O’Brien: Arc was always a strong possibility for Continuous

Aidan O’Brien says the Coolmore team were unanimously in favour of paying the supplementary fee required to add Continuous to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe field.

The Heart’s Cry colt was not originally put forward for the European middle-distance championship, but entered the picture after his wide-margin Great Voltigeur Stakes win at York’s Ebor meeting in August.

His subsequent St Leger triumph, another convincing success at two and a three-quarter lengths, galvanised matters and the three-year-old was added to the line-up at a cost of £120,000 on Wednesday morning.

“It was always a possibility, we were delighted within him in Doncaster and we were delighted with him in York before that, when he won the Voltigeur,” O’Brien explained.

“When he won the Voltigeur, with the way he did it there it was always a strong possibility that if he ran well in Doncaster, or came forward like we thought he might have, that he could end up being supplemented for the Arc.

“We didn’t enter too many and our policy with the Arc is to only enter the really obvious ones because it’s expensive, but with that policy we are always happy to supplement.”

O’Brien has been pleased with the horse’s work since Doncaster and although he is mindful of the short turnaround between races, there were no hesitations in letting him take his chance in Paris.

“We’re very happy, he’s done two half-speeds (canters) and everything has gone well since,” he said.

“Obviously you do have concerns when you’re backing up, especially for a race like the Arc, but I think everyone is very happy to do it.

“Everyone was very happy this morning to supplement and I think the lads always had it in their heads that this was one that was going to be supplemented.”