Features / Timeform / 05 October 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet View Market

Timeform share their perspective entries on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in which Derby winner Workforce narrowly prevailed...

"he (Workforce) fully atoned for his disappointing effort in the King George at the first opportunity with another top-class effort to go with his Derby win"

While the last 2 Arcs had set the seal on the unblemished 3-y-o careers of champions Zarkava and Sea The Stars, this one inevitably paled a little by comparison, especially with Europe's top middle-distance performer Harbinger already retired through injury. However, this was still a top-class contest, 3 Group 1-winning members of the classic generation making the frame, with Workforce restoring his reputation as the outstanding 12f colt of his crop. In so doing, he gave trainer Sir Michael Stoute a long-awaited first success in the Arc, and crowned an outstanding year for his owner/breeder, Khalid Abdulla now joining Daniel Wildenstein and the Aga Khan on 4 wins in the race behind record-holder Marcel Boussac (6 Arcs). As well as the first soft-ground Arc since 2003, it was also one of the rougher renewals of late, Sarafina hitting trouble before the home turn where the whole field was still well-grouped, and the subsequently-disqualified Planteur the culprit for a chain reaction of interference that involved another half-dozen horses to varying degrees around 1½f out.

WORKFORCE'S last 2 starts had left deeply contrasting impressions, but he fully atoned for his disappointing effort in the King George at the first opportunity with another top-class effort to go with his Derby win (only the sixth colt to win both races), this one under much softer conditions than he'd met before. Racing in mid-division initially, he lost places to be towards the rear on the inner turning for home, but, like Sea The Stars last year, enjoyed a trouble-free run early in the straight to hit the front at the same time as the runner-up 1½f out. Workforce edged ahead with 1f to go, and was always just holding the runner-up from then on. He was only given the go-ahead to take his chance after a final piece of work on the Thursday before, and his performance here speaks volumes for his trainer's skill at getting him back to his best (in superb shape here). He incidentally became the first Arc winner since Lammtarra in 1995 to win the race without a run in the preceding 2 months, he too having had his last race beforehand (successful in his case) in the King George. Workforce has reportedly come out of the race very well, and he could yet reappear this year in the Breeders' Cup Turf, but still with only 5 races under his belt, he'd make a top-notch four-year-old if kept in training next year.

NAKAYAMA FESTA, whose trainer and jockey went close with El Condor Pasa behind Montjeu 11 years earlier, didn't bring the same level of form with him as that horse, and still less the sort of expectations that accompanied Japan's last big Arc hope, Deep Impact in 2006. But he went close to succeeding where they failed with a career-best effort, certainly leaving his effort in the Foy well behind, progressing onto the heels of the leaders on the home turn before disputing the lead 1½f out, giving best entering the last but keeping on all the way to the line.

SARAFINA, like the winner, was making only her fifth start (this just 5 months to the day since her debut), and showed the benefit of her considerate run in the Vermeille with a high-class effort. She is deserving of all the more credit after being checked badly by a weakening pacemaker in the false straight, losing ground and doing well to keep her feet. Once balanced again wide in the straight, she picked up strongly from 1½f out without troubling the first 2. Her profile strongly suggests she'd be worth keeping in training next year.

Fourth-home BEHKABAD was the pick of Christophe Lemaire over the Aga Khan's other runner Sarafina, and while just behind the filly and not making any further improvement, he confirmed himself a high-class colt and a reliable one too. Among the first half-dozen virtually throughout, he didn't see much daylight up the inner after the home turn until the final 1f, keeping on thereafter.

FAME AND GLORY (blanketed for stalls entry) managed one place better (fifth) than last year after a lighter build-up which had consisted of an easy win in the Royal Whip some 2 months earlier. He wasn't discredited given he'd been one of the worst sufferers in scrimmaging 1½f out, trying to challenge at the time having chased the leaders throughout, before keeping on inside the last.

MARINOUS couldn't recoup any of the €100,000 it had cost to supplement him but he turned in a career-best effort in sixth. Positioned in rear from his wide draw, he ran on well wide in the straight, briefly involved in bumping as he came through.

PLANTEUR'S tendency to wander had been evident in the Grand Prix de Paris and it surfaced again, this time resulting in his disqualification after it led to a fair amount of trouble behind him. Form-wise he ran respectably enough, slipping through on the inner turning for home as his pacemaker gave way, and leading 2f out before coming off a straight line under pressure and weakening inside the last.

LOPE DE VEGA'S season looked over after disappointing again in the Moulin, but he was given a surprise supplementary entry and, although well held in twelfth, there was much more encouragement from this effort than in his last 2 races, at least until his stamina gave out. He shrugged off a bump in the false straight to move easily into a share of the lead off the home turn, but was already beginning to weaken when hampered 1½f out. He shaped well enough to suggest he acts on soft ground (raced only on good previously) but it's unlikely he'll be tried over this far again.

Tags: Big-Race Perspective, Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe, Timeform