Irish Champion remains the number one focus for Vadeni

Connections concentrating on Leopardstown before any decision on future plans.

The team behind Vadeni are concentrating solely on the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes before any decisions are made on future targets.

The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained colt is firmly on course for Leopardstown on Saturday, where he will seek a third successive Group One victory after winning the Prix du Jockey Club and Coral-Eclipse.

A Christophe Soumillon interview with Equidia on Monday suggested the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was a possibility, should the Aga Khan’s three-year-old run well at the weekend.

But connections have previously been cool on the idea of stepping up to a mile and a half, with Ireland the number one priority after Sandown.

Georges Rimaud, the Aga Khan’s manager in France, told the PA news agency: “Nothing is excluded, and nothing is confirmed (on future plans).

“It (the Arc) has not been the primary goal for this horse. It all depends on what happens on Saturday, and we can decide then or later afterwards. It was not the original objective, and that’s where we are.

“We’ll see if he stays, not everyone is certain he will stay. If he does, great, anything can happen.

“He is by Churchill, he was a good two-year-old over a mile but I don’t think he ever ran over a mile and a half. He might have been by Galileo, but he was a fast son of Galileo.

All smiles for connections of Vadeni at Sandown
All smiles for connections of Vadeni at Sandown (Nigel French/PA)

“The horse might stay, but at the moment nothing is excluded and nothing is confirmed.”

Of a rematch in the Irish Champion with Eclipse runner-up Mishriff, plus Onesto and Luxembourg, among others, Rimaud added: “He is bound to meet a lot of very good horses, and I think he is one of them also.

“Competition is what it is, and we have to face it. We are really looking forward to it.

“No Baaeed, you never know, maybe they will meet one day, but I doubt it somehow.”

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