Racing:So You Think and St Nicholas Abbey are among a team of six Aidan O'Brien entries confirmed for Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Ante-post favourite Sarafina and last year's winner Workforce feature among a list of 19 confirmed for the race at Longchamp.
Alain de Royer-Dupre’s Sarafina is the market leader to exact her revenge on the Michael Stoute-trained Workforce having finished a luckless third in Europe’s premier middle-distance prize a year ago.
Workforce needs to bounce back having been beaten in the King George at Ascot on his latest appearance, but he was a big disappointment in the same race in 2010 before going on to claim Longchamp glory.
O’Brien broke his duck in the race with Dylan Thomas in 2007 and could also saddle Treasure Beach, Regent Street, Seville and Wonder Of Wonders in this year’s renewal.
Also poised to head to Paris is Ed Dunlop’s star filly Snow Fairy. Royer-Dupre has a strong hand with Reliable Man and Shareta also in the mix, while Japanese raiders Hiruno D’Amour and Nakayama Festa are other intriguing contenders.
There is still the chance for horses to be supplemented for the race, but connections of those runners will have to stump up €100,000 by Thursday. John Gosden’s King George hero Nathaniel falls into this bracket, but the Clarehaven handler will be keeping a close eye on the weather over the next 48 hours.
