ARC Trials day took place this year on Sunday at Chantilly, which is where the big race itself will be run on October 2nd as Longchamp is being renovated.

A quick spin on Google Earth (the bane of many a clerk of the course’s life) reveals that Chantilly rises only about six feet over the duration of its 12 furlongs, compared to Longchamp’s 20 feet, but that the former is more demanding in the final half-mile.

That may, or may not, be relevant where some of the triallists are concerned. It has to be said that the day’s action was underwhelming: just 15 turned up for the three 12-furlong contests, none of which was anywhere near truly-run.

Silverwave (Prix Foy) ran the best time of the winners, but, by my reckoning, it was equivalent to a figure of only 111. Left Hand (Vermeille) was next with 101 and Makahiki (Niel) brought up the rear with just 83.

FUNEREAL PACE

It was not Makahiki’s fault that he got into a race run at a funereal pace, of course, and it says plenty for him that he managed to win from a few lengths back with a couple of sub-11.0s 200m sectionals to finish off.

But one of those he got past only late on was the provincial listed winner Doha Dream, and the other, Midterm, was returning from an injury.

Makahiki is a good horse - his narrow win in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) at Tokyo in May (for which he got a Timeform rating of 123) showed that - but this virtual non-event did little to advance his cause, at least in my eyes.

Silverwave was beaten less than five lengths in 10th in last year’s Arc and seems much the same horse this year, if with a couple of notable wins (Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud as well as this) under his belt this time round.

Left Hand has the distinction of being the filly to have run the unbeaten La Cressonniere closest so far (half a length in the Prix de Diane on this course) and her achievement in overhauling the front-running Endless Time in the Vermeille may get underplayed. Her last 600m of 33.63s was bettered only by Makahiki (33.42s) in the three trials.

TACTICAL AFFAIR

There was also another Group 1 at Chantilly in the Prix du Moulin, though you would hardly know it from the cast list. Vadamos won yet another extremely tactical affair under an enterprising ride from the German-trained filly Spectre and the poorly-ridden Zelzal.

The last named is no lost cause for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Ascot’s Champions Day at a bit of a price but Vadamos had previously been beaten fair and square by Ribchester at Deauville and was probably fortunate to find a race like this in which his main rival was unable to be seen to best effect.