Wonderful Tonight will be ridden by a French jockey ahead of a shot at the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe

Wonderful Tonight will be ridden by a French jockey ahead of a shot at the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe… with victorious Goodwood partner William Buick riding Adayar at the prestigious race in October

  • Trainer David Menuisier wants a French jockey to get to know Wonderful Tonight
  • The four-year-old was superb on Saturday in winning the Lillie Langtry Stakes 
  • William Buick has been claimed to ride Adayar at the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe 
  • Oisin Murphy is also unavailable having committed to ride Chrono Genesis
  • Wonderful Tonight could run at the Yorkshire Oaks in York later this month
  • Meanwhile, Battaash’s retirement has been confirmed after a successful career


Trainer David Menuisier will line up a French jockey to get to know Wonderful Tonight ahead of a shot at the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.

The plan was announced after the four-year-old, an 8-1 shot for the Arc, did nothing more than was expected of her when revelling in rain-softened ground to win the Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood by two lengths from Tribal Craft.

It was a seventh winner of the week for William Buick, but he will not available in the Arc because he will be claimed to partner Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Adayar for his boss Charlie Appleby.

Wonderful Tonight excelled on the soft ground to win the Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood

The filly has run five times in France - with Olivier Peslier riding her on one of those occasions

The filly has run five times in France – with Olivier Peslier riding her on one of those occasions

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who has been linked to the ride on Wonderful Tonight, is also currently unavailable having committed to riding Japanese challenger Chrono Genesis.

Wonderful Tonight’s owner Chris Wright declined to say which French jockey was in line for the mount, but the filly has run five times in France, with Tony Piccone riding her four times and Olivier Peslier once.

Wonderful Tonight could run in this month’s Yorkshire Oaks at York, with a test drive for her prospective French rider in the Group One Prix Vermeille at Longchamp in September.

Wonderful Tonight won the Prix De Royallieu at last year’s Arc meeting before breaking her group one duck in the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.

She won the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot on her 2021 seasonal debut.

Buick said: ‘Wonderful Tonight is a different filly to last year. She has more pace, is more consistent and is just better. 

‘If the ground came up like this [in an Arc], she is a class filly and you would have to give her a chance. 

Battaash won 13 races and secured victories in the big three European five-furlong sprints

Battaash won 13 races and secured victories in the big three European five-furlong sprints

‘She won a good Hardwicke and is now unbeaten in her last four races at Group 1 or Group 2 level.’

Meanwhile, the retirement of Battaash after his seventh-place finish in the King George Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on Friday has been confirmed.

The Charlie Hills-trained sprinter won 13 of his 25 starts and almost £1.7million. He secured wins in all Europe’s big three five-furlong sprints – the King’s Stand Stakes at Ascot, Nunthorpe Stakes at York (twice) and Prix de L’Abbaye in France.

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