Adayar’s the pick of the four standout horses in the Arc

THE best mile-and-a-half horses in Europe contest Sunday’s Arc de Triomphe in a top-quality renewal. Four excellent horses would be deserving winners – Adayar, Hurricane Lane, Snowfall and Tarnawa stand out. The fly in the ointment is that the already-yielding ground in Paris may turn heavy by the time of the race, which could let in an outsider.

Snowfall’s juvenile career was undistinguished, but she’s been a different proposition this year. She proved her 16-length victory in the Oaks was no fluke by winning the Irish and Yorkshire versions by wide margins. Her surprise defeat in the Prix Vermeille came when the Ballydoyle stable was under a cloud, and she is expected to bounce back. Heavy going is an unknown for her.

Adayar was a convincing winner of the Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and has had a break since then. He won his maiden on soft ground by nine lengths.

Hurricane Lane’s record of six wins in seven races was interrupted only by a third place in the Derby, in which he lost both front shoes. Since then he’s won the Irish Derby, Grand Prix de Paris (by six lengths in ground officially described as “very soft”) and the St Leger. He had a hard race at Doncaster and there is a risk that he could be over the top

The five-year-old mare Tarnawa is close to favouritism, partly due to being deprived of the Irish Champion Stakes by St Mark’s Basilica’s diagonal approach to the finishing line at Leopardstown. Last year’s Breeders Cup Turf winner, she is one of the few to have won on heavy.

Of the market leaders, Adayar has done nothing wrong and is the pick. Punters looking for long-odds alternatives should consider Love, who was tremendously impressive in last year’s Epsom and Yorkshire Oaks. She hasn’t been in quite the same form this season, but 20/1 is a big price if she can be coaxed back to her best. Frankie Dettori, who gets on so well with fillies, takes the ride. German-trained horses are often underrated and if your bookmaker offers extra places Torquator Tasso could outrun his 66/1 odds. Twice a Group One winner over a mile-and-a-half, soft going shouldn’t be a problem.

Also on Sunday, watch out for Dan Skelton’s runners at Uttoxeter. He hasn’t plundered the summer jumping season with fast-ground horses this year, wanting instead to move from quantity to quality. Now that the going is about to change, he has several ready to run at the Staffordshire course, where he has had 94 winners.