Christophe Lemaire: Through Seven Seas run behind Equinox needs to be taken seriously

Christophe Lemaire has urged European racing fans not to dismiss the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe chances of Through Seven Seas, and the jockey believes her narrow defeat to the world's highest-rated horse, Equinox, in June needs to be taken seriously.

On a day when bookmakers reported support for German challenger Fantastic Moon after he was supplemented at a cost of €120,000, Lemaire was an interested observer as his Arc mount Through Seven Seas completed her final serious piece of work on the Les Aigles round gallop in Chantilly.

Having told a France Galop press conference that he was pleased with what he had seen on Wednesday morning, Lemaire emphasised what a big performance the five-year-old daughter of Dream Journey had put up behind Equinox – who Lemaire was riding – on her most recent start in the Takarazuka Kinen at the end of June.

"When you look at the winning margin for Equinox you think that's not as impressive as in Dubai but he still beat a lot of Group 1 horses and covered more ground than the rest in a race that didn't set up well for him," Lemaire told the Racing Post. "Through Seven Seas was also interrupted in her run in the straight and she still finished very well.

"I wasn't surprised she was second, although I was a little taken aback she was only a neck behind us. But as I say, Equinox didn't have the best trip on what was very bad ground."

Lemaire added: "She really impressed me when I won on her on her previous start and I felt she had made plenty of progress from last year. You can take her performance in the Takarazuka Kinen seriously because she beat proper Group 1 horses in tough conditions."

Wattel: Simca Mille will adapt however the race develops

After telling the international media that Simca Mille's preparation had gone "flawlessly" since his victory in the Grosser Preis von Berlin six weeks ago, trainer Stephane Wattel outlined his reasoning for avoiding the major summer highlights such as the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and King George.

Simca Mille and Alexis Pouchin after winning the Prix d'Harcourt at LongchampCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

"He is in exceptional shape and seems ready to give his absolute best," said Wattel. "He will be running against the best horses in Europe but I'm really happy to be meeting them on his preferred ground over his optimum trip and at Longchamp, where he always runs to his best.

"I am pleased we avoided too many tough battles during the summer and are heading there with a lot of mental freshness and in the best possible shape to confront a few horses that are rated higher than him."

Wattel added that the son of Tamayuz possesses a tactical versatility that will help in the event he gets a poor draw on Thursday morning.

"He is a very easy horse to ride and he is happy to follow the leaders, which makes a low number a definite advantage in order not to be obliged to cover extra ground," said Wattel. "But if we're drawn wide it won't bother him not to have any cover.

"He is a very intelligent horse and although he might get a little tense during the parade, but once the race is on he will adapt to however the race develops."

It's 'yes' for Fantastic Moon as Liberty Racing stump up €120,000 to supplement

Deutsches Derby winner Fantastic Moon, who won the Prix Niel on his last start, was added alongside Continuous at Wednesday's supplementary stage.

Rene Piechulek celebrates after Fantastic Moon's win in the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg

Trainer Sarah Steinberg said: "Fantastic Moon is doing excellent. He worked very well yesterday and handled the workout well. We continue to hope for sunshine and good ground conditions in Paris for him to be able to call up his best form."

Fantastic Moon had looked set to miss the Arc in favour of a trip further afield, but with the prospect of drying ground in Paris, the €5 million contest was deemed the preferred target.

"We thought long and hard about which of the races would be the best for Fantastic Moon, and together with the owners we decided against a long trip to the US or Japan for Fantastic Moon this year," said Steinberg.

"We wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather in Paris. There is the dried-up turf at Longchamp and the horse has recovered very quickly after his last race."

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

Coral: 10-3 Ace Impact, 4 Hukum, 11-2 Continuous, 6 Westover, 8 Feed The Flame, 10 Fantastic Moon, 12 Bay Bridge, Through Seven Seas, 16 Simca Mille, 20 Free Wind, Mr Hollywood, Place Du Carrousel, 33 Onesto, 100 Sisfahan, Haya Zark

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Continuous and Fantastic Moon both supplemented for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 

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