Arc de Triomphe

DESPITE one of the gloomiest summers in England, water not rain has been the talking point. The debate as to whether clerks of courses should water their tracks, depriving concrete-loving horses of their days of glory, reminded me of my early forays into France 30 years ago. It was always the cry from the vanquished English raider: why do they water the course so much at Longchamp? Plus ca change..
Historically, the going in France is nearly always soft. And historically the winner of the Arc de Triomphe - unless the English have a Mill Reef or a Dancing Brave - comes from the trial races at Longchamp the day after the English St Leger. When I first looked forward to the Arc this year, I pencilled in Dream Well, High-Rise and Royal Anthem to fight out the finish, with Swain best of the older horses. When Swain won the Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, Godolphin announced his retirement from European competition to go straight for the Breeders Cup.	High Rise 'Arc' contender
So that left my three fancy three-year-olds: Derby winners High-Rise and Dream Well, and the lightly-raced Royal Anthem; the Swain news also promoted High-Rise to Arc favouritism without his having to leave his box at Luca Cumani’s Newmarket stable. But then came the Sunday of those traditional Arc trials, when Dream Well’s bubble was well and truly burst by Sagamix in the Prix Niel.
Daylami	Dream Well had won the Irish Derby by a full four-and-a-half lengths from City Honours at the Curragh in June on similar heavy going that they encountered at Longchamp in the Niel and may get again come the Arc. So there is absolutely no excuse for Dream Well - despite what Cash Asmussen has been saying - and no chance of his turning the tables on the winner. He was not just beaten; the margin was one and a half lengths and ten lengths.
It’s what finished second that franks the form for me. I was told that Croco Rouge would win; that he was better now than in the days of his Prix Lupin victory and neck defeat by Dream Well in the French Derby. In the event, Croco Rouge was beaten a length and a half by Sagamix. This means that, even if Dream Well returns to his Prix du Jockey Club form, a neck better than Croco Rouge, he cannot beat Sagamix. Since Dream Well’s defeat of City Honours at the Curragh puts him ahead of High-Rise on the book, High-Rise cannot beat Sagamix either.