Zarkava answers the big questions

Another Prix de l"Arc de Triomphe over and the season starts to wind down from here on in. A lot of experts have written miles of script prior to this great race about all the principle players and all accepted that the filly Zarkava was good,but wondered was she great? A lot of them thought that the Aidan O"Brien duo, Soldier of Fortune and Duke of Marmalade would be too strong for her on the day, nobody expected the performance that we got! It is traditionally a rough race and this year"s renewal was no different and to win it you had to be brave as well as talented. Zarkava has everything, she can drop in and wait, and has the quality to speed through the field at the end when needed. She has been hailed as one of the best we have seen and there is no doubt she is exceptional. I think this performance was a step up on her Prix Vermeille victory, which I put up at the time as the performance of that particular weekend - to the annoyance of one legal eagle! There was a worry about her in the stalls - that she would not dwell in them like she had in her last race. If you watch the start again you will see one of the handlers give her a tap as the gates open, in Ireland that would be deemed illegal and one would be in trouble if caught. I presume the rules are different in France. The day in Paris started with a false start in the Prix l"Abbaye, the last Group 1 sprint of the season. One gate did not open and the majority of the field could not pull their mounts up and some raced on to the line. The race had to be declared void and they ran it at the end of the card with some non-runners and Marchand D"Or eventually was declared the 2008 winner. These things happen and it"s just unfortunate that it happened for one of the season"s big races. I remember this happening to one of mine at Gowran Park and as the stall eventually opened, but too late for my horse to race. The stewards on the day turned a blind eye and nothing was done. All part of your education in this great game that is the sport of kings. Last week we were busy at the sales at Goff"s and we came away with another nine yearlings to bolster our team for next season. It definitely became a buyers market as the prices fell dramatically on other years and I hope we got a few bargains. The Sportsman"s sale on Thursday is where I purchased Pasar Silbano with the objective of winning the 'Race.' I freely admit that I probably would not have bought her, but for the carrot that was the 'Race.' So imagine my surprise last Thursday when it was pointed out to me that this year"s sale carried no race with it, yet it was still called The Sportsman"s! I felt that if Goffs had cancelled the 'Race' then they should have changed the title of the sale? And I was not alone in assuming the 'Race' was still attached to the sale. I don"t subscribe to Henry Beeby"s (chief executive of Goffs) view that with all the other sales races on it has lost its value. It was a big prize for the little man and very much appreciated, I feel it"s a lost opportunity for the industry. We are off to the big sale of the year this week at Newmarket which starts on Tuesday and ends on Friday (book one) and book two starts the following Tuesday for another week. Normally book one should be too expensive for me, but in this climate things change and I feel like I should be there just in case! It is a very busy time, but it has to be done and is a very important part of our operation. Last week ended on a good note as we had a nice treble at Dundalk on Friday evening. Keagan Latham rode a fine double for me on Pallazone and Vincenzio Galilei and Emmett McNamara gave Nice Style a good ride to win the big one on the night of the Breeders Cup Trial Race. This completed a fantastic four-timer for the horse which is one of my favourites in the yard (that is him in the photo above with me) Vincenzio Galilei is off too the horses in training sales at Newmarket and I expect him to make a top jumper for someone in the future. I handed in my jumps licence last year as I was getting no satisfaction from that sphere and I also felt that as I was building up my flat string, jump trainers would buy our stock with more confidence once they knew I wasn"t just selling the rubbish and training the rest! Last year we only had two potential jumpers for sale and they both have done well for their new connections so hopefully the trend will be maintained and we will continue to provide good jumpers to other stables. I know I have told you in the past to keep an eye on John Oxx"s stable until the end of the season and I can only reiterate this. People are assuming that the title of leading trainer at Dundalk for this season is in the bag for us, but I can tell you that Jon Oxx has other ideas and is making a great fight of it just now. He recorded a double there last Friday and I needed a treble to keep him at bay! He has a lot more horses to run and I think it will take 30 winners to claim the title. At the start of the year I thought that 20 would be enough, but I don"t think so now. Racing this week is at Navan on Wednesday and although I hold entries I may not run too many as mine just don"t handle the wintry conditions. I won the nursery there with a little filly called Roisin"s Star which I then sent out on the following Sunday to win the prestigious 'Birdcatcher" at Naas. I have entered a horse called Tarsille here with that programme in mind so maybe lightning might strike twice! Some breaking news on the trainer front is that classic winning trainer Frances Crowley is to hand in her licence as she is not enjoying the job anymore. This is unfortunate, but as she is married to the ex-champion jockey Pat Smullen and has a young family she is correct to get her priorities right as there is more to life than horseracing. With the jumping action starting to get into full swing my inaugural stint is coming to a conclusion. Noel Meade will be taking over again for the winter. I won"t know myself on a Monday morning when I don"t have to sit down and do my weekly column. What will I do with myself? I shudder to think! Visit the Ger Lyons website: www.gerlyons.ie