Today's Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's three best bets for Arc day at Longchamp and the Curragh

Prix Marcel Boussac, Longchamp, 12:31 - Back Allela @ 3/14.00

10 (6)

Allela (Ire)

• J: Maxime Guyon
• T: Christophe Ferland, France
• F:

It's Arc day on Sunday and, while I don't have a strong fancy in the big race itself, there are a couple of good bets in the classy juvenile races that make up part of the supporting card, starting with the unbeaten Allela in the Marcel Boussac.

Christophe Ferland's filly was impressive when taking a newcomers race on her debut at Deauville in August, coming home four lengths clear of Rose Mangue.

She had to show a grittier side to her game on her second starts, where she knuckled down well to deny Royal Spirit by only half a length, but that form was given plenty of substance by the fourth coming out and winning next time.

Joseph O'Brien's Green Empress sets the standard, but it's far from an insurmountable one and I'm hopeful Allela can improve past her.

Notable winners from Mark in recent weeks

Blue Brother @ 9/1
Asia Force @ 6/1
Star Of Mali @ 11/2
Zgharta @ 9/2
Treble Bass @ 7/2
Devil's Peak @ 2/1
Silver Lake @ 2/1

Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere, Longchamp, 13:09 - Back Avec Toi @ 5/23.50

6 (8)

Avec Toi (Usa)

• J: Pierre-Charles Boudot
• T: Christopher Head, France
• F:

Joseph O'Brien also trains the standard setter Folsom Blue in the following Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere and he has every right to be a strong favourite if turning up in the same sort of form that saw him bolt up six lengths in the National Stakes last time.

However, he had been beaten three times prior to that, so whether he's quite the superstar he looked at the Curragh must be up for some debate and this will also be the first time he's travelled out of Ireland.

I'm going to take him on with one of the home team and Christopher Head's Avec Toi very much fits the bill.

Unbeaten in four starts, the son of No Nay Never hadn't really been extended prior to his success in Group 3 company last time, but he knuckled down well that day to gain a short-head verdict.

Those battling qualities could well stand Avec Toi in good stead here as he takes a further step up in grade, but his classy pedigree suggests he'll be a good fit at this level and Folsom Blues will need to be at his very best to deny him.

Concorde Stakes, Curragh, 14:30 - Back Loughrea @ 3/14.00

4 (5)

Loughrea (Ire)

• J: Andrew Joseph Slattery
• T: A. Slattery, Ireland
• F: 5-2111

• SBK 11/8
• EXC 2.6

It will rather get lost in the glamour and glitz of Arc day, but there's good card over at the Curragh too, with a  pair of listed races topping the bill, with rapidly improving Loughrea fancied to land the first of them.

A handicapper who is very much on the up, Andrew Slattery's has made just five starts and was off the mark in a maiden in the third of them back in June, before following up on handicap debut in July.

However, it was his win in the Irish Cambridgeshire last time that really marked him out as one who can hold his own at this level and beyond.

Travelling smoothly just in behind the pace, Loughrea asserted readily in the final furlong to come home three lengths ahead of Manton Bay, running to a Timeform rating that would have been good enough to have won three of the last four renewals of this listed contest.

This is another big test for the selection but I'm confident he'll prove up to it.

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