Arc could be a lottery at Chantilly, says Gosden
John Gosden fears the combination of an 18- runner field and Chantilly’s tight track could turn sunday’s Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe into a lottery and compromise the chance of his odds- on favourite enable.
The newmarket trainer is trying to win his second Arc in three years after Golden horn in 2015 and has called enable — winner of the english, Irish and Yorkshire oaks as well as the King George VI & Queen elizabeth stakes — the best middle-distance filly he has trained.
But Gosden concedes he would be more confident of success for Frankie dettori’s mount if the prestigious race was being run at its normal home of Longchamp, which is being redeveloped, rather than Chantilly.
Gosden, whose filly Taghrooda was third from a bad draw in 2014, said: ‘Top trainers in France tell me quite often the best horse does not win at Chantilly because of the nature of the track. We have a very nice filly and a brilliant jockey who knows the track well but I would be a lot more confident if the race was at Longchamp.
‘Longchamp has its long back straight before you sweep downhill and then straighten up to a lovely long run to the finish line.
‘Chantilly is different. You go out on an elbow to the left and then start turning right running downhill to a tight hairpin bend. You can’t go too fast around it and it can get really concertinaed around there.
‘ It can lead to some funny results. With that number of runners, it’s a race that could well go wrong. I have plenty of respect for a lot of horses in the field but if they are getting the run of the race it will mean more than anything else.’
The Prix Vermeille at Chantilly on Arc Trials day, when Andrew Balding-trained Blond Me was almost brought down on the home turn, was the latest in a string of big races there which have been compromised by trouble in running.
Gosden says he is delighted with enable’s condition going into the race and that she has inherited traits of sire nathaniel, the Gosden-trained 2011 King George winner.
he added: ‘ enable is weighing heavier than she did at the beginning of the year. To our eye she has strengthened but it is nice when the scales confirm it.
‘ nathaniel would gallop his heart out for you. he was an honest horse and she is like that.’
Meanwhile, Ryan Moore has chosen to ride Winter out of Aidan o’Brien’s five contenders, even though the dual 1,000 Guineas winner has never raced over a mile and a half before.
Moore said: ‘ she has won four Group ones, has a great attitude and goes on the soft. none of us will know if she stays until we try.’
o’Brien is also represented by last year’s third order of st George, st Leger winner Capri, Idaho and seventh heaven. however, he has withdrawn last year’s runner-up highland Reel.