Legendary French trainer Andre Fabre feels Prix Vermeille winner Aventure is the horse his pair have to beat in order to land the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Fabre has tasted Arc success a record eight times, most recently with Waldgeist in 2019 and this year saddles Sosie who is bidding to follow in that one's footsteps having finished fourth in the race the year before.
After being beaten four-and-a-quarter lengths by Bluestocking 12 months ago, Sosie has won twice at the highest level and although unable to show his true colours in a fast-ground Coral-Eclipse in July, returned from a summer break with an encouraging run when runner-up to Byzantine Dream in the Qatar Prix Foy.
Speaking on Monday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Fabre said of Sosie: "Because he had quite a long break after Sandown, and he is a four-year-old who is quite a heavy horse, he really needed a race. But that was the case for many horses (in their trials)."
Fabre also runs the three-year-old Prix Niel winner Cualificar in the colours of Godolphin.
He said: "I’m happy with everything, the prep races were satisfying. We don’t have reason to compare one horse with the other, Sosie ran really bad at Sandown (in the Eclipse) but I was happy at Longchamp. They are announcing a dry week, and sunny, but it’s nice and humid so the ground should be alright for everybody.
“Cualificar is a typical Lope De Vega, he’s quite laidback and he’s a lazy worker. For a long time I was saying he’ll be better over a mile and a half and in softer ground. It proved right in the Prix Niel.
“He’s a good three-year-old, he’s the best three-year-old we have in France at this distance. Is he good enough to beat the older horses? We’ll see on Sunday."
Following Monday's first forfeit stage, bookmakers Sky Bet and Paddy Power were struggling to split Minnie Hauk and Aventure at the head of the betting (7/2 each of two), but Fabre feels the Christophe Ferland-trained four-year-old sets the standard having been second to Bluestocking in last year's Arc.
He said: "Usually the horse who win the Arc wins their prep race very easily, which wasn’t the case with Cualificar although he did get in trouble (in running). He didn’t win by three lengths, he won by a neck.
“The only trial I’ve seen that was won easily was Aventure in the Vermeille.
"She’s proven at Longchamp, she was second in the Arc last year, she had a good campaign, so I think she’s the one to beat.”
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