Los Angeles leads the O'Brien Arc challenge on Sunday © Photo Healy Racing
Los Angeles leads Aidan O’Brien’s bid for a third victory in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
Third in the Derby to illustrious stablemate City Of Troy and winner of the Irish version at the Curragh later the same month, he then won the Great Voltigeur with a penalty.
Los Angeles was dropped back in trip for the Irish Champion Stakes next and finished well for fourth when a length and a quarter behind William Haggas’ Economics.
That run sealed O’Brien’s decision to send him to Paris, with the St Leger at Doncaster left for his stablemates to contest in his absence, although the prospect of soft ground meant stablemate Auguste Rodin stayed at home.
Speaking after watching Illinois win the first Group race of the weekend O’Brien – whose two Arcs have come with Dylan Thomas (2007) and Found (2016) said: “The ground is plenty soft – it’s plenty slow with a lot of moisture in it.
“When we landed I was kind of half-sorry for taking out Auguste Rodin, but when I walked out on the track I’d say it was yielding Irish ground/good to soft English ground. Ryan (Moore) says it’s plenty soft and he was very happy that it was the right thing.
“Los Angeles and Continuous shouldn’t mind it. Los Angeles is in good form and everything has gone well with him since last run.
“We’ve been very happy with Los Angeles since the Irish Champion Stakes. We were hoping if he finished in the first four that would be good enough to run in the Arc and that’s what he did.
“After the Irish Derby we knew Los Angeles could be a Leger horse, but we had other horses for that as well so we started to think of the Arc then.
“We went to York to get a run into him when he won with a penalty over a mile and a half and we came back to a mile and a quarter after that. It’s been the plan for a long time with him.”
O’Brien also runs Continuous, who will be the mount of Christophe Soumillon after horse and jockey teamed up to finish third in the Prix Foy over course and distance last time out.
He added of his other runner, who was fifth in 2023: “Continuous is the same, the last day wasn’t ideal as he would have preferred not to make the running, but it was only a trial and he needed that race and he’ll be better taking his time.
“We’ve trained him with an autumn campaign in mind. Last year it was a slowly-run race but we were happy with his run, we always had it in mind that he would be better this year and hopefully prepare better for the race.”
O’Brien’s son Joseph will saddle Al Riffa, a son of Wootton Bassett who was runner-up behind City Of Troy in the Eclipse and then won the Group One Grosser Preis von Berlin by five lengths at Hoppegarten last time out when stepping up to the Arc trip.
“I was very proud of the performance in Germany and I have always thought, with the extra distance, he really did look like he was better for it,” said O’Brien, whose colt will be ridden by Japanese great Yutaka Take.
“This race has always been a good prep race for the Arc and we thought that it was good for him to go there as a fresh horse. He is versatile in terms of the going.
“He had a busy first half of the season and that is why we made the decision after Germany to keep him fresh. It is no bad thing to have had a run at Longchamp, but it will be a completely different experience in the Arc.
“The Arc is one of the biggest races in the world and it is special just to have a runner in it with a live chance.
“We are looking forward to it and we are going to enjoy the race and the whole experience. If we were lucky enough to win it, it would be right up there with anything I have done before.”
Bluestocking, trained by Ralph Beckett, was a supplementary entry after winning the Prix Vermeille last time out.
Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “She produced a career-best in the Vermeille and she was tough and gutsy and I think she likes a little bit of ease in the ground.
“She also likes to get into a battle and she had all of that the last day and it was a great performance.
“We’re hoping it will be third time lucky, it is the third year in a row ourselves and Ralph will have been to the Arc, twice with Westover and now with Bluestocking, so hopefully we get lucky.”
It is no secret the Arc is greatly revered by the Japanese and this year their hopes are pinned to Shin Emperor, who made his first start in Europe when a gallant third in the Irish Champion Stakes.
Trainer Yoshito Yahagi said: “He was not yet in his top form when he was in Ireland and I thought that race was going to be very hard, so when he finished third we were very encouraged by that run.
“Because the ground in Ireland was all right, the horse didn’t actually have a very tough race and was not too tired afterwards. Since then we haven’t been excessive in either way, he hasn’t had a lot of work and he hasn’t been completely off work.
“It looks very open, but there are many good horses in there. I can’t really pick out one horse who I fear as an opponent, they are all very good horses and you have to have some luck in running to win this race.”
French-born David Menuisier will be represented by Sunway, third in the St Leger and the runner-up of the Irish Derby in June.
“We’d been mulling over with (co-owner) Guy Pariente whether to go for the Arc, and it seems to be the case of now or never,” the Pulborough-based handler said. “Especially as the horse is flying at the moment having been in good form all year. There’s no reason not to go for the Arc.
“Sunway deserves to take his chance and he goes there with a fighting chance of being in the money, and the colt also has every right to win the race. He finished very close to a horse of the calibre of Los Angeles and he will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.
“He is one of the toughest horses I have ever trained, and he never stops giving his best.”
