Paris (AFP)

In front of eleven opponents, French, Irish and Japanese, the English Enable will try Sunday to win for the third year in a row the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on the racecourse of Paris Longchamp, a feat that no- blood has not yet realized.

- Enable for the story -

Enable, aged 5, ran 13 times and signed 12 successes. This mare Prince Abdullah displays an incredible record of 9 victories in "group 1", excellence. Double winner of the title of world champion of the gallop, she announces herself as the grandissime favorite of the 98th edition of this race of 2,400 meters, endowed with 5 million euros, of which 2,857,000 to the winner. To achieve this feat, the student of John Gosden will be mounted by the Italian jockey settled in England, Lanfranco Dettori, 48, who already has six successes in the Arc, including two with her.

- Sottsass, challenger of choice -

And if it was him who was Enable's? Sottsass, the best French driven by the Italian Cristian Demuro. The great chestnut, son of stallion Siyouni, won the Jockey-Club Award in the spring, which crowned the best 3-year-old colt out of 2,100 meters and remains a success in the Prix Niel, a preparatory race for l'Arc.

Tuesday morning the boarder of Jean-Claude Rouget made a gallop of maintenance on the racecourse of Deauville in front of the press under the saddle of Cristian Demuro.

"The horse is very good, Sottsass is progressing and we do not know his limits yet, he is easy to ride, has a good speed and is very combative," believes Cristian Demuro "motivated" for a first victory in the race. queen of the world gallop especially as "his horse adapts to all terrain".

The ideal course to win the Grail? "Be behind Enable and attack him in the straight line," he said.

For Jean-Claude Rouget who won everything but the Arc "this exercise shows that his locomotion is not good but very good! It is an exceptional horse that everything goes well until Sunday and the horse will make race! ", he says.

- Japan for Ireland -

The 3 year old foal Japan is one of the best of his generation. The student of Irish master coach Aidan O'Brien collects success across the Channel and won the Paris Grand Prix on July 14 on this course with Ryan-Lee Moore. He will be part of the horses in view able to take the crown to Queen Enable.

- Kiseki, the Japanese miracle? -

Japan, the world's first horse-racing nation, has been attempting for the 18th time since 1969 to win the Arc. Kiseki which means miracle in Japanese will be ridden by the Belgian Christophe Soumillon who made a last gallop pushed Wednesday in Chantilly (Oise).

"The pace of the race will be important, in France the races have less rhythm than in Japan, the courses in France are more technical.In Paris Longchamp, you have to know how to accelerate very hard in the home stretch to win", a explained Christophe Soumillon "very proud to mount again to defend the colors of Japan in the Arc". The French whip had finished twice second with Goldsmith in 2012 and 2013.

Another Japanese, proudly ridden by his faithful jockey, the Frenchman Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, can create a surprise. A true star in the Land of the Rising Sun, Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, Japanese of heart for several years, won 215 races in 2018, beating Yutaka Take's victory record but not yet the Arc.

- Soft Light for 120.000 euros more -

The French horse Soft Light was added (added to the list at the last minute) to participate in the race. Its owner Claudio Marzocco has paid 120.00 euros according to the race rules. He will start with a chance of outsider entrusted to the Japanese star Yutaka Take.

"Soft Light did not win this year but it will not be ridiculous.Behind the tenors, Enable, Sottsass, Japan and Waldgeist, everyone can be 5th," said Jean-Claude Rouget coach.

it / aluminum / cam

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