Decision made! German Derby winner Fantastic Moon to be supplemented for the Arc
The strength of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was bolstered further on Wednesday after St Leger hero Continuous and German ace Fantastic Moon were added to Sunday's race.
Continuous had been pointed towards the Arc since his dominant Classic success at Doncaster, but Fantastic Moon has only come back into the picture in recent days, with the prospect of drying ground persuading connections to stump up the €120,000 supplementary fee.
Aidan O'Brien will rely solely on Continuous in his bid for a third win in the Longchamp showpiece after his other entry Emily Dickinson came out of the race to leave 15 horses in the Arc before final declarations on Thursday. O'Brien previously indicated Emily Dickinson would run in Saturday's Group 1 Prix du Cadran over two and a half miles.
Continuous will be looking to defy history as no St Leger winner has gone on to win the Arc in the same season.
The shorter gap between races this year – just 15 days – has not deterred O'Brien and Coolmore partners from going for Arc glory with the three-year-old son of Heart's Cry.
It is a route O'Brien has taken with his previous four St Leger winners, Kew Gardens (2018), Capri (2017), Leading Light (2013) and Scorpion (2005), although the best-placed finish achieved by that quartet was Kew Gardens in seventh.
Continuous has been quoted as the 11-2 third favourite (from 6) in Coral's updated betting, behind unbeaten French Derby winner Ace Impact and King George winner Hukum, with Fantastic Moon now 10-1 (from 12-1).
German Derby winner Fantastic Moon, who won the Prix Niel on his last start, was added alongside Continuous at Wednesday's supplementary stage.
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.
"A trip to the Breeders' Cup at the beginning of November or travelling to Japan at the end of November would place an enormous burden on a three-year-old and we do not want to expose Fantastic Moon to that."
Rene Piechulek celebrates after Fantastic Moon's win in the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg
Fantastic Moon, who was quoted as a 12-1 chance for the Arc on Tuesday, caused an upset in the Prix Niel by beating odds-on favourite Feed The Flame, who is set to reoppose on Sunday.
Germany has celebrated three victories in the Arc, the most recent coming two years ago when Torquator Tasso sprung a huge surprise, returning at 80-1 with British bookmakers.
Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten, the representative for Fantastic Moon's owners Liberty Racing 2021, said: "The horse has shown everyone that he's a real star and we're looking forward to his last outing in 2023 on Sunday in Paris-Longchamp.
"I hope the German turf fans will keep their fingers crossed for our Derby winner and I'm looking forward to a very exciting race against internationally accomplished top opponents.
"It's a real monster of a race with the unbeaten French Derby winner Ace Impact and the older runners, Hukum and Westover. Fantastic Moon will travel to Paris on Saturday and be piloted by Rene Piechulek."
Arc forfeits on Wednesday
SisfahanHenk Grewe
Haya Zark Adrien Fouassier
OnestoFabrice Chappet
Simca MilleStephane Wattel
Bay BridgeSir Michael Stoute
WestoverRalph Beckett
HukumOwen Burrows
Place Du CarrouselAndre Fabre
Through Seven SeasTomohito Ozeki
Free Wind John and Thady Gosden
Mr HollywoodHenk Grewe
Feed The FlamePascal Bary
Ace Impact Jean-Claude Rouget
Fantastic MoonSarah Steinberg
ContinuousAidan O'Brien
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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