With the prospect of soft going for Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-Lucien Barriere, James Fanshawe's smart three-year-old Grandera is "unlikely" to be supplemented for the Longchamp feature.
Racecourse manager yesterday Gerard Grandchamp reported the going as very soft, with a penetrometer reading of 4.0, and 3.9 on the strip of ground by the inner rail that will be used for the first time for the Prix Marcel Boussac, two races before the Arc itself on Sunday's card.
"We've had 15mm of rain since Friday, but the temperature is 17 degrees and the grass is growing which means it is taking the water," Grandchamp said.
"The forecasters here are on strike so I haven't been able to watch a full weather bulletin but I don't think we're in for that much rain during the week so at this stage I'd say the going will be soft for the weekend - nothing like the heavy ground we had in 1999."
Following the news that conditions are likely to be testing for the Arc the Tote reported good support for Michael Jarvis's Holding Court, who won last year's French Derby on good to soft going. The colt's odds have been trimmed to 14 to 1 from 20 to 1.
Godolphin's Sakhee remains a strong 2 to 1 favourite.
Andre Fabre will be two-handed in his bid to land an unprecedented sixth Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The 14-times French champion trainer revealed that he would be running his Prix Vermeille runner-up Diamilina, due to be supplemented on Thursday, and Sagacity.
The news bolsters the home defence for the 80th running of the Arc which will be staged without the likes of top French three-year-olds Chichicastenango, Ange Gabriel, and Maille Pistol.
A race-fit Diamilina went down fighting to the unbeaten Aquarelliste in the Vermeille, beaten a short neck by the French Oaks heroine, while Sagacity was a promising running-on second, beaten half a length, to Equerry over 10 furlongs in the Prix du Prince d'Orange.
Reflecting on his duo's prospects of adding to his fine record in the race, Fabre said: "Diamilina deserves to take her chance after her effort in the Vermeille. She had a hard enough race there but she has come out of it well, and is a very nice filly. But I'm not sure whether she would be suited by really soft ground.
"Sagacity is not a champion but the way he ran the other day suggests the distance will suit at this stage of the season."
Fabre's former inmate, the unbeaten Aquarlliste, was given her last serious piece of work at Chantilly's yesterday.
Security at Longchamp will be the tightest ever. An unprecedented security force totalling 150 officers will be present.
Mutamam, trained by Alec Stewart and ridden by Richard Hills, was eventually announced the winner of Sunday's controversial Canadian International at Woodbine, Toronto.
Daliapour, ridden by Johnny Murtagh, crossed in fourth place but was disqualified. Murtagh, had ridden an amazing race earlier to claim the Grade One E P Taylor on Choc Ice.
Tomorrow's Sligo card has been abandoned as the track is waterlogged.
