A Look Forward To The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly

We are over 6 weeks out from the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly on the 1st October but right now Europes premier all age 1m4f event is looking more and more like a one horse race if she turns up.

I am of course talking about Enable.

Trainer John Gosden and owner Khalid Abdullah must be leaning towards the race more and more now especially after the poor runs from Almanzor and Brametot at Deauville on Tuesday (15th August). Almanzor looked nothing like the triple Group One winner we saw last year and Brametot will need to improve somewhat to say the least if he is to be competitive come October. Both are now available anywhere between 12’s and 20’s.

The Gosden trained filly was reported as “travelling with her usual zest upsides a senior partner on the Limekilns long gallop” this morning (16th August) ahead of her run in the Yorkshire Oaks in a few days time. She is 1-3 for that and to use a football analogy that now looks like a penalty kick on the way to the big day in France. As a three-year-old filly she will have only 8-8 to carry in the Arc and unless it comes up bottomless on the day she is looking a better and better bet as each day passes. As for the other opposition Japanese hope Satono Diamond is likely to run in the G.2 Prix Foy on the ‘trials’ day and at the moment is the one considered the biggest danger and you can get 12-1 about the four-year-old colt in places! He will need to go well to become a major threat as he was beaten by Kitasan Black in the G.1 Tenno Sho over 2m in April and that five-year-old was well beaten in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen over 1m3f in June giving the form a wobbly look. As for any others so far connections have indicated that all roads lead to the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot in October for Craven Stakes winner Eminent rather than a trip across the channel. It says a lot about the market when the colt is 16-1, putting him towards the head of the betting, for a race he probably won’t run in. I see no reason to think Ulysses or Highland Reel can overturn the G.1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes with the jolly if they run and as for the French hopefuls I am not convinced the form of the G.1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud won by the Aga Khan owned Zarak will be giving the guys at Clarehaven stables sleepless nights and Waldgeist, fourth in the G.1 Irish Derby, may be the home teams best hope come the day if Andre Fabre sends him; he does at least have form on the likely softer underfoot conditions.