ORFEVRE
The Sunday TC racehorse Orfevre - that my daughter Sophie has pictures of all over the place! - has just won the Prix Foy in Longchamp as a warm-up race for L'Arc de Triomphe. Some bookmakers are now quoting Orfevre as the favourite for the big event in three weeks time. If the Japanese Triple Crown winner can take the spoils in his next French outing, it will prove once and for all that racing in the Land of the Rising Sun has at last caught up with the standards established in Europe and America.

It's important not to assume too much or build up hopes beyond reality, though, as Japanese horses have been fancied in big races abroad before and failed to shine on the day. And we've seen at home, too, that Orfevre can either be magnificent or a little lacking in focus depending on his mood. But on saying that, I sincerely hope the beautiful chestnut shows what he's capable of at the Arc...