Boussac-bound Normandel to put smile on Demuro's face

A spy in the house of love
As the rhythm of Arc preparation has quickened through the autumn, mornings on the Chantilly gallops have often been accompanied by the thought that similar tense exercises are taking place simultaneously in Newmarket, on the Curragh and at Ballydoyle.

One man who may have been better placed than most to get a top-down overview is Chantilly supremo Mathieu Vincent, whose daughter Constance is part-way through her studies at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.

More pertinently, Mademoiselle Vincent, who previously studied at Cambridge University, has been on placement with Roger Varian's yard.