Murphy hoping to help realise Arc Dream for Japan Oisin Murphy is set for a landmark ride in Paris this weekend. Murphy targets historic Arc bid with Byzantine Dream Oisin Murphy will attempt to break new ground for himself and Japan on Sunday when he partners Byzantine Dream in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The four-year-old burst into the big-race picture when winning the Prix Foy on Arc trials day, defeating Sosie, who finished fourth in last year’s Arc when sent off favourite for Andre Fabre. That success saw the Tomoyasu Sakaguchi-trained colt’s odds shorten significantly for his Paris assignment, with only a handful of rivals ahead of him in the ante-post market. Murphy has long enjoyed success with Japanese-trained runners on the international stage, and now aims to deliver the European showpiece that has so far eluded Japan. Ground conditions and rivals in focus “I was very happy with Byzantine Dream in the Prix Foy, he travelled round well and showed a nice turn of foot,” said Murphy. “It was a decent trial, where I didn’t have to get serious with him, and I thought Sosie was a decent benchmark. Nice ground will be important for him and I’ll be hoping for a dry week in France.” Assessing the opposition, Murphy pointed to another Japanese challenger as well as two high-class fillies. “Croix Du Nord is a very good horse, the two fillies that stand out are Aventure and Minnie Hauk. Obviously Aidan’s filly has done nothing wrong this year and Aventure was placed in the race last year.”
