Sosie and Cualificar mean Arc lights could shine again on Fabre

No trainer knows better than Andre Fabre how to win the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – and with two leading chances this year in Sosie and Cualificar, it would be brave to bet against the master trainer recording a ninth win.

Fabre’s history with the race stretches back to his first winner in 1987, the Pat Eddery-ridden Trempolino, through four winners in the 1990s, headlined by Peintre Celebre, arguably the best horse Fabre has trained. Hurricane Run and Rail Link gave him successive victories in 2005 and 2006, before Waldgeist thwarted Enable’s bid for a third Arc in 2019.

Sosie finished fourth when favourite last year and bar a blip in the Eclipse has enjoyed the perfect Fabre prep, although the Chantilly-based great admits even he is in the dark about the year-younger Cualificar, last-gasp winner of the Prix Niel and the mount of William Buick in the Godolphin blue.

“Sosie has been there and done it, we know he is good enough to go close, we don’t have to worry about him,” said Fabre.

“With Cualificar, we just don’t know, he’s an unknown. We don’t know how good the three-year-olds are, they might be very good, they might not be.

“With Sosie I have no doubts, they are both drawn well which is one less thing to worry about. Although if the pace is strong the draw comes into it less in my opinion, but you would obviously rather be low, just in case.”

One blow to Sosie’s chance is that regular rider Maxime Guyon partners Aventure, last year’s second, for the same owners.

“I wasn’t surprised that Maxime chose to ride Aventure, it was a long plan, he was always going to this year,” said Fabre.

“We have Stephane (Pasquier) and I am very happy with that, he knows all there is to know about Longchamp and he won an Arc for me many years ago (on Rail Link 2006).”

Aventure is trained by Christophe Ferland, who was relieved to see his four-year-old finally get a valuable Group One win to her name in the Prix Vermeille.

“We had really been waiting for that,” he said. “Before that, she had raced four times at this level, first in the Prix de Diane, where she finished fourth, then against older horses, which is always a challenging assignment. She was only beaten by horses of the calibre of Bluestocking, the Arc winner, or Calandagan!”

Francis-Henri Graffard is on course to be champion trainer in France this year but has yet to win the Arc. He has three runners, Daryz, Gezora and Quisisana

“We always thought a mile and a half would be his (Daryz) trip so we ran him in the Prince d’Orange and he ran really well having been a bit unlucky in the straight, but he finished very strongly. Soft ground won’t be a problem for him as it was very soft that day,” said Graffard.

“On form he beat the horse who nearly won the Prix Niel (Bay City Roller) further than Caulificar did but against him is his immaturity.

“Quisisana has only raced three times this year so she will be spot on for the Arc. She’s in very good shape for the race so I cross my fingers. She’s a lovely mare.

“She had some issues at three and four which is why she’s been lightly raced, but I like her a lot. She’s a gorgeous horse.

“Gezora won on very soft ground last year as a two-year-old so she can handle it, but of course she didn’t beat an Arc field. She can handle a big field though, we know that, so I don’t need to get stressed about that.

“She galloped on really nicely at the end of the Vermeille. Aventure was very difficult to beat that day. We really rode her to build her for the Arc.”

There are three Japanese contenders, but both Croix Du Nord and Byzantine Dream have been handed wide draws, in 17 and 15 respectively, meaning Alohi Alii could now be their main hope.

Hiroyasu Tanaka, trainer of Alohi Alii, said: “When he lined up at Deauville, he had not raced for four months. Ten days before, we were still hesitating to declare him because his condition was not optimal. In the end, he won. After the race he was tired, but 10 days later he had already recovered well.

“We have done everything to make sure he is ready to run whatever the conditions. I believe in him.”

Tomoyasu Sakaguchi is honoured to be running Byzantine Dream, the mount of Oisin Murphy.

“This is a great race, with many foreign horses. I am very happy to be able to run a horse in such a prestigious race. It is a great honour for me to represent Japan in such an event,” he said.

“Byzantine Dream won the Qatar Prix Foy, and it was a very fine victory. But in the Arc, the number of runners and the pace will be different.

“Since that race, the horse has progressed. He has taken several steps forward in his preparation and he is very fresh. I think he is in excellent condition.”

Takashi Saito, trainer of Croix Du Nord, has no worries about his inexperience.

He said: “Croix Du Nord is a Japanese Derby winner, but at the same time he is still a relatively inexperienced three-year-old. Yet I have no worries about that. In the past, horses like Lammtarra had little racing experience before succeeding. So no, I have no concern about his lack of experience.”