George Boughey is readying his Classic heroine Cachet for a tilt at the Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp this weekend following a pleasing workout on the Rowley Mile on Tuesday morning.

Last season’s 1000 Guineas heroine did not run between Royal Ascot last summer and this year’s St Leger Festival at Doncaster, an absence totalling exactly 15 months.

The Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned filly could finish only fourth in the Group Three Sceptre Stakes on Town Moor, but Boughey was far from discouraged given the length of her absence and the fact underfoot conditions were more testing than ideal.

In the immediate aftermath of that effort the Newmarket handler was in favour of sending Cachet back to the scene of her Guineas triumph for the Sun Chariot Stakes on Saturday week, but the likelihood of a sound surface in Paris this weekend has prompted a change of plan.

“I was pleased with Cachet this morning and she is a lot tighter than she was on her seasonal debut. Mathematically she is a lot fitter on the scales,” said Boughey.

“The ground looks like it will be decent in France and that is where we are leaning towards at the moment, plus there is a stronger favourite in the Sun Chariot (Inspiral) than in the Foret.

“The ground was too soft for her at Doncaster, but it should be a lot better in France at the weekend. It could end up raining in Newmarket and I don’t want to miss a chance like this.

“She will like the seven furlongs around the bend at Longchamp and we will make plenty of use of her. She is in good form and should run well.”

Another Boughey-trained filly to be put through her paces on the Rowley Mile on Tuesday was Soprano, who will be stepped up to Group One level in Saturday’s Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes.

Although winless since making an impressive start to her career at Newmarket in May, the daughter of Starspangledbanner has since been placed in the Albany at Royal Ascot, the Star Stakes at Sandown, the Sweet Solera at Newmarket and the Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury.

With regular work rider Charles Eddery in the saddle, Soprano looked the part in her morning gallop and Boughey feels she merits a place in the Cheveley Park field.

He said: “I’m delighted with her. She worked with a decent four-year-old that is a five-furlong horse rated in the 90s and she showed plenty of pace. 

“Charles Eddery, who rides her regularly, was delighted with her so it is all systems go to the Cheveley Park. She looks better than ever.

“She is a very balanced filly, which is so key at Newmarket, and she won on her debut at the track. I think she has got to have a lively chance.”

Feed The Flame will bid to give veteran trainer Pascal Bary a long-awaited victory in Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.

Bary has handled a host of top-class runners during his lengthy career, sending out Classic winners in France, Britain and Ireland as well as saddling three Breeders’ Cup winners.

However, he has yet to taste success in the crown jewel of French racing, with Sulamani coming closest when finishing a three-quarter-length second to Marienbard in 2002 after Croco Rouge finished third behind Montjeu in 1999.

The Chantilly-based handler has plenty of faith in his challenger this year though, with Feed The Flame having made huge strides since his racecourse bow in April, finishing fourth to the reopposing Ace Impact in the Prix du Jockey Club before going on to land the Grand Prix de Paris over the Arc course and distance in July.

While he had to settle for second place behind Fantastic Moon in his Prix Niel trial earlier this month, Bary believes the Kingman colt might find conditions more to his liking on Sunday.

He said: “He’s a very good horse, he has a very good temperament and he gets the mile and a half really, really well. I think on the day of the Arc, the ground will be slightly different and he will be more comfortable on that ground.

“Anything a bit softer than the ground he encountered in the Jockey Club, Grand Prix de Paris and Prix Niel would be appreciated.”

Feed The Flame was beaten two and a half lengths by Fantastic Moon – who could yet be supplemented for Sunday’s race – and Bary felt the decision to field King Of Records as a pacemaker perhaps played into the winner’s hands.

He explained: “I think I made a mistake by running a pacemaker because he worked much more for the German horse than he did for us. It’s not an easy race to run in because to bring a horse on from July 14 to the beginning of September, there’s not a lot of time.

“Christophe (Soumillon) sort of asked him when he came down into the false straight but at that point on that good ground, the German horse had taken off and Christophe was intelligent enough to just let the horse finish his race because he actually was probably missing a bit of work before he went into the race.

“The aim was not to have a race that was going to be too hard, but at the moment he was so far behind in the final straight, Christophe actually judged it was too late to ask him for a massive effort to bring him closer to the leader.”

Waiting tactics are usually employed on Feed The Flame and Bary does not anticipate any change to the plan in the Arc, even though he is likely to encounter the biggest field of his career to date, with 14 currently in contention after Sprewell dropped out at Tuesday’s second forfeit stage.

Bary said: “He’s a horse that knows how to accelerate and you have to ride him to his strengths. We have to adapt to the horse, he’s not going to adapt to us. In a race with a lot of pace and runners, this should not be an issue.

“If he is to the back of the field, there’s enough time to come forward. When he ran in the Jockey Club, Ace Impact was behind him and came through so he’s obviously the horse to beat. I don’t know much about the opposition but if Ace Impact can come forward, Feed The Flame is capable of accelerating.”

Feed The Flame is owned by Jean-Louis Bouchard and Bary is delighted to have a live contender for a long-standing ally.

He added: “It’s amazing that we have such a good horse towards the end of my career. Jean-Louis is very positive, we go to the race together and it’s a great opportunity.

“If he doesn’t win this year, he will win next year!”

Jean-Claude Rouget is in confident mood ahead of Ace Impact’s bid for glory in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday.

It has been quite the rise through the ranks for the son of Cracksman, who did not see the racecourse as a two-year-old and made his debut in the low-key surroundings of Cagnes-Sur-Mer in late January.

Another understated success at Bordeaux followed and he has since proved his class by landing a Listed race and the French Derby at Chantilly, before adding the Group Two Prix Guillaume d’Ornano to his tally at Deauville in the summer.

Ace Impact is the clear favourite to provide his trainer with a second Arc win following the success of Sottsass three years ago and while taking nothing for granted, Rouget feels there are no negatives.

“Why shouldn’t I be optimistic? I’m coming in with a horse that’s unbeaten,” he said on Tuesday.

“We know in any race anything can happen and we’re coming to the end of the season, but he gets three kilos from the older horses, which is important.

“I’m optimistic in the sense that he goes into the race unbeaten and has done everything we have asked him to so far.”

Following his mid-August triumph at Deauville, Rouget considered running his star colt in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown the following month, while he also had the option of getting a first taste of ParisLongchamp in the Prix Niel.

However, mindful of the fact Ace Impact had been on the go since the beginning of the year, he elected to keep his powder dry for the day that matters most.

Rouget added: “It’s very important that he stays a fresh horse because he started his season very early, which is not the usual start for a Classic horse.

“I didn’t want to run him last year in November, I wanted to wait and he then ran in January, so after he ran in Deauville I preferred to not run him again so that he has some freshness going into the Arc.

“It’s been six weeks (since Deauville) and the six weeks have passed very quickly.”

Ace Impact will be racing over a mile and a half for the first time this weekend, but Rouget does not expect him to be beaten for a lack of stamina, while the fact he has never run on the track is also not a concern for the trainer.

“Obviously we can’t be certain, but with the way he finishes his races and also the fact his sire was a winner over the distance gives us hope that he can stay,” he continued.

“If the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) had been over a mile and a half, as it was in the past, he would have won that.

“Last year Vadeni was in the same place for us and he ran really well (finished second to Alpinista).

“It is very rare I run a horse in the Grand Prix de Paris and after that there was just the Prix Niel, which didn’t hold any interest for me.

“I’m not worried about the course, he’s an easy horse once he’s settled in his race and there are plenty of horses that have won the Arc that also hadn’t run at Longchamp before.

“There was just no opportunity to do so, but it’s not something that bothers me.”

With the weather set fair in Paris for the rest of the week, underfoot conditions look likely to be quicker than is often the case for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest.

Rouget is therefore expecting there to be no excuses on the ground front, adding: “I think it is going to be good for everyone, which is an interesting point about this year’s race.

“In the past the race was often criticised for its heavy ground and the fact horses are tired, but this year I think the ground is going to suit everyone.”

Hopes of seeing a royal runner in this year’s Melbourne Cup are over after connections of Desert Hero confirmed he will not be making the trip to Australia.

The Sea The Stars colt brought the house down when providing the newly-crowned King and Queen with their first taste of Royal Ascot success in the King George V Stakes in June, while a subsequent victory in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood earned him a shot at Classic glory in the St Leger.

The King and Queen made the trip to Doncaster to see the William Haggas-trained three-year-old in action and while he came up short, he was far from disgraced in finishing third behind Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous and Haggas left the door ajar for a possible tilt at ‘the race that stops a nation’ on the first Tuesday in November.

However, while Desert Hero was put through and passed the veterinary checks that would allow him to board the plane, his team have ultimately decided a journey to Australia is not in the youngster’s best interest at this stage of his career.

John Warren, racing adviser to the King and Queen, told the PA news agency: “After giving it plenty of thought we have decided that Desert Hero won’t head to the Melbourne Cup this year.

“It is obviously a world-class race and it was very tempting, but he is still a young horse and we will give him more time to mature.

“He will now have a good break and William will work out a plan for next year.”

A favourable weather forecast has prompted connections of Fantastic Moon to reconsider supplementing the German Derby winner for Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.

Despite winning a recognised Arc trial over the course and distance in the Prix Niel, the Sea The Moon colt looked set to sidestep Europe’s premier middle-distance contest in favour of either a trip to the Breeders’ Cup or a tilt at the Japan Cup.

However, with little or no rain forecast in Paris in the run-up to Sunday’s showpiece, his team are now giving serious thought to adding him to the field on Wednesday at a cost of €120,000.

Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten of owners Liberty Racing said: “We discussed it yesterday, because the weather forecast is dry and the sun in shining in Paris, perhaps we will get good ground.

“We will decide as late as possible because every day is important for us. How the horse is, how is he looking and working.

“We have a few opportunities too with the Breeders’ Cup and the Japan Cup and now we have the option of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe again.

“We will see – our vet will check him, he will gallop in Munich and then we will see what’s going on and what the weather forecast will be in Paris.

“We decided two weeks ago that we would not run but the situation is new, the ground is better than we expected and the horse is better than we expected 14 days after the Prix Niel.

“It’s new information and a lot of horses are out of the race, so we will see.”

Hercule Du Seuil extended his winning run over fences to four with a stylish success in the Ballymore Group Irish EBF Kilbegnet Novice Chase at Roscommon.

A winner in Grade Two and Three company over hurdles, Willie Mullins’ charge suffered a shock defeat on his chasing bow at Ballinrobe back in May.

However, he has barely put a foot wrong in three subsequent starts, returning to Ballinrobe to claim a first win over fences before following up at Killarney and then in Grade Three company at Galway.

Kept to that level here, Hercule Du Seuil took up his usual position at the head of affairs under Mark Walsh and the 2-5 favourite barely had to hit top gear as he strolled home by 12 lengths from Calico, with The Banger Doyle beaten just a nose in third.

Hercule Du Seuil was encountering heavy ground for the first time and Frank Berry, racing manager for owner JP McManus, was delighted to see him rise to the challenge.

He said: “That was lovely. He jumped well, settled away and handled the ground.

“We didn’t know how he would handle the ground, but Mark said he handled it quite well. It’s loose and he got through it.

“We’ll see what happens when the better ones come out, but he’s going the right way and he’s had a good season so far. We’ll see what Willie wants to do with him.

“It’s a lovely race to find for him here and a flat track suits him well. You couldn’t have asked for better.”

Grand Alliance will not take up his entry in the Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp on Saturday after suffering a season-ending setback.

Winner of the Group Three John Porter Stakes at Newbury in the spring, the four-year-old was subsequently well held in both the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting.

However, stepped up to just shy of two miles for the Group Two Prix Kergorlay at Deauville last month, Grand Alliance bounced back to form to finish second under Ryan Moore, giving trainer Charlie Fellowes more options for the future.

But while the Newmarket handler had the option of sending his stable star back to France on Arc weekend, he has now been forced to draw stumps for the year.

He said: “Unfortunately Grand Alliance had a setback after France and we just decided to call it a day for the year. We’ll give him some time and hopefully he’ll be a nice stayer next year.

“He stayed the two miles well at Deauville, so it opens up a lot of doors. Ryan felt he’d stay as far as you want him to.”

Another horse who held an entry at ParisLongchamp for Fellowes is Marbaan, winner of last year’s Vintage Stakes at Goodwood and third in the Lennox on his return to the Sussex Downs last month.

However, the trainer revealed the son of Oasis Dream will not contest Prix de la Foret, having left his yard to continue his career in Dubai.

David Menuisier’s Sunway has Group One targets in France after his valiant second-placed run in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

The two-year-old, who is a full brother to 2021 Champion Stakes hero Sealiway, came into the race with something to prove after coming home sixth in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot in July.

He was beaten 15 and a half lengths by Richard Hannon’s Rosallion that day when starting at 5-2 after making a convincing winning debut at Sandown earlier in the term.

Rosallion also lined up on Town Moor and was the 4-5 favourite, but it was Charlie Hills’ Iberian who strode to a two-length success as Sunway came home the runner-up and Hannon’s contender was a further length and a half behind.

The run could now pave the way to Group One level for Sunway as Menuisier intends to target the horse at either the one-mile Criterium International or the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

“He ran really good race, he redeemed himself and that was important, for him to show what he’s truly capable of,” he said of the Champagne Stakes effort.

“He is definitely a really nice horse, he showed that he belongs to the elite.

“He is likely to go to France for one of the Criteriums next month, either the Criterium International or the Criterium de Saint-Cloud – one over one mile and one over one-mile-two.

“Mainly it is the going that will decide, because at that time of year you don’t really know what sort of ground you’re going to get.

“The main target will be the mile race, I think that is probably the most suitable for him at the moment.”

Also headed to Saint-Cloud is stablemate Devil’s Point, last seen finishing third when beaten a length and a half in the Solario Stakes at Sandown earlier in the month.

The Prix Thomas Bryon now awaits, a seven-furlong Group Three, after which the Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster will come into the picture.

“Devil’s Point is good, he’s got an entry in the Group Three at Saint-Cloud on Friday and that’s where he’s likely to go,” Menuisier said.

“It’s likely to be a stepping stone to potentially the Futurity Trophy at the end of October.”

One-time Classic hope Nostrum is unlikely to return until next season after connections ruled out an outing in Friday’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes at Newmarket.

Having rounded off his juvenile campaign with a third placed finish in the Dewhurst, the Kingman colt was considered a legitimate 2000 Guineas contender before injury intervened in the spring.

A spectacular return in a Listed event at Newmarket’s July meeting suggested Nostrum was ready to make up for lost time, but he suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Epictetus on his next start at Goodwood and finished lame when trailing home last of six in York’s Strensall Stakes last month.

The three-year-old is now back in work, but he will not take up his engagement on the Rowley Mile this week and connections are preparing to draw stumps for the season.

Barry Mahon, racing manager for Nostrum’s owner-breeders Juddmonte, said: “He won’t run on Friday, I spoke with Sir Michael this morning and he just wants to give the horse more time.

“It’s more than likely you won’t see the horse until next season.”

Task Force looks set to represent race sponsors Juddmonte in this weekend’s Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, with Saturday’s Mill Reef hero Array more likely to wait for a possible tilt at the Dewhurst Stakes next month.

The Andrew Balding-trained Array notched his second win from five career starts in Group Two company at Newbury and retains the option of turning out just seven days later for a Group One assignment on the Rowley Mile.

However, while no final decision has been made, Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon raised the possibility of the youngster instead being supplemented for the Dewhurst on October 14.

He said: “We left Array in to keep options open until we speak with the ownership group, but it’s probably less likely that he’ll run and we’ll see if the owners would like to give consideration to the Dewhurst a couple of weeks later.

“We just said we’d leave him in there (Middle Park) in case there was a lot of rain and the ground came up on the soft side, as he obviously showed he liked that on Saturday.

“He came out of the race so well Andrew just said we’d keep our options open.

“He’s not in the Dewhurst, so he’d have to be supplemented. Once we’ve spoken to the ownership group we’ll come up with a plan.”

Task Force, a son of two Guineas winners in Frankel and Special Duty, impressed on his debut for Ralph Beckett at Salisbury before landing a Listed prize at Ripon and further improvement can be expected.

Mahon added: “He’s an intended runner in the Middle Park. He’s in good form, Ralph is happy with him and he worked nicely on Saturday.

“It’s a big jump from a Listed race to a Group One, but he’s a well-bred horse and we’re hopeful he can make the jump.”

Beckett has a second string to his bow in the supplemented Sirenia Stakes winner Starlust, while Aidan O’Brien has confirmed Battle Cry, Military and Coventry Stakes hero River Tiber, with the last-named colt the obvious candidate as he looks to bounce back from defeat in the Prix Morny.

He could renew rivalry with the winner of that Group One contest at Deauville six weeks ago, Simon and Ed Crisford’s Vandeek.

The William Haggas-trained Gimcrack winner Lake Forest and Paddy Twomey’s Round Tower Stakes victor Letsbefrankaboutit also feature among 13 contenders.

Fourteen fillies remain in the mix for the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, with Relief Rally the potential favourite for the Haggas team.

The daughter of Kodiac’s only defeat in five starts to date came at Royal Ascot when beaten a nose by American raider Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary, since when she has landed the Super Sprint at Newbury and the Lowther Stakes at York.

Her potential rivals include unbeaten French-trained filly Jasna’s Secret, Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna, Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom and the consistent Soprano from George Boughey’s yard.

A top-class card gets under way with the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, in which Solario Stakes winner Aablan must be considered a major player for Charlie Appleby.

Aidan O’Brien is responsible for six of the 18 acceptors, with Capulet perhaps the most interesting having pushed stablemate Diego Velazquez close in a Leopardstown Group Two last time.

Roger Varian’s pair of Al Musmak and Defiance are also on the list, as are Ollie Sangster’s unbeaten youngster Per Contra and Beckett’s Macduff, runner-up to Al Musmak in a Haydock Listed event last time in the Juddmonte silks.

Mahon added: “It’s a possibility Macduff will run, it’s not a definite. We left him in there and we’ll see how he is during the week.

“I think we’ve said a few times he’s a big horse and it’s all about next year with him, but he seems in good shape and we’ll give strong consideration to running him.

“The horse that beat him at Haydock looked a very good horse that day, but you’re always hoping on a different day, on a different track and with a different set-up you might get a different result. You should never be afraid to give it a go.”

The Juddmonte team are also responsible for the ante-post favourite for the bet365 Cambridgeshire in Harry and Roger Charlton’s Greek Order.

A winner at Sandown in May and Newbury last month, the three-year-old will look to complete his hat-trick in the prestigious handicap.

Mahon said: “I’m looking forward to seeing him – he was very impressive on his last start.

“You’re always going to need a lot of luck in a Cambridgeshire with plenty of runners, but the ground should be OK and hopefully we get a nice draw and everything goes well.”

The weights for the Cambridgeshire are headed by Daniel and Claire Kubler’s York scorer Astro King, who is 1lb above the King and Queen’s Saga.

Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Alshinfarah could be headed for Newmarket’s Rockfel Stakes after a pleasing juvenile campaign so far.

The Shadwell homebred filly, who is by Noble Mission, made a winning start to her career when taking a Doncaster fillies’ maiden over seven furlongs in July.

She followed that victory with another at Haydock, this time in a novice event that she won by a length and a quarter when the only filly in the field.

Alshinfarah then took a step up to Group Three level at ParisLongchamp in early September for the Prix d’Aumale over mile, making the running under Jim Crowley and missing out by half a length when passed in the final strides of the race.

Philippart de Foy was nevertheless encouraged by the run and all being well, the bay will drop back to seven furlongs to contest the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket on Friday, a Group Two for which she is currently a 10-1 chance.

The trainer said: “The filly has been confirmed for the Rockfel on Friday and, depending on the weather, we will make a decision on Wednesday as to whether she runs or not.

“She came out of her French race in good form, she did a good piece of work on Saturday and we are very happy, everything is good with her.

“Her run in France was very good, she had to make the running for the first time over a mile, she was just caught in the last 50 yards but she didn’t disgrace herself at all. She was very gutsy.”