Bjorn Nielsen: Stradivarius is a lion and we know he has the turn of foot

Bjorn Nielsen believes Stradivarius has the required tactical speed and potent turn of foot to put him bang in contention when he bids for top honours in Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Already a legend in the staying division, Stradivarius will bid to beat the best in the business over a mile and a half in Paris and his owner-breeder thinks he has seen enough to give the six-year-old a fighting chance against star stablemate Enable and leading three-year-old Love.

The winner of 16 of his 24 races and £2.87 million in win-and-place prize-money, the three-time Gold Cup winner has been almost untouchable in staying races over the past three years but Nielsen has long craved to see if Stradivarius, like the great stayers from yesteryear, could mix it with the elite in the Arc.