O’Brien’s Soldier can march on

O’Brien’s Soldier can march on

Michael Duffy

THEY have important things on their mind in France right now. Organising a Rugby World Cup and trying to win the bloody thing is understandably top of the agenda.
A sloppy first Pool game loss to Argentina hasn’t helped their cause and now, as runners-up, Les Bleus face the All-Blacks in Cardiff this week.
Most of the best bets in this tournament so far have been on the handicap, but at 17/1 with Betfair, they have a small interest on the holders to win the World Cup outright.
World Cup after World Cup, New Zealand look bombproof until the knock-out stages come – and they haven’t been tested yet with four hammerings in their Pool. Can we trust them again?
France, on the other hand, have shown dramatic improvement. They have the discipline in defence and the inventiveness going forward to trouble the odds-on favourites. Take the 17/1 to small money, if they were to beat the All-Blacks they’d be second favourites at around 9/4, and would be a certain lay-back.
But while the World Cup will come and go, thankfully, there will always be the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and on Sunday we have another fascinating renewal.
If there’s a negative it is that injury has deprived us of seeing the potentially great Manduro take his place in the race.
But it stills promises to be a cracking race with one of the most impressive Derby winners of recent years – Authorized – bidding to win a fourth Arc for the charismatic Frankie Dettori.
We have opposed him three times this season and, accordingly, have been wrong twice! Credit where it is due: he has done little wrong, and his convincing victory over Dylan Thomas in the Juddmonte at York is as solid as form goes.
Stamina doubts were extinguished by his eye-catching five-length victory at Epsom in June and it’s going to take a career best run from his rivals to lower the colours of Peter Chapple-Hyam’s pride and joy.
Meanwhile here in Ireland, the Arc is a race that Aidan O’Brien has never won and the Master of Ballydoyle loves nothing better than a challenge.
It’s been this column’s opinion since the Irish Derby in July that Solider of Fortune has been earmarked by O’Brien as his Arc horse for 2007.
His profile reminds me of former winners Sinndar and Sakhee, victorious in Paris in 2000 and 2001. Irish racing fans will remember Sinndar with fondness. A facile winner of the Irish Derby, John Oxx sent the son of Grand Lodge to Longchamp to win the Prix Niel, a recognised Arc trial, before taking the big prize in October of that year.
Sakhee (second to Sinndar in the Epsom Derby as a three year-old) was a similarly uncomplicated animal and hacked up in the Arc for Frankie Dettori.
Punters following the column’s ante-post advice will be sitting on 8/1 on Solider of Fortune for Sunday’s race and I think he has every chance of upsetting Authorized on Sunday, for a whole host of reasons.
With just one prep race since the Irish Derby (the aforementioned Prix Niel) he hasn’t been over-raced by O’Brien and preparations for the race are, reportedly, spot on. He relishes a cut in the ground, something which seems assured at the weekend. He has already shown a liking for travelling abroad, having twice won in France, both times at Longchamp and once over course and distance.
There was a suggestion that Soldier of Fortune fretted a little before his races earlier in the season but, according to his trainer, with age has come maturity.
He showed a tremendous willingness in winning in France last time out on ground surely firmer than he would have liked and had another market rival, Zambesi Sun, held back in third.
Soldier of Fortune can confirm that form at the weekend and if he has improved enough – like we hope he has – to go stride for stride with Authorized in the drive for the line, O’Brien’s wait for an Arc de Triomphe can end in glory.