International mission an option for Zarakem

Royal Ascot runner-up could head to York’s showpiece contest.

Jerome Reynier is considering the Juddmonte International as a potential stepping-stone to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Zarakem following his excellent effort in defeat at Royal Ascot.

Having disappointed as favourite for the Prix Ganay, the French raider was a widely unconsidered 33-1 shot for what looked a red-hot renewal of Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes, but did his connections proud by emerging best of the rest behind the now six-time Group One winner Auguste Rodin.

“It was just unreal, Maxime (Guyon) rode the perfect race from the inside,” said his trainer.

“I think Auguste Rodin was very hard to beat that day, but we were a clear second and he has run the best race of his life.

“He has now shown that he’s able to win a Group Two on heavy ground and finish second to a top-class horse in a Prince of Wales’s on fast ground, so he’s very versatile and a pure athlete.”

Reynier has identified Europe’s premier middle-distance contest back on home soil at ParisLongchamp in October as the four-year-old’s ultimate target, but he could first return to Britain for another top-level prize at York in late August.

He added: “He seems to be improving mentally and physically, so maybe the best is yet to come and we can aim for the Arc at the end of the year with him.

“He won a Group Two in Longchamp, so he handles the track and he doesn’t mind the ground and he promises to be a horse who could have a decent chance in the Arc.

“Maybe we will go to York for the Juddmonte International, that would be an interesting race and it is right between the Prince of Wales’s and the Arc, so it could be a good race to run in.

“I think he will only have one more run (before the Arc), just with all the travel and everything and he’s a horse who likes his races spaced out quite a bit, so it would be better to arrive in the Arc without too many runs under his belt.

“We want him to be fresh for the end of the year because after the Arc he could go for the Japan Cup or the Hong Kong Vase.”

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