Menuiser resists Breeders’ Cup temptation with Wonderful Tonight

Ashley Iveson
October 27, 2020 3:15 pm

Sussex trainer mulls big plans next year for dual Group One winner.

David Menuisier is excited to see what Wonderful Tonight can achieve next season, after resisting the temptation to send her to America for next week’s Breeders’ Cup.

The three-year-old daughter of Le Havre has enjoyed a fantastic end to the European campaign, claiming Group One glory in the Prix de Royallieu on Arc weekend in Paris before providing her trainer with a first top-level success in Britain on Champions Day at Ascot.

With his star filly having taken those exertions in her stride, Menuisier hinted he had been slightly tempted by a trip to Keeneland, but he has decided to err on the side of caution with next year in mind.

Smashing filly! Wonderful Tonight wins the Group 1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares for @DavidMenuisier and William Buick at @Ascot pic.twitter.com/oTVNGCfhjX
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 17, 2020

“She’s not going to the Breeders’ Cup – I don’t think it would be fair,” said the Pulborough-based trainer.

“If the filly was four and it was her last ever race, maybe we would have rolled the dice – but in this instance I think it would be greed.

“I would be scared to ask too much of her – and it’s a long way, especially to Kentucky because you have to catch a flight from Amsterdam to New York and then another flight from there. There’s no direct flight, so it would be quite daunting for a youngster.”

Menuisier already has the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 12 months’ time as a major target for his stable star, with several other top-level prizes under consideration between now and then.

He added: “It’s early days, let’s get through the winter and think about it next year.

“The programme will be written for her really, because being a Group One winner you don’t have many choices. Early in the season you have the Prix Ganay at Longchamp and the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket, and we’ll see where we go from there.

“We hope she’ll be running in the Arc next October – and before that you have either the Prix Vermeille on the Irish Champion Stakes, or there’s the big race in Germany – the Grosser Preis von Baden.

“How we get to the end of next year, I don’t know yet – it will all depend on the weather. If Royal Ascot is wet we could think about that, or there’s the King George at Ascot at the end of July.

“For the moment, we’ll reflect on how good the year has been this year, enjoy it and reload for next year.”