Stats suggest lack of Arc prep run is a concern, but confidence behind plan to ready Hukum at home for big race

Hukum’s exceptional record when fresh gives Owen Burrows confidence his stable star is best served by heading straight to the Arc rather than taking in a prep race next month.

Only Workforce has defied a longer gap between a previous start and the Arc since the turn of the millennium than the 64 days between Hukum’s King George success and his Longchamp assignment on October 1.

Just five Arc winners since 2000 did not run in the previous month but the Shadwell-owned six-year-old is a seven-time winner from eight starts after a break of eight or more weeks, including success in the Dubai City Of Gold and Coronation Cup last year and the Brigadier Gerard and King George this season.