All roads lead to the Arc for Fabre and Mqse De Sevigne

Andre Fabre’s talented mare won the Prix Rothschild and the Romanet last summer and was long odds-on to repeat the double in the hands of Alexis Pouchin.

After being settled at the rear of the five-strong field for much of the 10-furlong contest, the five-year-old was produced to challenge in the straight and knuckled down well to claim victory by a head, with her rider keen to ensure she did not have a hard time of things.

Joseph O’Brien saddled the second and third in American Sonja and Maxux, with Blue Rose Cen running her best race of the season so far in a close-up fourth.

Following her victory 12 months ago, Mqse De Sevigne dropped back to a mile in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket, finishing second to Inspiral, but this season she is set to step up to a mile and a half for the first time in a bid to provide her trainer with a record-extending ninth victory in the Arc.

Coral eased her odds to 33-1 from 20-1 for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest, but Fabre is nevertheless looking forward to seeing her line up at ParisLongchamp in early October.

“She’s a great mare, she is beautiful and has all that you can expect from a well-bred thoroughbred,” the master trainer told Sky Sports Racing.

“Keep in mind that she wins all her races by a nose or a short head. That (Arc) was the plan and it will stay that way – we will go straight for the Arc.”