Soumillon pleased to see rain for Kiseki and awaiting inspiration

The mercurial Christophe Soumillon is yet to forge a plan for his ride aboard Kiseki in Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but believes soft ground could be of benefit to the Japanese star in Europe's richest race.

Soumillon admitted both he and trainer Katsuhiko Sumii had been disappointed with Kiseki's laboured third behind Waldgeist in the Prix Foy, a performance that came after a three-month absence and on quick ground.

"I think he will be better on soft ground than on a very quick surface as he is a fine big horse but not too heavy," Soumillon said, after completing a final turf breeze aboard the five-year-old on the straight Piste des Reservoirs.

"I think that will be a help to him. He can gallop and I think he should be able to handle the ground better than some, but I must say that heavy at Longchamp is a lot different to heavy in Japan.

"Unfortunately it's something quite unique and quite different for horses not used to it. So I hope it won't get very heavy because he will never have experienced anything like it."

The going returned to soft at Longchamp on Wednesday morning but could change again with a mixture of sun and rain forecast to hit Paris over the coming days.

Kiseki translates as "miracle" in Japanese, and while odds of 40-1 suggest the son of Rulership will have to live up to his name in order to win on Sunday, he potentially has a crucial role to play as a horse who likes to force the pace.

Christophe Soumillon (red jacket) was in relaxed mood on Wednesday morning after riding Kiseki in a final pre-Arc de Triomphe workout in ChantillyCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

However, Soumillon adopted something of the air of Eric Cantona in explaining why he would not be bound by forming an advanced plan for the five-year-old.

"A plan of attack is not something I need to think about yet because I don't know who is drawn where" he said. "I would prefer to ride in the moment rather than start to strategise today. I think it will depend which horses are around him and how things are on the day.

"Behind the stalls I will watch to see how my rivals are looking and we'll see what inspiration strikes me. Today there is no plan and even when you are on one of the favourites it is never easy to stick to a pre-ordained plan.

"In most sports it's virtually impossible though you try and stick as close as possible to one. I will ride the horse how he feels and after that all you can do is hope for a good draw and a race with pace on."

One runner who will not be lining up at Longchamp on Sunday is Anthony Van Dyke after the Derby winner was scratched in the latest round of forfeits. The Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old could now be aimed at the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita next month.

Conversely, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Soft Light was supplemented for a fee of €120,000, meaning a field of 12 remain. The son of Authorized is yet to win on six attempts this season but has finished second on four occasions and finished four lengths behind 5-1 Arc second-favourite Japan in the Grand Prix de Paris.

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