, Byzantine Dream had, just previous to the Tenno Sho (Spring), captured the Riyadh Grade 2 Red Sea Turf Handicap (3,000 meters), a victory that landed him his ticket to ParisLongchamp.
First up in the second race on Sunday, with a local 1:33 p.m. post time, Byzantine Dream broke from the No. 4 gate and was moved to the inside, where he settled amid cover, then sharply accelerated up the rail from the 500-meter mark and was snapped out with 400 meters to go for a duel with Andre Fabre's Sosie, considered to be the top contender for this year's Arc.
Front-running Los Angeles was no match for the onslaught, as Sosie, under Maxime Guyon, took the lead with 200 meters to go, but was quickly overtaken by Byzantine Dream. Almaqam managed to catch and pass Los Angeles, but was no match for the other two.
Byzantine Dream won by a 1/2-length margin over Sosie, who was 2 lengths ahead of Almaqam, with William Buick up. A head later in fourth came Aidan O'Brien's Los Angeles, partnered with Christophe Soumillon.
Winning time for the Kazumi Yoshida-owned Byzantine Dream was 2 minutes 28.32 seconds.
Oisin Murphy, who had ridden Byzantine Dream at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, said: "He relaxed very well in Saudi. I felt, that in the Tenno Sho last time, he never relaxed behind Redentor. He was always too keen and did well to finish second.
"He has a hot temperament, but this time he relaxed well and was very strong in the finish, although he doesn't do a whole lot in front.
"He has a very good turn of foot, but does want fast ground. He was much heavier today than in January and I'd hope he can be even better on Arc weekend. Today he got into a good rhythm and beat a good field. He'll need this ground, or even faster would be better, to be at his best."
Byzantine Dream's trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi said: "My first impression is that the horse was in great shape and the jockey rode a very good race. It was a wonderful victory.
"The horse still has room for improvement and will be at the peak of his condition for the Arc. Today was just a prep and he still had something in reserve."
The Ritto-based, 44-year-old Sakaguchi, who opened his barn in 2019, did echo Murphy's concerns regarding the going for the Arc. "The going will be the big question. But, the priority is to prepare the horse well between now and the Arc. We'll worry about the ground later."
Odds for the Arc on Byzantine Dream were slashed following his Prix Foy performance, which bested some of the best of Europe's middle-distance horses.
The Prix Foy victory was the fifth for Japan. El Condor Pasa won the race in 1999 and Orfevre in 2012 and 2013. Both went on to finish second in the Arc on all accounts, Japan's best finishes to date. Deep Bond also won the Prix Foy in 2021 but was unplaced in the Arc that year and the next.
