Aidan O'Brien: Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe favourite Luxembourg 'in great shape'

Aidan O’Brien believes Luxembourg’s summer absence can lead to an awesome autumn, with Ireland’s perennial champion trainer hopeful the one-time Derby favourite can add Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to his Irish Champion Stakes success this month.

Luxembourg was forced to miss not only Epsom but also major meetings in Britain and Ireland after sustaining a muscle injury following his third in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, only returning last month when narrowly winning a Group 3 at the Curragh.

He improved on that comeback effort to win a thrilling Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown this month from Onesto, Vadeni and Mishriff, and O’Brien believes a relatively fresh Luxembourg is peaking at the right time for a successful Arc challenge.

Asked if he was able to turn Luxembourg missing the summer into an advantage for the Arc, O’Brien said: “We can. He was just about ready for his first race at the Curragh and then he was trained harder before the race at Leopardstown. We’ve not been as hard between Leopardstown and Longchamp but he seems in great shape. He’s a straightforward horse.

“He pulled a muscle behind after the Guineas and he had to have a good long break. The plan had always been to start in the Guineas and then go to the Derby and then the Irish Derby, but after that happened he had to have a break.

Luxembourg (near): won the Irish Champion Stakes this monthCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

“Everything’s gone well since and we’ve been pleased with his runs – at Leopardstown he really put his head down and fought to the line.”

Owned by Georg von Opel, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Luxembourg will be competing over 1m4f for the first time in Sunday’s Arc.

The step up in trip is less of a concern to O’Brien, who has won the Arc with Dylan Thomas and Found, than the potential for heavy ground in Paris where the going was described as “very soft” on Wednesday by course officials.

“We had it mapped out that he’d go for the Guineas and then the Derby, so we always thought he would stay and that it would really suit him,” O’Brien said, speaking at an event organised by France Galop. “I don’t think anybody wants extremes [of ground] and we are the same. Hopefully it won’t get too bad, but everybody is in the same boat.

“He ran on soft in the Vertem Futurity at Doncaster last year, but in an ideal world it wouldn’t be too soft. We are not thinking about [not running any horses] at the moment.”

Luxembourg will be joined in the Arc by stablemate Broome, who has failed to place in three starts following his success in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

The six-year-old finished 11th behind Torquator Tasso in last year’s Arc and O’Brien feels the open nature of Longchamp will suit Broome more than the tight tracks he has raced on recently.

“He had a run in America that probably didn’t suit him,” O’Brien said. “We were very happy with his last run using it as a prep for this race.”

Mishriff: the ride of William Buick in the ArcCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Mishriff, trained by John and Thady Gosden, is set to be in opposition to the O’Brien pair in the Arc, with his jockey William Buick optimistic that a step back up to 1m4f will bring out the best in the five-year-old.

“He’s looked this season like going back up to a mile and a half will suit him,” Buick said. “He’s ran very well in the King George before and won the Dubai Sheema Classic over the trip.

“It’s a deep Arc but that’s what you expect and hopefully they don’t get as much rain as the forecast is predicting. It’s nice to team up with John given our long-term connection, it’s a championship race and he’s a great ride to pick up.”

Buick has come in for the Arc ride on Mishriff after Adayar, owned by his employers Godolphin, was redirected to the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 15 when he will take on the unbeaten Baaeed.

“Baaeed needs no introduction, but we were all very happy with what Adayar did at Doncaster and you can’t forget what he achieved last year,” the jockey said.

Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (3.05 Longchamp, Sunday)

Sky Bet: 7-2 Luxembourg, 11-2 Alpinista, 6 Torquator Tasso, 15-2 Vadeni, 8 Titleholder, 9 Westover, 10 Onesto, 12 La Parisienne, 20 Mishriff, 22 Mare Australis, 25 bar

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