Arc favourite Sarafina doesn’t get luck of the draw

Sarafina was handed a tough task to justify her favourite’s role for Europe’s most prestigious horse race – tomorrow’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – when the draw was held in Paris, yesterday.

Sarafina – an unlucky third last year when she almost fell – was drawn wide on the outside in stall 13 of the 16 runner field.

Last year’s French Oaks winner will have to emulate the 2003 Arc winner Dalakhani – like her trained by Alain de Royer Dupre and owned by His Highness the Aga Khan – who came from the 14 draw to triumph.

There have been doubts expressed by Michael Stoute about whether he would run last year’s winner Workforce because of the fast going but if he believes in good omens he was given one as his star was drawn in the same stall eight as last year.

He is bidding to become the first horse since Alleged in 1977/78 to win successive Arcs.

Former Australian champion So You Think, now trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien after the majority stake in him was bought by Coolmore Stud last year for a reputed $25 million, fared little better than Sarafina.

The five-year-old, who has added three European Group Ones this season to his tally of five in Australia, was drawn in 14 while his stablemate, Irish Derby and Secretariat Stakes, winner Treasure Beach, was drawn two on his inside.

The two Japanese runners couldn’t have been handed more different draws as they bookend the field. Last year’s runner-up Nakayama Festa is in 16 and Hiruno D’Amour in barrier 1 as they bid to give their country their first win in the race.

Hiruno D’Amour, who was nominated as the biggest danger to Sarafina by De Royer Dupre, will become only the third horse to win the Arc from that draw with Zarkava, another winner from the de Royer Dupre and Aga Khan team, being the last in 2008.