TIMEFORM does not currently publish timefigures from France but keeps a close eye on overall times and sectionals there, especially in the better races. The trials for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp last Sunday make a lot more sense if those are taken into account.

On a simplistic level, mile-and-a-half times of 152.88s for Postponed (won Prix Foy), 154.09s for Treve (Prix Vermeille) and 155.10s for New Bay (Prix Niel) seem to speak heavily in favour of the last-named over the first two.