THE Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe’s massive seven-figure prize was collected, in brilliant style, by the four-year-old Treve (by Motivator) last Sunday.

Last year she trashed Orfevre by five lengths in the same race, arguably a better performance than her two-length defeat of Flintshire on Sunday, a view backed by Timeform’s ratings of both races with her 129 of last week falling short of the 134 she earned from that organisation 12 months before.

But ratings barely matter in a story like hers, and especially now as she is set to embark on a new career as a broodmare.

She lost her unbeaten record in a narrow defeat by Cirrus Des Aigles in the Group 1 Prix Ganay on very soft ground at Longchamp in April, sustained an injury when only third behind The Fugue in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Ascot in June, and there were some time-based analyses of her fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille that suggested her effort that day was better than may have appeared on bare form.

Although some of her fans lost faith, and some even predicted imminent retirement after that third defeat, her connections were not among them and their confidence has been repaid in style.

Treve is the first dual Arc winner since Alleged, who won the race in 1977 and 1978, and, remarkably, her latest victory means that Europe’s most famous all aged middle distance event has been won by a filly in five of the past seven years.

Zarkava (2008), Danedream (2011), and Solemia (2012) are the other trio who have achieved the feat in that time, with Sea The Stars (2009) and Workforce (2010) the only colts to land the prize.

Before this outstanding run began, the last filly to win the race was Urban Sea (1993) and, as everybody knows, she went on to become one of the truly great broodmares of all time.

Urban Sea, who is the dam of Galileo and Sea The Stars, is also one of only two Arc winning fillies to produce an Arc winner at stud, the other being the 1980 heroine Detroit, whose son Carnegie triumphed in 1994.

There are absolutely no guarantees that Treve will also excel at stud, but Al Shaqab Racing’s superstar, who was bred by Alec and Ghislaine Head’s Haras du Quesnay, comes from a branch of one of the most famous families in the book, and that greatly boosts her odds of success.

Treve, who was led out unsold at only €22,000 at the Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale in 2011, is the fourth foal out of Trevise (by Anabaa), and that makes her a half-sister to the Group 2 placed 10-furlong listed scorer Trois Rois (by Hernando).

Her three-year-old half-sister Trophee (by Mr. Sidney) has been placed, and the mare had a first crop daughter of the Group 1-winning miler Fuisse (by Green Tune) in 2012.

Trevise is a full-sister to the Grade 1-placed stakes winning miler Tsigane, who went to stud in Australia, and her dam Trevillari (by Riverman) is a full-sister to the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary scorer Treble.

Treble was out of an unraced daughter of the champion racemare Trillion (by Hail To Reason), and so she could be described as being a three-parts sister to the classic and prolific Group 1 star Triptych (by Riverman).

Popularly known as ‘The Iron Lady’, the much-travelled Triptych lost her life in a freak paddock accident during her first year at stud and while in foal to Mr Prospector.

We can only speculate as to what her offspring might have achieved, but as she was so closely related to the grandam of Treve, and as the string of pattern winners that have descended from her Group 1-placed, pattern winning full-sister Barger include the classic-placed dual Group 1 star Tawqeet (by Kingmambo), that accident could have robbed us of some potential stars.

The dual US Grade 1-winning filly Amorama (by Sri Pekan) is also descended from a full-sister to Triptych, as she is a grand-daughter of Triple Couronne.

The exploits of this line of the family are more than enough to advertise Treve’s considerable potential as a broodmare, and yet they are only part of the story, and that is because the fifth dam of the dual Arc heroine is Margarethen (by Tulyar).

Trillion was her brightest star on the track, but among her other daughters to succeed notably at stud was one who, due to an injury, never made it to the races.

Doff The Derby (by Master Derby) became the dam of the brilliant dual Derby hero Generous (by Caerleon) and of his classic winning half-sister Imagine (by Sadler’s Wells), of the classic-placed stakes winner Strawberry Roan (by Sadler’s Wells) and of the multiple graded scorer Wedding Bouquet (by Kings Lake).

The variety of other stakes winners who descend from Doff The Derby include the brilliant Moonlight Cloud (by Invincible Spirit), the ill-fated Group 1 star Horatio Nelson (by Danehill), and the classic-placed Group 2 scorer Viscount Nelson (by Giant’s Causeway).

The stars of the Doff The Derby branch of the family are quite distantly related to Treve, but their presence cannot be ignored, and they provide useful data for what will be the exciting decision making process in choosing potential mates for her over the coming years.

MOTIVATOR

Treve is a daughter of the Derby hero Motivator (by Montjeu), who has completed two seasons at Haras du Quesnay following six years at The Royal Studs, and so her pedigree represents a blend of the Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer), Gone West (by Mr Prospector), Danzig (by Northern Dancer) and Riverman (by Never Bend) lines, with contributions also from Top Ville (by High Top), Sharpen Up (by Atan), Gay Mecene (by Vaguely Noble), and Lyphard (by Northern Dancer), which means that avoiding at least some degree of inbreeding in her progeny, within five generations, will be difficult.

Treve will first visit Darley sire Dubawi. He would offer only trace amounts of inbreeding, with their foal being 4x5 Mr Prospector, 5x5 Northern Dancer, and 5x5 Lyphard, and another potential 10 and 12-furlong horse in the making.

But there are plenty of other sires who may suit physically as well as genetically.

Galileo (by Sadler’s Wells) and his leading sons would seem likely candidates, and crossing him with a Montjeu-line mare, from a completely different family, has already yielded the Group 1 scorer Parish Hall (by Teofilo).

Galileo with Treve would give a foal inbred 2x4 Sadler’s Wells, 4x5 Mr Prospector, 4x5x5 Northern Dancer, whereas breeding her to, say, Frankel, would result in a foal inbred 3x4 Sadler’s Wells, 4x4 Danzig, 5x5 Mr Prospector.

Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross), who has made such a great start to his own stallion career, and whose classic-winning daughter Taghrooda finished third in the Arc on Sunday, is another who could be on many short-lists, and their foal would be inbred 4x4 Danzig, 4x5 Mr Prospector, and 5x5x5 Northern Dancer, in addition to being an almost certain middle-distance horse.

Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) got the multiple Group 1 star Moonlight Cloud from the Doff The Derby branch of this family, and his hypothetical Treve foal would be inbred 3x4 Danzig, 4x5 Sharpen Up, 4x5x5 Northern Dancer, and 5x5 Never Bend, possibly a mile to 10 furlong horse that could get further.

Giant’s Causeway (by Storm Cat), who got Viscount Nelson from that same branch, would result in even less inbreeding, just 4x5x5 Northern Dancer, whereas using his leading European sire son Shamardal would produce a pattern of 5x5x5 Northern Dancer, 4x5 Mr Prospector, 5x4 Riverman in the foal.

There would be a variety of possibilities representing the Danehill line too, with Dansili, whose hypothetical foal would be a potential 10 to 12 furlong horse and inbred 3x4 Danzig, 4x5x5 Northern Dancer, 5x5 Natalma, just one example.