SINNDAR FOR FRANCE Longchamp's Prix Niel, the Group Two mile and a half event that has been used as an Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe stepping stone by the likes of Helissio, Peintre Celebre and Montjeu, is set to be Sinndar's next start. John Oxx's double Derby winner has only once before raced outside Ireland, at Epsom last month, but September's French trial, which is confined to three-year-olds, is considered a more suitable warm-up event than Leopardstown's Champion Stakes on the same day. 'It would mean him having to travel but the Champion Stakes could turn out to be a very tough race, an objective in itself, and that would not be ideal,' said Oxx yesterday. However, the Curragh trainer was keen to emphasise he is not ruling out Leopardstown completely and several factors will have to be considered for Europe's top three-year-old, who has an 8 to 1 quote for the Arc in early October. One factor unlikely to figure, though, is the ground. 'That isn't really a consideration with him, although, I suppose, one wouldn't want him to run on very firm ground in a prep,' added Oxx. 'The horse is in fine shape at the moment.' The next big event in Ireland is the Oaks on Sunday week but Oxx was unable to give an upbeat bulletin about his chances of completing the Derby-Oaks double. 'I'm a little light on fillies this year. We do have Mouramara, who won nicely at Roscommon, but she's had some little problems since and we don't know if we'll be able to get her to the Oaks. We'll see how she is next week and how the race itself shapes up,' he said. Preseli remains on course for the Oaks after her short head second to Lady Upstage in last weekend's Pretty Polly Stakes. 'Even though it's always frustrating to be beaten a short head, she ran well and she stayed well, which I always thought she would,' said Preseli's trainer Michael Grassick.
