Genesis camp have high hopes of famous Arc triumph for Japan

Chrono Genesis will carry the hopes of Japan as she attempts to bring the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe title back to the nation for the first time.

The five-year-old is prolific on her home turf, claiming six graded races from 13 runs including the Grade One Takarazuka Kinen at Hanshin last time out.

Prior to that the mare was tested overseas for the first time in March, taking on the Dubai Sheema Classic and finishing second to Mishriff by only a neck after being bumped by the third-placed horse a furlong from home.

In Paris Chrono Genesis will again cross paths with rivals from across the globe, with trainer Takashi Saito choosing Oisin Murphy to take the ride on Sunday.

The grey arrived in Paris last week after travelling from the training centre in Ritto from which she is based and has been ridden by Murphy in her preparational work ahead of the race.

“This (Wednesday) morning she was working under Oisin Murphy and appears very quiet and settled in,” Saito said via an interpreter.

“The main part of the preparation has been done in Japan, I find her in very good condition.

“This morning the jockey did exactly what I asked him to do, which was not to force her to go too fast.

“She had very fluid action, I’m not concerned about anything. I haven’t had the opportunity to weigh her, but she looks like she’s in the condition she was in when she was running in Japan.”

Chrono Genesis has been off the track since June 27, the date of her Grade One win at Hanshin, but Kaito does not expect the break to pose any problems come the weekend.

“This is her rhythm, she runs usually every two months,” he said.

“The end of June, which was her last race, until now is three months, which she is used to. It is not a worry that she hasn’t run since because she actually needs that time in between races.

“She had won the Group One race in December already and that was the point when we started to think about the Arc, we chose Dubai to give her some experience to see how she could run after having travelled and also to prepare for the trip to Paris.”

Much of Chrono Genesis’ form comes on good or firm ground, something she is unlikely to encounter this weekend, if forecasts prove correct.

Saito does not expect this to weaken her chances, however, as he feels his mare has the ability to perform even on soft ground.

“I’m not particularly worried about it,” he said. “It’s an eternal debate about Japanese horses in the Arc and if the ground has something to do with it. Chrono Genesis adapts herself to all different ground. She’s very brave and courageous so I’m not worried about the ground.”

The Japanese mission to lift the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe trophy has fallen just short on several occasions, most recently with Orfevre (2012 and 2013) and Nakayama Festa’s (2010) second-placed efforts, but Saito is confident he has brought his challenger over to France in the best possible condition.

“I know that the opposition is going to be very strong, but for me the most important thing is that I prepare the mare so that she is 100 per cent in form on that day, the rest is up to Oisin,” he said.

“He is the one who has to take her through the race.

“I’m very honoured that she is considered a chance in the Arc, that is a great honour for me. I insist that my work is to get her 100 per cent in form at the Arc, if she could win the Arc I would obviously be very, very happy.”

As opportunities go, the one handed to James Doyle in this weekend’s Arc takes some beating.

Aidan O’Brien is unlikely to be using soft ground as an excuse should Snowfall fail to add to her already illustrious record in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The Deep Impact filly has looked head and shoulders above her generation this season – until last time out when she met with a shock first defeat of the campaign in the Prix Vermeille over the same course and distance she faces at the weekend.

Since a 16-length demolition of her rivals in the Oaks she has been among the favourites for the Arc, with an eight-length triumph in the Irish version coupled with a four-length success at York cementing her position.

However, she lost her spot at the head of the betting with a rather lacklustre showing in the Vermeille when she failed to catch Roger Varian’s improving Teona.

With the ground softening up in Paris it could turn into more of a stamina test – and O’Brien thinks that would suit Snowfall.

“I was worried about going to Epsom on soft ground, but obviously we saw what she did there. I think she’s a filly who stays very well and gets the trip well,” he said.

“Soft ground catches out some horses, but it doesn’t catch her out. Obviously she acts on it given what she did at Epsom. I don’t think she’s ground dependent, I don’t think it really matters too much.”

He went on: “We know that she handles soft ground and we know that she handles fast ground. On her Epsom run you’d say she might be better with a bit of ease.

“Looking ahead, it might be on the soft side, but I couldn’t see that it was going to be heavy or anything. I don’t think it’s to her advantage if it’s soft, but I don’t think it would be a disadvantage either.”

And of her eclipse last time out he said: “We were delighted with her run and we were delighted that we ran her because we saw how she behaved on better ground on a track like Longchamp and that is always an advantage before a big race.”

O’Brien is also planning to run Love, who was strongly fancied for last year’s race only to be ruled out when the ground went heavy.

“I think she’ll be fine on soft, but she’s a very good mover so the better the ground the better it would suit her,” said O’Brien.

“She’s a year older now. We’d planned on running her unless the ground was going to get very bad and hopefully I don’t think that is going to happen.”

Love was also surprisingly beaten on her most recent outing, albeit attempting to give 10lb to the 110-rated La Petite Coco and only going down by a short head, meaning she lost little in defeat.

“Everything has been good since, we used it as a prep for the Arc, she went around a right-handed bend like Longchamp and she seems to have come out of the race very well,” said O’Brien.

Broome is O’Brien’s third-string, but a high-class one as the winner of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and second in the Prix Foy last time out.

“He was kept in training at five specifically for the Arc. We kept him at a mile and a quarter earlier this season, then went up in trip for the first time at Saint-Cloud and we were delighted with that run, he ran a very good race,” said O’Brien.

“He went to Ascot (King George) and ran well, but missed the kick and ended up a bit further back than we thought. We were then delighted with his run in the Arc trial.

“He gets the trip very well, he’s very uncomplicated and handles all types of ground. He’ll be ridden forwards like always, you can let him bowl along.”

When pressed for his views of the opposition, O’Brien said: “Tarnawa is a very good filly, she’s proven over the trip so you have to have the utmost respect for her.

“The way we go into every race is we totally respect every horse and try to have our own horses as well as we can. The opposition is very good.”

Not many jockeys have had to discard a triple Group One winner heading into the European middle-distance championship – but that is the situation William Buick faced as he opted for Derby and King George hero Adayar over Hurricane Lane, who will now be partnered by Doyle in Paris as the second jockey to trainer Charlie Appleby.

Hurricane Lane’s sole career defeat came behind Adayar at Epsom and he has subsequently won the Irish Derby, Grand Prix de Paris and St Leger.

Doyle knows what is required having gone agonisingly close to denying Enable a second Arc in 2018 aboard Sea Of Class – and is aware his mount ticks a lot of the boxes.

“It can’t have been an easy decision for Will. There’s not much between the two. It’s exciting,” said Doyle.

As is often the case in the days before the Arc, most of the talk is around the weather and plenty of rain is forecast.

“He’s proven on soft ground. It won’t worry him and the trip is fine. Back to a mile and a half should be perfect,” said Doyle.

“He’s won the Grand Prix de Paris round there, so he’s had a good look at the place before.”

Deep Bond warmed up for the race with victory in the Prix Foy over the course and distance earlier in the month when ridden from the front by Cristian Demuro.

However, he will be ridden by Mickael Barzalona in the Arc and the rider was on board for a gallops spin on Wednesday morning.

Speaking via an interpreter, Okubo said: “Cristian couldn’t ride for various reasons and I was surprised that Mickael Barzalona was free in the race.

“It will depend on the weather (how Deep Bond is ridden). There is rain forecast over the weekend, so the ground is going to be a little bit softer than it was on the day of the Prix Foy.

“Everything will really depend on the pace of the race and also the draw.

“In Japan he doesn’t usually run from the front, he usually drops in behind the leader and obviously on Sunday we will have to think how that will pan out, but we wouldn’t want to have Chrono Genesis just sitting behind.”

Jean-Claude Rouget's Raabihah had the option of running against fillies in the Prix de Royallieu - but the decision to aim for gold was taken to see if she could better last year's fifth place behind stablemate Sottsass.

"It is similar to Sottsass in a way as he was third in the Arc and came back to win it. Like him, she appeared not the same horse in the spring as the year before, but it is hard for them to come back after tough races at three. She has been prepared for this race," said Rouget.

"It was her work last week which convinced us to take the Arc route. She worked with Coeursamba (French 1000 Guineas winner) and that work was decisive.

"I'm not in the habit of talking up my horses, but she deserves her chance. It's more my decision than the family or Angus Gold (racing manager), but they followed me so I hope I don't disappoint them. She will go to stud next year, but could have one more race somewhere this year."