Unbeaten filly Avenir Certain has stamped herself as a contender for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with victory at Deauville.
The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained three-year-old won the French 1000 Guineas and the French Oaks earlier this season but dropped down in class for a comfortable win in the Group Two Prix de la Nonette (2000m).
She is now at 10-1 for the Arc in October.
“Avenir Certain is an extraordinary filly, a great champion,” Rouget said.
He said Avenir Certain would head straight to the Arc instead of running in the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp on September 14.
Rouget does, however, accept the the mile-and-and-a-half (2400m) of the Arc is a query.
“We are coming to the end of the season and you have to make choices,” he said.
“If she was running in the Vermeille I wouldn’t have run her in this race.
“My aim is to bring her to the Arc fresh. I am not convinced that she is a true 2400-metre filly but her class could compensate for that.
“We have nothing to lose. If she is beaten we can say it is because she didn’t stay and if she wins, well, it’s a bit early for that.
“We have nothing to lose and everything to win. If she is beaten we will keep her over a 2000-metre program as a four-year-old.
“It is very rare to get a horse like her so you need to make the most of it, we will worry about breeding later.
“She is a true-race filly, just like Goldikova or Moonlight Cloud.”