De Vries says Secret has 'serious chance' as heavy rain threatens

With the threat of heavy rain at Chantilly on Sunday and his trials day winner in tip-top shape, jockey Adrie de Vries is relishing his first Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe ride on Dschingis Secret.

Trained in Cologne by Markus Klug, Prix Foy winner Dschingis Secret is a 14-1 shot to give Germany only a third winner of Europe's premier race – but her rider insisted on Monday she has a "serious chance" of toppling Enable and co.

Dschingis Secret was one of 20 left in the Qatar-sponsored showpiece after the first forfeits on Monday, with red-hot favourite Enable due to be added at a cost of €120,000 on Wednesday.

Juddmonte International winner Ulysses is second favourite at 7-1, although connections will be hoping conditions do not become too testing for a colt who also has the Breeders' Cup Turf on his agenda.

Leading French-trained hopes Brametot, Zarak and Cloth Of Stars remain on track, while Aidan O'Brien is responsible for seven of the horses left in the €5 million contest, including Winter and Capri, who are among only five three-year-olds standing their ground, although hot favourite Enable is set to join them.

The ground on Monday morning was soft with a penetrometer reading of 3.7, identical conditions to trials day when Dschingis Secret impressed in beating Cloth Of Stars and Japanese challenger Satono Diamond.

While temperatures will be lurking around the 20C mark for most of the week, some forecasts are predicting up to 25mm of rain on raceday – which is music to the ears of de Vries.

"It’s great news," said the Dutch-born rider. "We've been checking the weather for the last two weeks. There wasn’t much forecast but now it looks like there may be some coming Thursday, then again on Sunday. I’m delighted because it's a big help if the ground is soft."

Dschingis Secret had been trading at around 16-1 since his win in the Foy but the removal of one major rival in fellow trials day winner Cracksman, combined with the potential deterioration of the weather, means he has been trimmed to a best-priced 14-1.

"He's proven he likes Chantilly and if the ground is soft we're very hopeful he can run a good race," added de Vries, who landed the Group 1 Preis von Europa in Cologne at the weekend for Klug.

"The horses are running really well, what with Windstoss being a Group 1 winner on Sunday, and it's always nice to go there with the stable in good form.

"Dschingis Secret has come out of the Prix Foy well and didn’t have a hard race. He'll have a little grass gallop tomorrow morning – it won’t be anything serious – and we just want to keep him sound and happy for Sunday.

"I’ve never had an Arc ride so it's very exciting. He has a serious chance and I'm really looking forward to it."

Dual Group 1 winner Iquitos is a second Arc string to the German bow, and the nation is 14-1 with Ladbrokes to provide the winner. The UK is favourite at 4-7, and rain would be no deterrent to Enable, who has already won the Oaks and King George in downpours.

Ireland is 7-2 to come out on top, although O'Brien's line-up has yet to be confirmed.

Jean-Claude Rouget put the finishing touches on Monday to Prix du Jockey Club winner Brametot, who breezed at Deauville racecourse under big-race jockey Cristian Demuro.

"He worked well, picking up the bit halfway round the home turn and galloping to the line," reported Demuro. "If the horse you saw in the Jockey Club turns up he can be involved in the finish."

Where will the Arc winner be trained?

Ladbrokes: 4-7 UK, 7-2 Ireland, 7 France, 14 Germany, 16 Japan.

Who Will Ryan Moore ride in the Arc?

Ladbrokes: 7-4 Winter, 5-2 Highland Reel, 3 Capri, 4 Order Of St George, 20 any other (bet void if no ride)

Arc entries

Deutsches dreaming: Germany in the Arc

Star Appeal caused one of the biggest shocks in the 97-year history of the race when bursting between runners at the furlong marker to score under Greville Starkey at odds of 118-1 in 1975.

Arguably a bigger surprise was that Waldemar Zeitelhack's five-year-old, who had been trained earlier in his career by John Oxx, was allowed to start at such a price given Starkey had won the Eclipse at Sandown on him that season.

The only other Arc winner to be trained in Germany was the Peter Schiergen-trained Danedream, who scored by five lengths from Shareta in race-record time in 2011 partnered by an overjoyed Andrasch Starke.

Danedream: stunning five-length winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in record time in 2011Credit: Edward Whitaker

Teruya Yoshida bought a share in the filly shortly before she was supplemented for the Arc and, having gone on to land the King George at Ascot the following season, she would have been among the leading contenders in 2012 but was prevented from travelling to Paris following an outbreak of equine infectious anaemia.

Among compatriots to have run well in the race are It's Gino, who dead-heated for third behind Zarkava in 2008, the same placing occupied by Tiger Hill in 1998 and the Kieren Fallon-ridden Borgia 12 months earlier.

But there was disappointment in 1986 when three-time German Horse of the Year Acatenango could finish only seventh to Dancing Brave, while another King George winner, Novellist, suffered a setback in the week of the 2013 Arc which ruled him out of the race.

Members can read the latest exclusive interviews, news analysis and comment available from 6pm daily on racingpost.com