Third Wildenstein win top of The Revenant’s agenda

Molly Hunter
August 27, 2021 8:45 am

QEII Stakes defence at Ascot also on the radar.

The Revenant could bid for a record-breaking third Prix Daniel Wildenstein victory, while a Queen Elizabeth II Stakes title defence is also under consideration.

Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard had the gelding entered in the Group Three Prix Quincey at Deauville on Sunday, but the conditions are unlikely to be suitable for the soft-ground specialist and he has not been declared.

The six-year-old has run twice this season, finishing third and fourth in the Group Three Prix Edmond Blanc and the Group Two Prix du Muguet respectively.

Palace Pier beaten! The Revenant wins the Queen Elizabeth II for @PCBOUDOT and @GraffardRacing! @Ascot #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/KKBSwwsoCn
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 17, 2020

A run in ParisLongchamp’s one-mile Prix Daniel Wildenstein is next on the agenda, a race the chestnut won by four and half lengths in 2019 and before following up by a length and a quarter last year.

A shot at a third victory is on the horizon come the first day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting on October 2, a feat that would make The Revenant the most successful horse in the 139-year history of the race.

“He’s OK, all is well with him,” said Graffard.

“He won’t be running over the weekend because the ground is not soft enough for him.

“We will probably come back and run on Arc weekend (in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein) like last year – the softer the better so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”

The Revenant in full flight at Ascot on Champions Day (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

The Revenant has ended his two previous seasons with a run in the QEII, finishing second to King Of Change in 2019 and then going one better when winning the race by a head in 2020 – with Palace Pier back in third.

A return to Berkshire would feature highly in Graffard’s late-season plans should he fare well following his bid for a Longchamp treble.

“Of course it would be great,” he said of the prospect.

“We will see how he is when he comes back from the Prix Wildenstein and then we will decide.”