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Andre Fabre has a five-strong team in an attempt to land the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for the eighth time at Longchamp on Sunday.
Prix du Jockey Club winner Intello (stall nine) is his best hope, according to the bookmakers, with Flintshire (seven), Ocovango (13), Godolphin's Penglai Pavilion (10) and Pirika (three) completing his nap hand of runners.
"I think the ground will be good to soft come Sunday, which Flintshire should be able to handle. I've been very happy with him and as for the draw, I always think that is only a problem if there is no pace. I'm hoping for a good pace, then there will be no problems," said Fabre.
"For instance, horses like Ocovango and Penglai Pavilion are strong gallopers so they are likely to be going forward. A strong pace may help Intello, but we've never had a problem with him settling. He's a very handy horse - he's like a polo pony."
When asked which of his five runners held the best claims, Fabre said: "Everybody knows the ratings of the horses, far better than I do, and in a race like the Arc the ratings are key."
Intello will be partnered by Olivier Peslier in his role as retained rider to the owners, the Wertheimer brothers, and he will be looking for back-to-back Arcs after his shock win on Solemia.
Peslier told At The Races: "The Prince d'Orange was like a good exercise. I didn't want to make it a hard race two weeks before the Arc. The ground was soft and not really good for him. It was a good race, just on the bridle and he won well. If the ground is the same I think he will get the trip. He won the Prix du Jockey Club very well. The horse is doing very well."
Orfevre heads the market but there is a strong second string to the Far East challenge with the Japanese Derby winner Kizuna, a son of Deep Impact, well fancied after holding off the Epsom Derby hero Ruler Of The World in the Prix Niel.
Keita Tanaka, Kizuna's owner's racing manager, told France Galop TV: "Most of the Japanese owners and trainers dream of coming to the Arc if you have a mile-and-a-half horse good enough, this year fortunately we had the right horse so we decided to come.
"We feel very lucky to have a chance with a runner in the Arc, especially with one of the best sons of Deep Impact. This is our first runner in the Arc, so the whole team is very excited about that."
After drawing stall 11, Kizuna's representative Koji Maeda looked ecstatic, saying: "I wanted to have 10 or 11 so that's a very good draw."
