The final line-up for Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) was still
in flux Wednesday, with the countdown to today’s supplementary stage prompting
some potentially important changes of direction. Chief of those was the
suggestion from the John Gosden stable that the recent St Leger (Eng-G1) winner MASKED
MARVEL (Montjeu [Ire]) could be added to the Longchamp feature after Nathaniel (Galileo
[Ire]) was finally ruled out due to the dry forecast.
Bjorn Nielsen’s September 10 Doncaster classic hero would swell the final field
beyond its current total of 14 runners if connections take the plunge and pay
the €100,000 fee.
“We have had someone walk the ground for us at Longchamp and, as it is,
Nathaniel is not going to run and he will be rerouted to the Champion S. ([Eng-G1] at
Ascot October 15),” Gosden, who also scratched Arctic Cosmos (North Light [Ire])
Wednesday, told the Racing Post. “In the past couple of days, given the likely
surface, we have been considering supplementing Masked Marvel instead, but we
will make a final decision on Thursday morning.”
Two who are almost certain to be supplemented Thursday are the Rothschild
Family’s July 14 Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-G1) hero and September 11 Prix Niel
(Fr-G2) runner-up
MEANDRE (Slickly [Fr]) and Gestut Burg Eberstein’s impressive July 24
Deutschland-Preis (Ger-G1) and September 4 Grosser Preis von Baden (Ger-G1) heroine DANEDREAM
(Lomitas [GB]).
All the main contenders stood their ground Wednesday, with Aidan
O’Brien cutting his team to four and leaving in the June 26 Irish Derby
(Ire-G1) one-two TREASURE BEACH (GB) (Galileo [Ire]) and SEVILLE (Galileo [Ire]) as
intriguing potential back-up to SO YOU THINK (High Chaparral [Ire]) and ST
NICHOLAS ABBEY (Montjeu [Ire]).
As expected, Godolphin also withdrew
Casamento (Shamardal), leaving the outfit with no Arc representative for
only the sixth time since Lammtarra’s watershed triumph in 1995.