Two days of top sport in Longchamp

Longchamp, Saturday, 1 October: It`s that time again, the mega-spectacle around the Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe starts today in Longchamp with a nine-race card and numerous group tests.

The Prix Dollar (7th race/17.00 h/200.000 Euro/1950 m) is in the sights of Peter Schiergen, who won the fixture 16 years ago with Soldier Hollow and is now hoping for Noble Heidi (Bauyrzhan Murzabayev), who finished third in the Prize of Diana (Group 1) this year. A total of eleven opponents are standing in the mare`s way. Among them are Botanik (Mickael Barzalona), who is used to winning, the Haggas protégés Addeybb (Tom Marquand) and Grocer Jack (Ryan Moore) and Junko (Maxime Guyon), who recently ran strongly in Deauville.

Stayer qualities will be in demand in the Prix du Cadran (race 6/16.25/300,000 euros) when the race is run over four kilometres. Kyprios (Ryan Moore) is the new star in the `Marathon` sky after Stradivarius. The O`Brien protégé, who is unbeaten this year, will be tested by the currently successful Goya Senora (Gregory Benoist), Almacado Gree (Tony Piccone) and Quickthorn (Tom Marquand), who was 17 lengths ahead in the Lonsdale Cup (Group 2) in York and sent Tashkhan (Ben Robinson), among others, to the losing line. Whether German representatives Vivienne Wells (Bauyrzhan Murzabayev) and Lubiane (Marie Velon) will play a role remains to be seen.

The Prix de Royallieu (3rd race/14.33 hrs/300,000 Euro/2800 m), in which the mares are addressed, also goes the long way. Sea la Rosa (Tom Marquand) impressed when winning the Prix de Pomone (Group 2) over Love Child (Mickael Barzalona) and Jannah Flower (Stephane Pasquier) and goes off as favourite. Verry Elleegant (Mark Zahra) sold herself very dearly at the dress rehearsal in the Prix Foy (Group 2) when she finished third. She is expected to be in the front as well as Emily Dickinson (Ryan Moore), who arrives from Ireland with good placings.