Paris bursting at the seams with racing and rugby fans

Sports fans might battle to find a hotel room in Paris in October with one of the world’s biggest races — the Arc De Triomphe — due to be run on Sunday and the Rugby World Cup final scheduled for the Stade De France on October 28.

The Arc is Europe’s most prestigious flat race and it could provide UK trainer Owen Burrows with the biggest success of the 49-year-old’s career.

Burrows has been bombarded by reporters over the past fortnight but remains confident that Hukum ticks all the boxes to win at Longchamp in the hands of Jim Crowley.

“It’s a different ball game for anything Ace Impact [the 3-1 favourite] has faced. I massively respect Ralph Beckett’s Westover because he doesn’t have much to find with us. Hukum is an older horse who has won a King George and is pretty versatile ground-wise. He doesn’t have a lot to prove,” Burrows said.

He added that the horse’s absence since the King George is of no concern.

Shadwell’s racing manager, Angus Gold, said, “Workforce won the Arc on his first start since the King George, so it’s doable.”

Regarding Westover’s chance, Barry Mahon, racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said, “He is pretty much ready to rock and roll. He is on an upward trajectory as his last run was a career-best, but his last few runs have probably been career-best efforts.

“He is a good traveller and has plenty of international experience. It is going to be a top-class event, as it is every year, but he is fully deserving of his place in the race,” Mahon added.

The one worry for Hukum is that no six-year-old has won the Arc and this column will recommend each-way support of Christophe Soumillion’s mount, Feed The Flame.

Bookmaker reaction to Feed The Flame’s defeat in the Prix Neil was to push his Arc price out to 12-1, but this is a race the French don’t like to lose and the word from the stable is that the horse needed that run.

French racing fans might well be tempted to take the double of Feed The Flame to win the Arc and — four weeks later — France to win the Rugby World Cup.

Another French runner certainly worth including in trifecta bets is André Fabre’s candidate, Place Du Cardousel. Fabre has a good record in his home country race and he won the 2019 Arc with Waldgeist.

The word from the UK is that Frankie Dettori is likely to partner Free Wind on his final Arc appearance. The Gosden inmate might do well to run a place.

Despite the Arc coming only 15 days after Continuous’ win in the St Leger at Doncaster, trainer Aidan O’Brien has announced his three-year-old will be supplemented for the race at a cost of €120,000.

It is seven years since Found, ridden by Ryan Moore, led a 1-2-3 for the O’Brien stable in the 2016 Arc. The Irish trainer also won the 2007 race with Dylan Thomas.

Latest Arc betting

(Longchamp, Sunday)

3-1 Ace Impact

9-2 Hukum

6-1 Continuous

13-2 Westover

8-1 Feed The Flame

14-1 Bay Bridge, Fantastic Moon

16-1 Through Seven Seas, Free Wind, Simca Mille

20-1 Place Du Carrousel

25-1 Others