Behkabad heads Arc line-up

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Replay - Workforce wins 2010 Derby

PRIX DE l'ARC DE TRIOMPHE
Date: Sunday 3 October, 1505 BST Racecourse: Longchamp, Paris
Coverage: Live on BBC Two and BBC Sport website 1400-1525
Commentaries on BBC Radio 5 live

Behkabad will start as favourite ahead of Derby winner Workforce in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.

Behkabad, ridden by Christophe Lemaire, will start in stall nine with Workforce in eight among a field of 20 runners in Europe's most prestigious horse race.

Sir Michael Stoute-trained Workforce has been cleared to run following speculation the colt would pull out.

The decision to send Workforce was made after an encouraging piece of routine work on Thursday morning at Newmarket.

The colt, ridden by Ryan Moore, was an easy winner of the Derby but was well beaten by Harbinger in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for owner Khalid Abdullah, confirmed that "Workforce will run", adding: "The main thing was to see his action and his general demeanour, and both were good.

"He just had a nice smooth piece of work about four-and-a-half furlongs for a blow-out. He had a normal blow and moved well."

Workforce, who is rated around a 5-1 second favourite for the mile-and-a-half contest, went as high as 18s on betting exchanges on Wednesday as speculation about his participation mounted.

606: DEBATE Who do you think will win the Arc?

"I was mystified when the horse's price went out the other day (on the exchanges). Someone has a few pounds on and the whole thing goes weird," added Grimthorpe.

"The whole point of waiting until the last moment is because he really is an important horse to us.

"We didn't want to mess people around and they knew from the beginning if they were betting on the horse well in advance then there was a good deal of risk involved."

The three-year-old also completed a satisfactory gallop at Sandown on 21 September.

The 2010 Derby winner has only run four times in his career, and suffered his second defeat when fifth to Harbinger on 24 July.

Lemaire, meanwhile, has elected to partner Jean-Claude Roget's stable star Behkabad in preference to the Aga Khan's second runner, Sarafina.

Behkabad, like 2009 winner Sea the Stars, is a son of Cape Cross and has just headed fellow French-trained colt Planteur on his last two runs, both at Longchamp.

Fame and Glory is in good form. This has been his main target all year. Please god, Sunday will be his day Jockey Johnny Murtagh

Three-year-old Behkabad has form on testing ground so should not be inconvenienced by the forecast for wet weather around Paris in the build-up to the big race.

Gerald Mosse will be on board French Oaks winner Sarafina from stall three, but Youmzain, runner-up in the last three renewals, is in stall 12 - the last winner from a double-figure draw was Dalakhani in 2003.

But there was an upbeat bulletin from trainer Mick Channon about his triple Arc runner-up: "He's in great heart and is the Arc's yardstick. I'm as confident as ever that he'll run another massive race."

Aidan O'Brien's main hope, Fame And Glory, is drawn right on the rail in stall one, and the Irish trainer has voiced his concerns about the possibility of heavy going for both Fame and Glory and Cape Blanco.

Still, his big-race jockey Johnny Murtagh tasted Arc glory on Sinndar in 2000 and the rider is excited about his chances this time around.

"He (Fame and Glory) is in good form," he said. "This has been his main target all year. He ran in the race last year (sixth) and it was great everyone decided to keep him in training and target Longchamp again. Please god, Sunday will be his day."

Meanwhile, Kieren Fallon, who won the Arc on Hurricane Run in 2005 and Dylan Thomas in 2007, has been snapped up to ride the French outsider Timos.

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