Aidan O'Brien and Kyprios continue to dominate as opinions differ on likely Arc day ground

When Aidan O'Brien first set foot on Longchamp's turf on Saturday it became apparent to him the ground was softer than he had expected. He does not think it will bother his two Arc runners, and it certainly did not bother his four eve-of-Arc winners.

The master trainer won every race in which he was represented. Also now four from four is Prix du Cadran winner Kyprios, who has mopped up every Group 1 prize he has contested this year – and O'Brien continues to believe the long-distance legend would have been capable of capturing an Arc.

Had Kyprios not come close to losing his life when a fetlock injury became infected, a different decision might have been made. Instead, Galileo's son continues to rule the marathon roost, as he did here when posting a victory that looked much more workmanlike to the eye than it evidently felt to Ryan Moore.