Dubai: Godolphin trainer Andre Fabre will be looking to celebrate a personal milestone in Sunday’s 5-million-euro (Dh21.6 million) Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by winning Europe’s most prestigious hours race for an unprecedented eighth time.
The legendary handler, 27-times a champion trainer in his native France, will be celebrating the 30th anniversary since he won the great race for the first time in 1987, with Trempolino.
Fabre saddles Cloth Of Stars for Team Godolphin, who are looking for a third success in the 2,400-metre contest following the back-to-back wins by Sakhee and Marienbard in 2001-2002.
Godolphin did not have an entry in the race won by Irish-trained Found, 12 months ago, having previously seen Manatee finish last of 11 runners.
Among Fabre’s other winners of the Arc was Carnegie, who triumphed in the famous maroon and white silks of Godolphin founder, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Cloth Of Stars features in a possible 20-strong field for the race, where the John Gosden-trained Enable is the red-hot ante-post favourite.
Enable, a four-time Group 1 winning super-filly, was supplemented for the Arc on Wednesday morning at a cost of 120,000 euros as she had not been entered at the first entry stage.
Cloth Of Stars, an impressive winner of the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Saint-Cloud in May, prepped for the Arc with a runner-up placing in the Group 2 Prix Foy at Chantilly, home to Sunday’s renewal of the Arc, which is traditionally run at the under-construction Longchamp racecourse.
Ridden by Godolphin’s retained jockey Mickael Barzalona, the four-year-old Sea The Stars colt did not enjoy the best of runs on the day prompting Lisa-Jane Graffard of Godolphin to say: “Cloth Of Stars has been kept back for an end-of-season campaign and ran a fantastic race.
“He was a bit keen early on and did not get room at a crucial point.”
Meanwhile, the Charlie Appleby-trained Wuheida returns to the scene of her most famous, the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac, when she takes her place in the Prix de l’Opera, one of the showpiece races on a glittering Arc day card at Chantilly.
The classy Dubawi filly suffered a training setback in April but has delivered some strong efforts in top Group 1 races like the Matron Stakes (4th), German Oaks (3rd) and Falmouth Stakes (2nd),
“It was a real blow at the time,” Appleby told the Godolphin website. “Apart from that interruption, she has been very straightforward to train. She’s a lovely filly, and I would like her to be able to come back and win another big one on Arc Day.”
Stablemate Sobetsu, also trained by Appleby, has been ruled out of running this weekend due to injury.
“Sobetsu has suffered a foot abcess and has been battling to shake off its effects,” the trainer explained.
Likely runners (with latest odds)
At Chantilly, France
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1)
Distance: 2,400 metres.
Enable (10/11); Ulysses (7); Order Of St George (10); Dschingis Secret (12); Brametot (14); Highland Reel (14); Winter (14); Capri (16); Waldgeist (16); Zarak (16); Satono Diamond (20); Satono Crown (25); Cloth Of Stars (28); Cliffs Of Moher (33); Seventh Heaven (33); Robin Of Navan (40); Doha Dream (50); Idaho (50); One Foot In Heaven (50); Plumatic (50); Silverwave (50); Iquitos (66); Left Hand (66); Satono Noblesse (200)
