Kew Gardens favourite of Ballydoyle’s Arc hopefuls
KEW GARDENS leads a fivestrong team into battle for Aidan O’Brien in this year’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
It is 11 years since the Ballydoyle handler first claimed Europe’s premier middle-distance prize with Dylan Thomas.
O’Brien doubled his tally with Found in 2016 and launches yet another strong assault, numerically at least, on the ParisLongchamp showpiece today.
Kew Gardens is the yard’s chief hope under Ryan Moore after providing his trainer with a sixth victory in the St Leger at Doncaster three weeks ago.
O’Brien said: ‘Everything has gone well since the Leger and we’ve been happy with him since.
‘He has won going around Longchamp – he won the Grand Prix de Paris there. He seems to be in good form.’
‘We were training him for the King George in the middle of the summer and he just had a setback with the rest of the horses (stable bug), so that’s why he didn’t get to go there.’
The apparent second string is Donnacha O’Brien’s mount Capri, who won last year’s St Leger before beating just one home in the Arc at Chantilly.
The grey son of Galileo made a successful start to the current campaign in the Alleged Stakes at Naas in April, but has run just once since, finishing fifth of six in the Prix Foy over this course and distance last month.
O’Brien added: ‘We thought that he would improve nicely from the last day and we’ve been happy with him since.’
Magical, Hunting Horn and big outsider Nelson, ridden by Wayne Lordan, Seamie Heffernan and Michael Hussey respectively, complete the quintet.
John Gosden is taking nothing for granted with hot favourite Enable, but everything has gone to plan since her comeback at Kempton, including the trainer’s travel plans for today’s race.
‘She travelled last night, she went through the (Channel) Tunnel early. I don’t like them to arrive once racing has started because then there’s a lot of movement,’ Gosden told ITV Racing.
‘It hasn’t been a straightforward year, but it’s been straightforward since she came back.
‘I think the betting says who the dangers are, but the Arc is the Arc.’