Aga Khan's Arc Boost As Tarnawa Gets Luck Of The Draw

Paris, Sept 30 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2021 ) :The Aga Khan's chances of winning a fifth Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe received a boost on Thursday as his runner Tarnawa received a more favourable draw than her market rival for favourite Adayar.

The Aga Khan last won Sunday's iconic race at Longchamp in 2008, but his chances of ending the drought have improved immeasurably with the tough-as-teak Tarnawa drawn three near the inside rail.

Trained in Ireland by two-time Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Dermot Weld, Tarnawa returns to a track where she won twice last year and will be ridden by Belgium-born ace Christophe Soumillon.

Soumillon rode the Aga Khan's last winner of the Arc, the peerless Zarkava, who stormed home despite having lost ground when she idled in the starting stalls.

Epsom Derby winner Adayar -- one of two runners trained by Charlie Appleby -- will break from stall 11.

He missed his intended Arc trial, the Prix Niel, earlier this month due to a setback in training.

Appleby's other runner, Hurricane Lane, is bidding to become the first horse to back up victory in the oldest classic, the English St Leger, with the Arc in the same year and has a much more benevolent starting stall in two.

There was just the one withdrawal from the 100th running of the race, English filly Teona, who had beaten the strongly-fancied Snowfall in the key Arc trial, the Prix Vermeille, on September 12.

Snowfall -- like Adayar supplemented for the Arc on Wednesday at a cost of 120000 Euros -- has been drawn nine.

Snowfall, who won the Epsom Oaks by a record 16 lengths in June, forms a three-horse raiding party from Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien.

"Everything is going well for Snowfall," said O'Brien. "Her performance in the Vermeille was a good one.

"She's got beaten but we're glad we ran her in it, as it gave us a chance to see how she would act on good ground at Longchamp.

"It's probably better to be beaten, without everything going to plan, than to be beaten on the big occasion." Last year's impressive Epsom Oaks winner love, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori, and Broome make up the trio.

Trainer O'Brien will be hoping for a happier outcome this year to 2020 when he had to withdraw all four of his runners on the eve of the race due to an illegal substance being discovered in their feed.

The two Japanese runners hoping to end a 52-year-old mission to win the Arc (their first runner Speed Symboli was unplaced in 1969) have been drawn 14 and five respectively.

Chrono Genesis, the better fancied of the duo and with two-time British champion jockey Oisin Murphy on board, faces an uphill battle having been drawn 14.

The other Japanese runner, Deep bond and with Mikael Barzalona in the saddle, will start from stall five.