'It suits him because he's an exuberant horse' - Ralph Beckett on Westover's unusual Arc preparation

Westover continued what must be one of the most varied build-ups among the main contenders for next Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a paddle in the sea at Hayling Island.

Ralph Beckett and Juddmonte have chosen to give Westover plenty of time to recover from a busy midsummer, during which he put in big performances in a trio of Group 1s – the Coronation Cup, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and King George.

But the son of Frankel, who is no bigger than 8-1 for the Arc, has not been confined to barracks at Beckett's Kimpton Down base in Hampshire, instead enjoying several trips away.

"He went to Salisbury last Friday and that went well and he went to the beach yesterday, which also went well," said Beckett at Newbury on Saturday. "He's in good fettle and that's the third or fourth time he's been down to the beach at Hayling Island. 

"It suits him because he's quite an exuberant horse. It just takes the edge off him while giving him a nice day out." 

Twelve months ago, Westover finished sixth in the Arc as a three-year-old, although the ground at Longchamp next Sunday looks unlikely to resemble anything like the attritional depths of that day.

The track took 17mm of rain on Wednesday, turning the going very soft according to the penetrometer. But with a largely dry outlook next week it is expected to be good to soft or soft in French terms, and could be closer to good or good to soft on the GoingStick.

Westover (left): a close second to Hukum in the King GeorgeCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"The weather doesn't really bother me unless it was going to rain for 48 hours beforehand, and it doesn't look like that's going to happen," said Beckett. "It was fast ground in Dubai and good to soft in the King George and he handles everything in between. We're looking forward to it."

Beckett will attempt to keep the sponsor's money at home 24 hours earlier when Task Force bids for Group 1 success in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Unbeaten in starts at Salisbury and Ripon, Task Force is also by Juddmonte's star sire Frankel, while his dam, Special Duty, won the Cheveley Park for the late Khalid Abdullah and trainer Criquette Head, before going on to secure both the 1,000 Guineas and the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in the stewards' room. 

Beckett said of Task Force: "He's in good fettle and I was really pleased with him this morning. His form is working out well."  

The French-trained challenge for the Arc will be left without Zagrey when the first forfeits are registered in Paris on Monday morning, with trainer Yann Barberot opting to give the son of Zarak more time to recover from his exertions following his win in this month's Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

Barberot told the French press that Zagrey, a general 20-1 chance for the Arc and runner-up to Westover in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, could instead be aimed at the Longines Hong Kong Vase in December. 

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (October 1, Longchamp)

bet365: 7-2 Ace Impact, 11-2 Hukum, 7 Westover, 8 Continuous*, 9 Feed The Flame, 14 Emily Upjohn, 20 Luxembourg, Bay Bridge, Fantastic Moon, Simca Mille, Zagrey, Place Du Carrousel, Through Seven Seas, 25 bar

*needs to be supplemented

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'He's done very well' - Jessica Harrington mulling Arc bid for Derby fourth Sprewell

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