Andre Fabre satisfied with trial efforts from his Arc contenders

Few trainers know how to prepare a horse for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe better than Andre Fabre and the French legend looks to have two viable candidates this year in Sosie and Cualificar.

Sosie won two Group Ones over shorter trips earlier this season before being beaten in the Eclipse but Fabre expects him to improve a good bit on his second to Byzantine Dream in the Prix Foy given it was his first run for two months. He finished fourth in the Arc last year.

Cualificar showed the benefit of a more recent outing in Deauville when running down Bay City Roller to win the Prix Niel under William Buick.

“I was very happy with both of them considering it was a prep race for them,” said Fabre.

“What I can say is that Sosie needed the race, he hadn’t run since early July while Cualificar did what I was hoping. If the form is good enough to win the Arc, that is another question.

“Sosie was beaten by a very good horse in the Foy but as a trial, he did exactly what we wanted him to do.

“Now we just wait and see, we will watch what happens in Ireland this weekend.

“I absolutely thought Cualificar would improve for a mile and a half and with softer ground, I was expecting it.

“I had actually told William that he didn’t really have a turn of foot, just long acceleration – he showed that I was wrong!

“He finished third behind the Japanese horse (Alohi Alii) at Deauville but he needed the run that day and the course didn’t suit him.

“For years now we have learned to respect those Japanese horses, especially over the middle distances. They will be tough to beat.”

Fabre also saw Alcantor finish a valiant fourth in the Prix du Moulin having attempted to make all.

He said: “Alcantor ran a very good race, he was just too fresh really, it is very hard to make the running in Group Ones. If he’d have been able to take a blow it might have been different.

“He will go for the Prix Daniel Wildenstein at the Arc meeting and then I hope to the Breeders’ Cup, but he has to qualify yet.”