STAR RACING PREVIEW: Longchamp Sunday

It’s the big one on Sunday as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe takes place at Longchamp on a card of Group One eye candy where I’ve landed on four selections, writes LEWIS WILLIAMS.

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1.30 Longchamp – Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Group 1) 7f

⭐ STARSPORTS.BET PRICES⭐

A promising debut effort behind subsequent Grade 1 Summer Stakes winner New Century led to some glittering vibes behind Field Of Gold thereafter at the July meeting at which he made a price of 9/4 look an insult by absolutely hosing up ahead of subsequent winner Starzintheireyes and Mount Kilimanjaro who heads the market for Saturday’s Arqana sales race. A tried and tested route for the Gosden camp, he struck in the Solario comfortably enough under a light ride late on and there’s no knocking this son of Kingman and at ? he’s a fair bet and more worthy favourite to win the race Rosallion won last year on ground that is ever drying and shouldn’t be an issue.

Henri Matisse ( ? ) on the other hand doesn’t have any excuses most recently when bombing out albeit finishing fast in the National Stakes. I didn’t rate him going into the race and he’s looked totally ungenuine and difficult on each occasion so far and first time blinkers would have to have an extraordinary effect to get this horse wanting to win, not least in front of an unbelievably buzzing Arc crowd. Rashabar at ? looked eye catching in the Morny but Whistlejacket and Daylight didn’t do that form any favours in the Middle Park and Cheveley Park last week so I’m happy to side with Field Of Gold.

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2.05 Longchamp – Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines (Group 1) 5f

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No Half Measures has been very good to me so far this season and she finally gets a deserved chance in a Group One contest and I see her as by far the most likely horse to overcome Bradsell’s invincibility (who I also make shorter than a current price of 7/2). She’s hugely versatile when it comes to tactics and not scared to make the running which may be a huge boon in a race that traditionally features traffic carnage.

She ran better than the result suggests when last at this venue in the Petit Couvert and has proper Group One collateral form from earlier in the season, not least when unfortunate in the Scurry Stakes, and a comfortable win over Relief Rally most recently who I see justifying favouritism on Saturday at Ascot, gives her a great chance to cement herself at this level and she’s a fair bet at a current price of ? .

I’m not convinced the track position was exclusively to blame for Believing failing to get past Bradsell in the Flying Five and less than a point to split them in the market underestimates the 3-time Group One winner massively and he’s a safe bet to always run to his ability – something you can’t say for the majority of SP favourites in this race over the years.

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3.20 Longchamp – Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Group 1) 1m4f

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Is it a hot take that Shin Emperor was good enough to win the Irish Champion Stakes? Especially if he was given a less conservative ride and didn’t run into the back of Ghostwriter and Economics approaching the 1 pole, forcing pilot Ryusei Sakai to virtually stop riding for 5 seconds before finishing incredibly well when pulled wide, even faster than Los Angeles on his outside who eclipsed him at one stage.

The son of Siyouni was also a fast finisher over the Arc trip back home in Tokyo and although some have been quick to suggest he is by no means the classiest contender Japan has sent to this race, it certainly won’t take a champion by Japanese standards to win this renewal and with ever drying ground conditions forecast, I believe he’s a fantastic bet at ? . To put simply Economics might just be the best 3yo away from City Of Troy and you can knock Auguste Rodin all you want but no other horse in this field would have finished ahead of him at Leopardstown that day.

The French trio of Sosie, Look De Vega and Delius simply isn’t Arc winning form. Look De Vega is not another Ace Impact and we can use the form of First Look and Ghostwriter from the Jockey Club to also give Shin Emperor a fantastic chance.

Other than the selection, I see Sunway having a huge chance at ? for a horse hugely ground versatile and I’m not willing to rule the Irish Derby run, when arguably an unlucky loser to Los Angeles, as a fluke like the market is suggesting by their current gap of over 40 points. He’ll have to drop in from stall 15 but that was no hindrance to him in Ireland that day and I believe he’s tactically quicker than what the market suggests despite running a fair effort in the St Leger most recently.

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4.40 Longchamp – Qatar Prix de la Foret Presente par Education Above All (Group 1) 7f

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Ramatuelle is simply a must bet for me in the Foret in a race that must have been screaming out to connections ever since that heartbreaking run in the Guineas when trading odds on from the front and fading away in the blink of an eye to finish an unplaced 2 lengths 4th bringing deja vu to her Morny run the season prior when done on the line by Vandeek after setting for home early.

In all fairness, this Justify daughter reversed the form with Elmalka in the Coronation Stakes which looks better in hindsight behind Porta Fortuna and Opera Singer with her run just not having the sustained ability to last the final furlong when using different tactics to Newmarket. That is un-knockable Classic level form and nobody can convince me that the likes of a Kinross, Poet Master or Tribalist would’ve finished anywhere near that, even at their respective peaks. Ramatuelle is a more than fair bet at a current price of ? .

I just hope Lemaitre doesn’t allow Big Rock to get an easy lead as there’s simply no coming back to the pack as seen by his QE2 romp last season.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Field Of Gold to win the 1.30 at Longchamp 1pt at 11/4 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK No Half Measures to win the 1.30 at Longchamp 1pt at 5/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Shin Emperor to win the 3.20 at Longchamp 2pts at 13/2 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Sunway to win the 3.20 at Longchamp 0.5pts at 50/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Ramatuelle to win the 4.40 at Longchamp 1pt at 7/2 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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PROFIT/LOSS (OCT 2024): -6.00 POINTS

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