From Los Angeles to Paris – Aidan O'Brien has designs on another Arc

Los Angeles leads Aidan O’Brien’s bid for a third victory in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

Third in the Derby to illustrious stablemate City Of Troy and winner of the Irish version at the Curragh later the same month, he then won the Great Voltigeur with a penalty.

Los Angeles was dropped back in trip for the Irish Champion Stakes next and finished well for fourth when a length and a quarter behind William Haggas’ Economics.

That run sealed O’Brien’s decision to send him to Paris, with the St Leger at Doncaster left for his stablemates to contest in his absence, although the prospect of soft ground meant stablemate Auguste Rodin stayed at home.

Speaking after watching Illinois win the first Group race of the weekend O’Brien – whose two Arcs have come with Dylan Thomas (2007) and Found (2016) said: "The ground is plenty soft – it’s plenty slow with a lot of moisture in it.

"When we landed I was kind of half-sorry for taking out Auguste Rodin, but when I walked out on the track I’d say it was yielding Irish ground/good to soft English ground. Ryan (Moore) says it’s plenty soft and he was very happy that it was the right thing.

"Los Angeles and Continuous shouldn’t mind it. Los Angeles is in good form and everything has gone well with him since last run.

"We’ve been very happy with Los Angeles since the Irish Champion Stakes. We were hoping if he finished in the first four that would be good enough to run in the Arc and that’s what he did.

"After the Irish Derby we knew Los Angeles could be a Leger horse, but we had other horses for that as well so we started to think of the Arc then.

"We went to York to get a run into him when he won with a penalty over a mile and a half and we came back to a mile