Teona won the Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp earlier this month, beating Aidan O'Brien's Arc hopeful Snowfall; Roger Varian's three-year-old is a 25-1 shot for Sunday's feature, live on Sky Sports Racing
Tuesday 28 September 2021 16:42, UK
Roger Varian is confident Teona is "peaking at the right time" ahead of her bid for glory in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
As a daughter of the brilliant Arc hero Sea The Stars and Group One-winning mare Ambivalent, the three-year-old had plenty to live up to from day one - but Varian has never made any secret of the regard in which she is held.
She was no match for Snowfall in either the Musidora Stakes at York or the Oaks at Epsom - but having returned from a break with a Listed success at Windsor last month, Teona turned the tables to inflict a shock defeat on Aidan O'Brien's filly in the Prix Vermeille.
The pair are set to renew rivalry over the same course and distance at ParisLongchamp this weekend - and while the betting suggests Snowfall is expected to reaffirm her superiority, Varian reports his charge could not be in better form.
"Her credentials are solid - and she has had a fairly light campaign, having had an easy time through the summer," said the Newmarket handler.
"She's fresh and has not been over-raced - she seems to be peaking at the right time for a race like this.
"We've been very happy with her since the Vermeille."
Teona will be bidding to become the seventh horse to win the Vermeille and the Arc in the same season, while four-time Arc-winning jockey Olivier Peslier will be in the saddle.
Varian is under no illusions about the task that lies ahead in Paris, with Teona a 25-1 shot with William Hill, but he is looking forward to the challenge.
He added: "It's a great race with serious opposition, but I think she's deserving of her place in the line-up, and hopefully her best days are still ahead of her.
"We can only worry about our filly and her condition, and we're happy she's going into the race in good shape.
"We want as good a ground as possible. The ground looks fairly safe up until the weekend, when there's some uncertainty over the forecast.
"We're obviously hoping the ground is good."
There were no withdrawals at Tuesday's second forfeit stage for the Arc, so 14 horses remain in contention before supplementary entries on Wednesday.
