Enable, the hot favourite for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly on Sunday, enjoyed the luck of the draw on Thursday evening when she was placed in stall two, close to the rail, in a field of 18 runners for Europe’s most valuable and prestigious race.
Enable will be attempting to land her fifth Group One race in succession this weekend, having started her winning streak with a five-length success in the Oaks at Epsom in early June. She won her latest race, the Yorkshire Oaks, from the front and Frankie Dettori, her jockey, should be able to hold a prominent position from their low draw.
The starting positions had no obvious impact on last year’s race at Chantilly, the first to be staged away from the Arc’s traditional home at Longchamp since the Second World War, as Ryan Moore steered Found to victory from stall 12 ahead of her stable companions at the Aidan O’Brien yard, Highland Reel (11) and Order Of St George (16). No one will want to be caught wide, however, as a big field makes its way around its sweeping right-handed turns for the second and final Arc at Chantilly before the race returns to Paris next year.
Moore opted to ride Winter, the winner of four Group One races at a mile and 10 furlongs so far this season, when the final declarations for Sunday’s race were made on Thursday morning. She will be racing over a mile-and-a-half for the first time this weekend, and will start from stall eight as she attempts to become the first horse since 1990 to win the Arc when attempting the 12-furlong trip for the first time. Winter is one of five runners in the race for O’Brien, whose son, Donnacha, will take the mount on Order Of St George. He will start on Winter’s outside from stall nine, while Capri, the winner of the Irish Derby and St Leger and another colt with proven 12-furlong stamina rejected by Moore, is drawn wide in stall 15 with Wayne Lordan booked to ride.
Ulysses, the winner of the Eclipse Stakes and International Stakes this summer, is against the rail in stall one, while the main locally-trained contenders had contrasting fortunes in the draw. Brametot, the French Derby winner, is well-placed in stall four, but Zarak, a son of the brilliant 2008 Arc winner Zarkava, is on the wide outside in stall 18.
Enable’s single-figure draw ensures that she remains an even-money chance, with Ulysses available at 8-1 and Winter now 9-1 after attracting money on Thursday when Moore was confirmed as her rider. Order Of St George is a 12-1 chance, Dschingis Secret is 12-1 to win for Germany and Brametot is the first French-trained runner in the betting at 16-1.
Elarqam, a son of Frankel out of the dual 1,000 Guineas winner Attraction, took a while to go through the gears in the Somerville Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday but was ultimately a convincing winner of the Group Three feature event on the opening day of the Cambridgeshire meeting.
Mark Johnston’s colt was one of the most expensive yearlings to go through the ring at last year’s Book 1 sale at Tattersalls, where he sold for 1.6m guineas. He was quickly sent into the lead by Jim Crowley – who will ride Ulysses in France – and briefly appeared to have a fight on his hands as Tangled launched a challenge along the stands’ rail, but he stayed on strongly on the rising ground inside the final furlong to draw two-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Tip Two Win at the post.
“If anything, he is too laid-back most of the time at home,” Johnston, who trained Attraction to win five Group One races, said afterwards. “You can’t see when he is going to find another gear. He has not made the normal progression through his gallops, he did one spectacular gallop early on, then next time it was as if he was having his first gallop. That’s why we’ve been a little bit nervous to take big jumps with him.
“It was the most nervous I have been for years, maybe since his mother ran. It’s not the size of the race, it’s when nothing but first will do. Coming second today would have been a desperate disappointment.”
Elarqam’s sire and dam were both Guineas winners, but his style of racing suggests a mile will be a minimum for him next year and he is quoted at 25-1 for both the 2,000 Guineas, over a mile, and the Derby at a mile-and-a-half.
“We see him as a Guineas horse,” Johnston said. “Both his parents won the Guineas, but with each run, he’s looked like he’ll stay further. We think he’ll stay considerably further than his mother did, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a miler earlier on.”
Friday’s tips, by Greg Wood
Newmarket 1.50 Amabilis 2.25 To Eternity 3.00 Lightening Quick 3.35 Mustashry (nb) 4.10 Thrave 4.45 Red Galileo 5.20 Archie (nap)
Haydock Park 1.40 Thorntoun Care 2.10 Big Sigh 2.45 Feebs 3.20 Maybride 3.55 Mable Lee 4.30 Tor 5.05 My Amigo 5.35 Beverley Bullet
Worcester 2.00 Little Pop 2.35 Dadsintrouble 3.10 Call To Order 3.45 Chelsea Flyer 4.20 Star Trouper 4.55 Robin The Raven 5.25 Ambre Des Marais 5.55 Inn The Bull
Newcastle 5.45 Sir Gnet 6.15 Excel Again 6.45 Zeshov 7.15 Red Tycoon 7.45 Duke Cosimo 8.15 Broctune Papa Gio 8.45 Arnarson 9.15 Imperial Legend
