Three high-quality gallopers from the East will attack the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe
After the near-misses of Orfevre last year and in 2012 as well as several other high-profile attempts to win the Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, the Japanese are back in Paris again - and this time they have strength in numbers.
Rather than putting them off, their track record seems to have encouraged them and the Japanese obsession with Europe's valuable end-of-season mile-and-a-half championship continues unabated. This time no fewer than three Japanese-trained horses will line up for Monday's race at Longchamp: Just A Way, Harp Star and Gold Ship.
In truth, the Arc that Orfevre should have won was in 2012, when he shot clear up the straight but dived right under Christophe Soumillon, gifting the race to Solemia. Last year, Orfevre was beaten in a couple of strides when Treve took off on her victory charge. Even Soumillon admitted his focus changed in that instant from winning the race to winning the fight for second.
It left Japanese television racing presenter Naohiro Goda contemplating what they had to do to win. "We know that fillies have won four of the last six Arcs," he said. "So maybe we should bring our Oaks winner - that's something we haven't tried."