An unusually dry forecast for Longchamp’s prestigious Arc meeting has significantly boosted the chances of Maltese Cross according to Tom Marquand.
The Sea The Stars colt has progressed in each of his seven races for William Haggas. Two of his four wins this season have come on a good to firm surface, including the Lingfield Derby Trial. He went on from there to finish second in the Derby on what was bordering deplorable going. Despite coping with the ground, he proved versatility when winning back on quick ground in the Grand Prix de Paris.
Maltese Cross then confirmed himself as one of the dominant colts in Europe when a comfortable winner of the Great Voltigeur. Connections had pondered the St Leger, but believe he’s quick enough for this shorter test.
With the ground continuing to dry up, Tom Marquand believes he has what it takes to put in a strong performance. Speaking to the Racing Post, Marquand said: “He handled soft ground fine in the Derby, but he didn’t feel as efficient on it.
“Hearing it’s dry is great because he gave me the best feel when he was on faster ground. If it’s going to be that, that’s wonderful. Because you’re playing pretty slim percentage chances when you’re hoping for a faster-ground Arc.
“We’re praying there’s nobody out there doing a rain dance and hopefully we keep getting plenty of sun.”
“York was undeniably a strong win” – Tom Marquand
Tom Marquand has yet to win the Arc, neither has William Haggas. If they were to have a colt with the attributes required, Maltese Cross could be the one. Marquand continued, stating “The important bit with him is he’s shown versatility. He’s travelled, he’s been up to York, he’s been up to France and he’s taken it all in.
“I think that’s the biggest thing, not so much having raced at Longchamp before, just the general experiences. We’ve added a few strings to his bow by giving him those different experiences. He’s picked up all of them and been fine, and I think that’s the main thing.”
Arriving on the back of his Great Voltigeur success, Marquand believes that was his performance.”He showed something I thought he had in the locker but hadn’t really visibly shown, and that was that turn of foot” he said.
“York was an undeniably strong win. He was carrying a penalty and won like that. It was a tactical enough race, he overcame it all and stamped himself as the best horse in the race. That’s what you need to see from one coming into an Arc.”