William Haggas has ruled out a bid for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Economics, the impressive winner of the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, who will likely finish his season in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Economics, who dazzled with his victory in the Dante Stakes at York in May, avoided the Derby at Epsom as Haggas opted to take a longer-term view with the colt, seen as a developing talent.
After a three-month layoff, the Night Of Thunder colt returned to action with a Group Two win in France. He made his Group One debut at Leopardstown on Saturday, showing great resilience and skill to defeat Auguste Rodin in a thrilling contest.
Haggas reflected on Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday program: "We’ve learned from our mistakes and will never know for sure if missing Epsom was the right call. He might have won the Derby, but we felt it was best to wait, and thankfully, he delivered a Group One win yesterday, rewarding the owner’s patience."
He noted that jockey Tom Marquand opted to avoid getting too far back in the race, resulting in a wide trip. "Tom said it was a bit messy and not how he would have liked it, but the important thing is that he won," Haggas added.
The trainer is confident Economics will handle longer distances, but he prefers to explore this next season. "He seems to prefer slower ground and looks capable of excelling at a mile and a half. For now, he’s doing well at a mile and a quarter. With five weeks until the Champion Stakes, we have ample time for him to recover from yesterday’s tough race."
Haggas continued: "We did consider the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but given the tough race he had and the challenge of going up in distance and travelling abroad, it doesn’t seem ideal for him at the moment. If he proves himself worthy, he can aim for the Arc next year. Many four-year-olds have won that race."