Team Japan calling on previous Arc experience

Trainer Takashi Saito is eager to use the experience of an unsuccessful Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe challenge as he puts the finishing touches to Croix Du Nord’s preparations for Sunday’s ParisLongchamp highlight.

The Japanese handler saddled Chrono Genesis to finish seventh in the race in 2021 and while that mare was having her 14th career start, Croix Du Nord will be having just his seventh outing having finished second in the Japanese 2000 Guineas before winning the Tokyo Yushun, which the country’s equivalent of the Derby.

Croix Du Nord already has a French win under his belt having landed the Group Three Prix du Prince d’Orange at ParisLongchamp last month – his first run since June – and Saito is pleased to have another shot at Arc glory.

He said: “I raced the Arc with Chrono Genesis four years ago and that didn’t go well, but having this opportunity again, I’m so delighted and feeling honoured to run again. It’s a different horse but I’m delighted to have a challenger again.

“After the race I kind of realised it was too much. We trained hard and it was too hard for her, that’s what I learned from that time. Many different horses taught me many different things. Croix Du Nord, coming back with him, it’s very hard to win the race but we think it’s the right thing to do.

“It’s hard to point out one thing but I learnt many things from different horses in Japan and outside of Japan, and I would like to show what I learned and how I improved in these four years.”

Croix Du Nord is one of three Japanese-trained challengers, with the possible field rising to 18 after Aidan O’Brien supplemented the general second favourite and triple Oaks victor Minnie Hauk on Wednesday.

Byzantine Dream is the shortest-priced of the trio after running out a half-length winner of the Prix Foy last month, having also won the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Saudi Arabia, with Oisin Murphy riding in both of those victories and booked again for Sunday.

The four-year-old clocked a time that was a second faster than Arc favourite Aventure recorded in the Prix Vermeille over the same course and distance, but his trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi does not believe a straight comparison can be drawn.

He said: “You cannot simply compare because of the pace, field size, level of field – all will be different in the Arc – but it was a great run by him. I think he’s still improving from that race.

“Probably we don’t want the heaviest ground, we’re not sure how he would handle that because we have never experienced that. I’m not sure at the moment, we know he likes better ground but we don’t about how soft or heavy he can handle it.”

Alohi Alli completes the Japanese challenge and is another with a French win under his belt having made all to beat Rashabar by a comfortable three and a half lengths in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville.

The three-year-old was returning from a 118-day break when claiming that Group Two prize and trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka believes the son of Duramente will improve for the outing.

He said: “We were originally aiming for the Grand Prix de Paris but there was a minor setback, the horse came back well to prepare for the Guillaume d’Ornano. It was great to win as I know it’s a high-class race.

“The Guillaume d’Ornano was after his four-month lay off and the training did not go as we planned. He definitely wasn’t fit, 10 days or a week before the race we were concerned about scratching him but that week we thought he was fine to race and he did really well.

“In his training, he got keener in a good way after the race, coming back for this autumn campaign and he’s adapted to the French track, so he’s definitely fitter and improving.

“Rain is expected but we don’t want to make an excuse, so I hope he will handle the ground.”