Soldier has firepower for the Arc

Sunday's Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe is one of the classiest, most glamorous races on the planet. Forget the dripping ostentation of Royal Ascot, the fashion stakes at Longchamp are sky-high, but the crowd are low on snobbery. It is the ultimate racing day out, and punters fortunate to be making the journey to Paris this year also get the added bonus of being able to watch the quarter-final between Argentina and Scotland in the Stade de France. The Arc is a race that boasts quality, and the list of victors is a bloodstock agent's fantasy. For punters keen to get a real feel for who is going to win though, there is one race that stands head and shoulders above any other as a guide to winning Europe's mile-and-a-half showpiece. The race is the Prix Niel, which is run over course and distance around three weeks before the real thing. What you are looking for is a horse which ran in this contest, preferably won it, and is a three-year-old. One colt that fits the description exactly is Aidan O'Brien's Soldier of Fortune. What's more, the son of the Derby-winning Galileo has his favoured soft ground and should put in a massive run on Sunday. Soldier of Fortune won the Niel in record time on September 16, and what made that achievement all the more dramatic was that the race was run on Good ground - not the colt's favourite going, and not a going description that is usually synonymous with record performances. O'Brien's entrant has won at the track twice in his short career and at Sportingbet's 7/2, he really should be shorter. The Derby winner, Authorized, heads the market at around 5/4 and although he has a lot going for him, he also has some serious drawbacks which makes his price unattractive. Peter Chapple-Hyam's colt has never raced going right-handed, and tackled a course outside England. He also has mainly raced at ten furlongs this year. Although he won the Derby over the Arc distance, the Epsom track is pretty idiosyncratic and he may come up short. At the prices, the soldier looks better value to win to emerge the victor. Others to consider are 2005 Derby winner Yeats, who is unbeaten this season and could be each-way value at 25/1 if he makes the line-up and German raider Saddex at 20/1. You all know the saying... "You can never write off the Germans." Verdict: 2pts Soldier of Fortune @ 7/2 (SportingBet) (Editor's Note: Can Aidan O'Brien's horse provide the quality at Longchamp and win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? Follow all the horse racing prices on SportingBet.)