Matt Brocklebank shines the spotlight on some of the star names heading from Britain and Ireland on this weekend's Arc undercard.
Putting the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe aside for a moment, you’re still looking at one of the best weekend’s racing anywhere in Europe – with 10 Group races across meeting – and the British and Irish are set to be out in force again.
Last year we had Tennessee Stud for Joseph O’Brien, George Scott’s Caballo De Mar and Sir Mark Prescott and Luke Morris striking gold again in France courtesy of Consent.
That successful Saturday trio were followed by an Aidan O’Brien juvenile double thanks to Diamond Necklace and Puerto Rico kicking off the Sunday card, while Jessie Harrington also got in on the act thanks to Barnavara in the Prix de l’Opera.
Here are my five to follow as they head over the Channel this weekend…
WAARDAH - Qatar Prix de Royallieu (16:00 Saturday)
Owen Burrows has enjoyed Arc weekend success in the past through Anmaat and looks to have plotted Waardah towards the Prix de Royallieu for several months now. Just below the best fillies and mares over 12 furlongs, she’s got a fine record over this longer trip and the addition of a hood appeared to eke out a fraction more improvement when staying on strongly to land the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster (replay below). She’d arguably be happier if the mud was flying but is expected to cope with conditions just fine and might be on offer at slightly inflated odds as all the attention is going to be on Prix Vermeille eyecatcher Sunly, who has been rerouted from a potential shot at the Arc by Francis Graffard.
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DISTANT STORM – Qatar Prix Dollar (16:35 Saturday)
Anmaat’s win in 2022 came in the Qatar Prix Dollar and it wouldn't be a shock if this year’s prize was up for export again as the travelling contingent looks strong. Wimbledon Hawkeye must have a big chance for George Scott with a repeat of his Irish Champion Stakes effort, while Seagulls Eleven is a capable sort but Distant Storm looks dead interesting tackling 10 furlongs for the first time. Charlie Appleby has been looking forward to stepping him up in trip and the Night Of Thunder colt could relish the challenge based on his fast-finishing win in a Deauville Group 3 (1m) when last seen. He’s the forgotten horse of the Classic generation in a way, having been third in the 2000 Guineas and second in the Irish version, and looks a horse to follow into the autumn and beyond.
TIME FOR SANDALS – Prix de l’Abbaye (13:50 Sunday)
It looks a relatively weak renewal of the Abbaye and, as is often the case with Group 1 sprints in Europe, most of them have a question or two to answer. The story would be Naana’s Shadow and the flying grey definitely has a chance of giving Katie Scott’s small yard a moment to remember but Time For Sandals can boast some of the best form in the book and looks a touch over-priced to me. She has to bounce back from a fairly moderate run in the Flying Five Stakes but she was drawn low at the Curragh and could never get into it once it became clear the high numbers held sway soon after passing halfway. Her previous Goodwood and York efforts were up there, close to her best from 2025, and we now know she’s got the gears for this five-furlong test.
MISS SCOTT – Prix de l’Opera Longines (15:50 Sunday)
John & Thady Gosden have done the right thing in going for the Arc with Friendly Soul, especially as they’ve got what looks an able deputy for the Prix de l’Opera, the race Friendly Soul won for the Clarehaven outfit a couple of years ago. Miss Scott is a typically late-blooming Gosden project, having won her sole start as a juvenile last September and gradually climbed the ranks after not returning until this summer. She found loads for pressure when landing a nine-furlong Curragh Group 3 at the end of August (replay below) when last seen and it will be interesting to see if Christophe Soumillon – who was very complimentary about the Night Of Thunder filly after partnering her in Ireland – keeps the ride as she goes up in grade again this weekend.
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The ground has occasionally been really testing at this meeting in the past but that looks unlikely to be the case this time around which brings horses like Thesecretadversary firmly into the picture. Fozzy Stack’s three-year-old star, who seems to enjoy conditions on top, proved his 20/1 Jersey Stakes win at Royal Ascot to be no fluke when following up in the Prix Jean Prat and his subsequent sixth back at Deauville wasn’t a bad effort either seeing as he’s never won at a mile before. He's definitely for a touch of class this three-year-old and, with lifetime form figures over seven furlongs reading 2221111, there’s plenty to like about the chestnut’s credentials.
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