Ryan Moore has an enviable choice of Aidan O'Brien's seven entries for Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
But the likelihood of soft ground conditions has led some bookmakers to anticipate Order of St George will be the English jockey’s pick. Moore is chasing a third Arc success after scoring on Workforce in 2010 and memorably winning on Found a year ago.
She led home a famous Ballydoyle clean-sweep with Highland Reel and Order Of St George filling the places.
Both stable stalwarts are once again in the running for Europe’s richest race along with Idaho, Cliffs Of Moher, Seventh Heaven, Capri and Winter who all figure among 19 horses remaining in the Arc after the latest entry stage.
Enable continues to dominate the betting but with the ground at Chantilly reported to be soft and with an unsettled forecast, the odds on Moore opting to ride Winter on what would be her first attempt at a mile and a half are on the drift.
Instead of the dual Guineas-winning filly, Ladbrokes reported support into 5-4 about Moore opting for the star stayer, Order Of St George.
The five year old was third a year ago on the back of a shock Irish Leger defeat but won that race in style at the Curragh earlier this month.
Instead Winter was a general 5-2 favourite for another of Sunday’s six Group One races, the Prix de l’Opera, where she could be joined by stable companions, Hydrangea and Rhododendron.
The marathon Prix Du Cadran is the Group One highlight at Chantilly on Saturday and Willie Mullins’s 2015 Melbourne Cup runner-up Max Dynamite remains in contention to line up. However ground conditions could see the defection of the Ascot Gold Cup hero Big Orange.
Michael Bell’s star missed the Irish Leger earlier this month due to soft going and the Newmarket trainer reported: “We’re doing a weather watch. A decision will be made later in the week whether he goes or not. We hope to run and then go to Ascot on Champions Day.”
In contrast testing conditions could encourage Co Tipperary-based Fozzy Stack to let Son Of Rest take his chance in Sunday’s Prix de l’Abbaye.
