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Denied his top jock, who will Fabre give the Manduro ride to?

French trainer has a minor headache ahead of the Arc, says La Casaque Noire

Five weeks and counting and Andre Fabre has a headache over Manduro - not about whether to ask the owner to cough-up the dough to supplement him for the Arc, but rather which jockey will ride.

Since arriving in his yard, Manduro has raced a dozen times, winning the last five. All these victories were under Stephane Pasquier who is now clearly his jockey of choice, having ridden nearly half of Fabre's 440 runners this season.

Unfortunately, Pasquier, as retained rider of Khalid Abdullah, will be required to partner Zambezi Sun (who runs in the Prix Niel en-route) in the big race.

So who is the likely replacement? The logical choice would be Christophe Soumillion, but he is definitely not available, as his boss, the Aga Khan, has Mandesha in the race.

Four other jockeys have already ridden the colt, three of them German - Ferdinand Minarik, Terence Hellier and Andreas Suborics - as Manduro was trained by Peter Schiergen in Germany at two and three.

The other is Olivier Peslier. Thirty of his thirty-four rides for Fabre this year have been in the retained silks of the Wertheimer Brothers. Interestingly, one of the four other rides was a victory on El Comodin who is owned, like Manduro, by Baron von Ulmann. He's already a three-time winner of the Arc having won on Helissio, Peintre Celebre and Sagamix.

So, Fabre need not take his aspirin tonight. Instead he can reach for the phone and call Peslier.

This weekend Arc betting interest centred around Sageburg (Fabre) and Mandesha (Royer-Dupre).

The Fabre inmate, trading at over 30 just a few days ago, saw his price drop to just 17 on Saturday night. He continues to impress on the home gallops in his build up to the Prix Niel (September 16).

Owned by the Aga Khan, he was injured late in his juvenile year and also showed himself to be very backward. But he's unbeaten in three runs this year and after his last win (the Listed Prix Ridgway), Fabre found it impossible to hide his joy, letting slip the high esteem in which the colt is held.

Royer-Dupre's mare shortened from 21 to 17. She also has an Aga Khan connection, being owned by Princess Zahra. Royer-Dupre reported the mare is pleasing since her second to Peeping Fawn in Goodwood's Group One Nassau Stakes and the four-year-old is bang on target for the Prix Foy (Sept 16), a dress rehearsal over the Arc course and distance.

"She finished very well in the Nassau and came back perfect," de Royer-Dupre commented.

"I think she's getting better and better, she stays 12 furlongs and likes Longchamp."

Last year she controversially ran in the Prix Opera instead of the Arc, winning her third consecutive Group One in the process.

Elsewhere, Fabre's highly-touted juvenile World Ruler made his debut Friday and didn't fluff his lines, winning by a decisive one-and-a-half lengths. They're already talking of this one as a Classic horse so he's clearly aptly named! Another of Fabre's Dewhurst entries, the highly-regarded Beret Rouge, is expected to extend his winning sequence at Chantilly today.

Finally a belated but very happy birthday wish to Maurice Zilber who was eighty-seven yesterday. Congratulations, sir!