Sun Surely Setting on Cirrus Des Aigles

Last season, French star, Cirrus Des Aigles, carried virtually all before him, even forcing the mighty Frankel to break out of second gear when finishing a length-and-three-quarters behind the legendary horse in the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot in October, but sadly this season he has appeared little more than a shadow of his former self.

In the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville on August 25, there was further evidence that the seven-year-old is on the downgrade when he once again failed to fire when it mattered, trailing in a well-beaten fourth behind Tres Blue, a horse who wouldn’t have even been able to hold on to his coat-tails just 10 months ago.

Fans of Cirrus Des Aigles on betfair.com were understandably disappointed with the way the gelded son of Even Top went from going strongly to quickly coming under pressure in a matter of strides over a furlong from home. The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that the old magic simply is not there and a long and distinguished career might well be coming to an end.

Trainer, Corinne Barande-Barbe, has enjoyed a wonderful few years with the 16-time winner, whose biggest successes included Group 1 victories in the 2011 Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, (where he got the better of the outstanding So You Think), the 2012 Dubai Sheema Classic, (beating the high-class St Nicholas Abbey), and last year’s Prix Ganay at Longchamp, where he was simply superb in slamming the smart Giofra by no less than eight lengths.

In all, Cirrus Des Aigles has won 11 pattern races and a total of more than £4.1 million in prize money, not bad for a horse who was plying his trade in French provincial handicaps just a few years ago.