Prix de l’arc de Triomphe fancy One Foot In Heaven will not come to Melbourne this spring, despite earning Caulfield Cup exemption in the Grand Prix de Chantilly earlier this month.
The Alain de Royer Dupre-trained stayer made it three wins in a row to log his second Group 2 win to take his record to five wins from seven starts.
The son of Fastnet Rock is owned by Swiss-based couple Sven and Carina Hanson, who also owned his dam, French champion Pride – a three-time G1 winner including the 2006 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) – as well as G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Reliable Man and G1 Star Epsom Handicap winner He’s Your Man.
But despite the Hansons being huge supporters of Australian racing, One Foot In Heaven will not be taking up his free ticket in the Caulfield Cup.
“We haven’t discussed any plans for Australia,” Carina Hanson told G1X.com.au.
“He might run in the (G1) Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud this Sunday. We had planned to give him a rest but we’re quite relaxed about it. He’ll come back for the autumn (Australia’s spring) – we have some nice races in France and England so I doubt he’ll come (to Australia) this year.”
The Prix de l’arc de Triomphe in early October is on the cards – his dam Pride, also owned by the Hansons, ran second in the mile-and-a-half classic.
Hanson said she’d love to win the Arc with Pride’s son, and would also love to take him to Hong Kong where the Peintre Celebre mare won the 2006 Hong Kong Cup.
“My dream is to go back to Hong Kong, that would be best for me,” she said.
“You have to have dreams in this business.”
But Hanson hasn’t ruled out a 2017 spring carnival campaign for One Foot In Heaven.
Hanson said she would have no qualms moving him to Chris Waller’s stable in Sydney if she thought it was the right move.
The couple did so with Defrost My Heart, moving the daughter of Fastnet Rock from France to Australia.
“We always think what horses are suitable for Australia if they need a change, like we did with Reliable Man,” Hanson said.
“(Waller) had a different method in Australia and it worked out well, the same with He’s Your Man.
“Defrost My Heart was stakes placed in Europe and we had her with Alain de Royer Dupre but decided it might be more suitable for (her to go to) Australia. It’s always an option.”
Hanson added that Reliable Man had made a stunning start to his stud career, already boasting a “waiting list” for his services. She was also buoyant about a half-brother yearling colt to One Foot In Heaven, out of Pride by Reliable Man.
