'I'm not nervous, I'm really excited' - the film producer hoping to create his own story with 'dream' colt Maltese Cross

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

Telling a good story is part and parcel of the day job for George Waud, and the film producer and theatre impresario is hoping his Maltese Cross can follow the script in Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Waud's racing operation in Britain is still in its infancy, but his decision to purchase five yearlings at the Tattersalls October Sale in 2024 has paid a rich dividend, with Maltese Cross already securing second in the Derby, Group 1 success in the Grand Prix de Paris and victory in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes when he was smart enough to defy a penalty.

He was done no favours when handed stall 11 when the draw for the Arc was finally unveiled on Thursday night, but Waud is over his initial disappointment and is buzzing to be involved in Europe's premier middle-distance race.

"I'm not nervous, I'm really excited," said Waud. "The draw didn't go our way on Thursday, but we're used to that. We got the coffin box [stall one] in the Derby. We'll stick our heads together, with Tom Marquand and William Haggas, and we'll figure out what we're going to do.

"My initial reaction was disappointment. After Epsom I thought we were owed one for the Arc, but as an owner there's not much you can do. You put your faith in other people all the time and the skill, if there is any skill in owning a horse, is picking the right people to work with, and I think I've picked the right people.

"If you'd asked me at the beginning of the season: 'You can have a runner in the Arc but you're going to have the worst draw' I'd have taken that all day long. You just have to be smart about how you run your race, and I'm sure Tom and William will figure out what they feel they need to do to give him the best chance."

Maltese Cross is now 5-2 for the St Leger and as short as 6-1 for the Arc

Maltese Cross was scintillating when winning at York in AugustCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Maltese Cross has improved with each run this season and not once has he given Waud or his wife Charlotte Tilbury a moment's worry. In that regard it has been business as usual heading into the Arc, with another smooth preparation behind him.

"He's been a dream," said Waud. "He recovers from races very well and he gets fit very quickly, so William doesn't have to work him too hard to get him up to peak fitness. William is so good with Sea The Stars progeny and fine-tunes him for every single race.

William Haggas declares Maltese Cross 'in the best form we can have him' ahead of Arc bid as we watch his final gallop

"Cieren Fallon galloped him the last time I was there and Maltese Cross just looked superb. We're going there with a fit horse and the good news is he's done this before on Bastille Day, when he won the Grand Prix de Paris. He's made the journey before, has won over course and distance and we're optimistic.

"He's three years old and, if he runs well, I'll be delighted. Let's not forget he can run in the Arc again as a four-year-old and has a very exciting four-year-old career ahead of him, so let's not put everything on this one race."

The fact bloodstock agent Sam Haggas – son of the husband-and-wife team, William and Maureen, who have nurtured Maltese Cross since he joined the roster at Somerville Lodge Stables in Newmarket – selected and purchased the horse on Waud's behalf brings a unique narrative to Europe's richest race as far as the owner is concerned.

"I come from a background of storytelling and narrative, and the story for me is Sam Haggas, who has a gift for finding good horses," said the owner. "To see the pride William and Maureen have in Sam is a really lovely thing and I love participating in that. I think it's wonderful."

As for the biggest danger on Sunday, he added: "No one seems to know much about the Japanese horses, and Kalpana has to be highly respected, but I think Daryz is the one to beat."

Read these next:

2026 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp: the runners, the odds, the verdict

Maltese Cross fans look away - history shows that the Arc draw could hardly have been worse

'It felt like a complete circle, like this perfect moment' - the incredible inside story of the horse born to win an Arc (and maybe two)