French Racing / Joe Dyer / 15 July 2008 / Leave a comment

Plenty of horses still in the frame argue ratings organisation

Montmatre may have shot to the head of the Betfair ante-post market for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe following his four-length win in Monday evening's Grand Prix de Paris, but Timeform today sounded a note of caution regarding his chances of getting the better of the likes of Duke of Marmalade and New Approach at Longchamp in October.

Alain de Royer-Dupre's three-year-old, who has been matched at a high of [320.0] for the Arc on Betfair, banished any lingering memory of his French Derby defeat with a commanding performance and both his trainer and owner, HH Aga Khan, look to have a strong hand in the Arc, as they also have the unbeaten three-year-old filly Zarkava.

However, both contenders have work to do according to Timeform, whose provisional ratings suggest there is still a quintet of horses with better form at this stage.

Kieran Packman, Timeform's Communication Manager, commented: "There is no denying that Montmartre was visually impressive as he coasted home over the Arc course and distance, but the placed horses, Prospect Wells and Magadan, were given a lot to do as the race panned out, whereas Christophe Soumillon always had Montmartre closer to the pace."

"Even allowing for the nature of his success, we're of the opinion that he will have to improve again if he's to match the level of form achieved by Duke of Marmalade at Ascot, New Approach at Epsom or, indeed, Youmzain in France last time. However, he is certainly a live contender and adds further lustre to what is already a fascinating race in prospect, with the potential presence of leading dirt horse Curlin."

"The latter was around a stone below his dirt form when beaten by Red Rocks at the weekend though, so it remains to be seen if connections will pursue their Arc aspirations."

Provisional Timeform Ratings for Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Tags: Alain de Royer-Dupre, Curlin, Duke of Marmalade, Grand Prix de Paris, Longchamp, Magadan, Montmatre, New Approach, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prospect Wells, Red Rocks, Timeform, Youmzain, Zarkava