Arc dream still alive for 'blossoming' Verry Elleegant with trial on horizon

Francis Graffard is looking forward to getting back on track with Melbourne Cup heroine Verry Elleegant, with an appearance at Longchamp on Arc Trials day the target for the 11-time Group 1 winner.

Verry Elleegant looked in need of the run when finishing seventh in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville last month on a track which favoured those ridden close to the pace.

Either the Prix Vermeille or the Prix Foy on September 11 will give her the chance to step up to a mile and a half on a more galloping track, with the mare's performance likely to have a major bearing on whether she then heads to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over the same course and distance three weeks later.

"She has two entries, the Vermeille and the Foy, and I'm leaning towards running her in the Prix Foy," said Graffard.

Frankie Dettori has once again declared himself available to ride Verry Elleegant, who struggled to lie up early in the Jean Romanet on her first start since the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April.

"There will probably be fewer runners [in the Foy] but also the mare has really taken a step forward since her comeback run," said Graffard. "She really seems to be beginning to blossom.

"I can't wait to see her over 2,400 metres [a mile and a half] on easier ground. The Foy should be a less difficult option for her first time at Longchamp, given that it is usually run as a prep rather than an objective."

Verry Elleegant would need to be supplemented at a cost of £120,000 for the Arc, for which her current price ranges between 25-1 and 66-1.

She holds entries for the Prix de Royallieu on the eve of the Arc as well as the Fillies & Mares Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Longchamp, October 2)

Paddy Power: 4-6 Baaeed (non-runner money back), 7 Alpinista, 13-2 Torquator Tasso, 8 Titleholder, 14 Do Deuce, Pyledriver, Westover, 16 Vadeni, New London, Onesto, Al Hakeem, Luxembourg, 20 bar

Bet365: 2 Baaeed, 6 Alpinista, Titleholder, 7 Torquator Tasso, 9 Vadeni, 12 Do Deuce, Onesto, 14 Pyledriver, 16 bar

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