IRISH EYES FOCUSED ON SUNDAY'S FRENCH RAID With no racing on in Ireland on Sunday Sept 6th Irish eyes will be focused on Arc trials day at ParisLongchamp, just four weeks away from the €5 million showpiece on October 4th. Several Irish challengers are making the trip over to France. In the last 25 years 11 subsequent Arc winners emerged from this meeting and Aidan O'Brien will be hoping Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini might make it the dozen. The Frankel colt lines up in the Prix Niel, the race that has seen five winners this century go on to land the last big Group 1 of the European season. He is likely to start favourite with Montreal, fourth in a Deauville Group 2 last time, accompanying his stable companion to contest the 1m4f race. Ballydoyle also has the likely market leader Gstaad heading over to contest the Prix Moulin. Gstaad, who chased home the now retired Bow Echo three times this season but bagged the Irish 2,000 Guineas in between those defeats by George Boughey’s star, is joined by stablemate Dorset. The Prix Foy contains a small select field of middle-distance stars. Last year's Arc winner Daryz (Francis Graffard) heads the line up with Aidan O'Brien responsible for last season's dual Derby winner Lambourn, beaten in four starts since landing a Group 2 at Chester last May. Elsewhere, Sparan Nua, narrowly denied by Kalpana in the Yorkshire Oaks, will represent Jim Bolger in the Prix Vermeille. She was vying for favouritism earlier in the week but her task has been made more difficult by the additions of a couple of supplementary entries notably Friendly Soul (John Gosden), now favourite with most firms, and Group 3 winner Romantic Symphony (Charlie Appleby). Jim Bolger, speaking at the Curragh on Wednesday morning, gave his reason why Sparan Nua won't run at the Irish Champions Festival, swerving the big two-day extravaganza next weekend for a crack at this French Group 1 instead. "There is no Group 1 for fillies the whole weekend (Irish Champions Festival) and I don't want to run her this year against the colts, but I'd expect she'd line up for the Champion Stakes next year, please God," said the octogenarian. Should any of the Irish runners in the trial races manage to win on Sunday and are not already entered for the Arc, a 'Golden Ticket' comes there way whereby the €120,000 supplementary fee would be waived. Jessica Harrington's Pierre Grosse is the sole Irish-trained challenger in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap over 1m6f at Haydock on Saturday with Keithen Kennedy booked to ride. Still a maiden from nine starts, the Palace Pier gelding was also among the entry list for the Heritage Handicap at Ascot but connections have elected to come here instead with the Ulster Derby runner-up. Kate Harrington, daughter and assistant to her mother Jessica, is looking forward to a better display than when he finished down the field at the Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot last month. She said: "His Shergar Cup run was a bit of a non -event (8th of 10 behind Archers Bay) and although the winner won well we weren't beaten that far behind the placed horses so we're hoping for more."
