AIDAN O’Brien’s at times frustrating weekend was summed up by the performance of his runners in the three Arc Trials at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Narrow defeats for Magic Wand and Hunting Horn and a modest effort, albeit a forgiveable one on his return from a long lay-off, by dual classic winner Capri in the Qatar Prix Foy.

Any normal trainer would be thrilled by a 48-hour period in which he landed two Group 1s – just ask Karl Burke. But O’Brien plays under a different set of rules and his chances of success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a race in which he saddled the first three home just two years ago, now look slim, with the admirable Kew Gardens his best hope.

The Foy did unearth a genuine Arc contender, however, in the shape of Waldgeist, and one can’t help feeling that current ante post quotes of around 12/1 for the son of Galileo underestimate his prospects in Europe’s richest race.

UNIQUE TRAINERS

Sticking on the theme of abnormal trainers, Waldgeist is housed in the yard of Andre Fabre. Fabre has dominated the French racing scene over the past 30 years in a similar fashion to how O’Brien has reigned in Ireland for the last two decades, clocking up a record seven Arc triumphs in the process.

Fabre was also responsible for both the Foy second and third, Talismanic and Cloth Of Stars. All three are set to return to the Bois de Boulogne for the big one in a fortnight’s time.

Yet there is no sensible line of thinking to suggest than either of that pair will reverse the form with their stable companion. In fact, for a number of reasons, Waldgeist is likely to beat them by more than the two and a half lengths he had in hand on Sunday.

First and foremost, jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot never picked up his whip in the Foy. Secondly, the winner was at a fitness disadvantage compared to the runner-up, having not raced since landing the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on July 1st.

And the late-developing Waldgeist should improve further if Paris’s Indian Summer ever comes to an end. Remember plans for him to travel to Ascot for the King George were shelved when fast ground became assured.

The nuts and bolts of the Foy were that the visiting Japanese riding megastar Yutaka Take did his five rivals a huge favour by cutting out a solid gallop aboard the Nippon hope, Clincher.

Capri, racing for the first time in over five months, sat in behind him but was soon done for when things got serious early in the home straight, the front two dropping away to finish sixth and fifth. Capri trailed home six and a half lengths behind Waldgeist, a major step backwards when compared with the two lengths he beat that opponent in last year’s Irish Derby.

Fabre, who could hardly have been anything but pleased with the outcome, said: “It was an ideal trial as none of my three runners had a hard race.”

Dietrich von Boetticher, Waldgeist’s German owner-breeder, added: “My horse has always been leggy and needed time to mature. Andre has given him that time and has only given him the amount of work that he felt was prudent.”