Lemaire out to banish last year's nightmare

Longchamp: Reflecting on last year's Arc meeting at Longchamp, French jockey Christophe Lemaire gives an archetypal Gallic shrug.

If he had thrown a tantrum, you would not have blamed him.

Less than 24 hours before the biggest weekend of the European Flat racing calendar, Lemaire broke his collarbone in an inconsequential race at Saint-Cloud. The ramifications were devastating.

The 31-year-old no doubt watched his television in horror as eight of what should have been his mounts galloped into the winner's enclosure over the next two days.

A potential piece of history had been snatched — something that would have drawn comparisons to Frankie Dettori's ‘Magnificent Seven' at Ascot in 1996.

It was also the worst possible start to Lemaire's new job as the Aga Khan's No 1 jockey.

Whispering c'est la vie doesn't seem appropriate, but on Sunday Lemaire will try to banish the nightmare when he rides 7-2 favourite Behkabad in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The colt, who faces a field including Derby winner Workforce and three-time Arc runner-up Youmzain, has been honed for his big day by trainer Jean-Claude Rouget using a traditional French blueprint, culminating in victory in the Prix Niel, typically the most potent of Arc trials.

Strong contender

That was enough for Lemaire to plump for the colt, rather than the Aga Khan's other strong contender, the filly Sarafina, who was an eye-catching third in the Prix Vermeille on the same day.

Lemaire said: "The choice has not been easy. I didn't want to give Behkabad a hard race in the Niel but I knew he had enough to pass Planteur, who is one of the best three-year-olds in France. He has matured and winning has given him confidence."

Lemaire's temperament must have been tested even more when he fractured a leg this summer, which meant he missed Behkabad's win in the Grand Prix de Paris in July.

The spells on the sidelines have robbed British racegoers of chances to see an endangered species — a French jockey who has won over Britain's cynical punters. This has largely been down to his mastery of Newmarket, a course that has humbled many European riders in the past. Indeed, six of his 14 rides there have been winners.

This weekend, however, Lemaire will be back on home turf. His rides will also include Siyouni (Prix de la Foret) and Rosanara (Prix de l'Opera). But Behkabad is the one he really wants.