Alex Hammond: Kew the music!

Sky Sports News' Alex Hammond looks ahead to Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend in her latest blog as well as the pick of the domestic action on Saturday.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe glitters brightest on a fabulous weekend's action… who is your pick for the big race?

Well Enable is sure to be pretty hot after her reappearance win at Kempton and apparently everything has gone well with her since that race a month ago. She's Sky Bet's 11/10 favourite though and I'm happy to stick with my each-way selection Kew Gardens. Sky Bet are paying four places in the Arc and I hope you got on when I tipped him up a couple of weeks ago at 12/1. He's now a 9/1 shot, so still offers each-way value and that extra place could be crucial with the likes of Sea Of Class and the well-backed Waldgeist in the field. Just to refresh your memory he was only ninth in the Derby, before winning the Queen's Vase over a mile-and-three-quarters at Royal Ascot, but he then showed that he wasn't too slow for a mile and a half with a good turn of foot to win the Grand Prix de Paris at Sunday's venue ParisLongchamp. There is plenty of speed in his pedigree so I could easily see him running into a place for his now in-form trainer Aidan O'Brien.

Kew Gardens: 9/1 at Sky Bet for the Arc - click on the picture for latest prices

At 6/4 is Battaash a tempting price as he bids to follow up his sensational win in last year's Prix de l'Abbaye?

Well I'm not full of confidence after his York run, but he is certainly brilliant on his day. I'm more inclined to take a chance on improving three-year-old Tantheem; Freddy Head trains the filly for Battaash's owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, but would have to persuade her owner to supplement her for this race. Head has won this race as both a jockey and trainer. He dropped Tantheem down to five furlongs for the first time at this track last month and she was an impressive winner. This is clearly a completely different and more challenging test against the best sprinters in Europe, but she has untapped potential over the minimum trip and is another horse I'd be happy to back each-way with four places available once again from Sky Bet. She is currently an 8/1 shot and whilst she's not bred to be a sprinter, she defies that and has loads of pace and is interesting in a race where most of the runners know each other well.

Can any of the GB and Irish raiders spoil the Polydream party in the Prix de la Foret?

Speaking of Freddy Head, he'll be hoping this horse can win and give him a big race double on Arc weekend. You may remember that she spoiled the Group 1 party herself for Newmarket trainer George Scott when getting up close home to collar James Garfield in the Prix Maurice De Gheest at Deauville in August. The Foret is run over the specialist trip of seven furlongs and Polydream is also a winner over the trip which is a bonus. I think she will be a tough nut to crack, but she's up against some interesting British raiders aside from James Garfield. The most interesting for me is Sir Dancealot. David Elsworth supplemented this horse for the Sprint Cup at Haydock last month, but he came unstuck in the heavy ground over six furlongs and will be much better suited to a step back up. He appears to be improving and has struck up a good relationship with Gerald Mosse who certainly has plenty of experience of this ParisLongchamp track. He's Sky Bet's 11/2 second favourite and if things go right could give the 6/4 favourite a fright.

French trainer Freddy Head saddles Polydream in the Foret - click on the picture for latest prices

Is there anything else running at ParisLongchamp this weekend that you're looking forward to seeing or backing?

One horse that jumps out at me is Addeybb who could run in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein on Saturday. I'm hoping the ground isn't too quick for William Haggas' four-year-old in this one mile Group 2. He was last seen in action in the Lockinge at Newbury back in May when the good to firm ground was too fast for him and he ran accordingly. He was due to reappear in the Irish Champion Stakes, but once again the fast ground meant he bypassed the group 1. Given that he was progressive before that Newbury run in the spring and was thought good enough to run at Leopardstown, I give him an outstanding chance of winning this race. Let's just hope the ground is suitable.

On the domestic front it's the Sun Chariot at Newmarket and the Challenge Cup Handicap at Ascot - what's on your radar for these races?

If I go against Clemmie and she wins the Sun Chariot I'll be gutted. She has to prove that she's as good this season as she was as a juvenile though and my faith is wavering. She certainly put up an improved performance in the Matron Stakes last time out when third behind Laurens and the now retired Alpha Centauri, who was injured in the race at Leopardstown. The stumbling block at Newmarket on Saturday is the aforementioned Laurens and beating her won't be easy. Having said that, I'm going to remain loyal to Clemmie and hope that she hasn't shown her best this season due to the well-publicised virus that afflicted Aidan O'Brien's horses in the earlier part of the campaign. He is certainly firing on all cylinders now with an impressive 30 per cent strike rate recently and I'm hoping his storming autumn continues here. Laurens is Sky Bet's 9/4 favourite and selection Clemmie is a tempting 5/1 shot.

Finally, on to Ascot and the tricky Challenge Cup and another horse I'm wary of deserting. Gilgamesh is well capable of running a big race in this seven-furlong contest if things go well, but I'm concerned that the handicapper may just have him in his grip after some decent efforts this campaign. I wonder if we could see another big Saturday handicap go the way of John Gosden after the brilliant win of Wissahickon in last weekend's Cambridgeshire? He is represented by Il Primo Sole here, a three-year-old that ran in the French 2000 Guineas just three starts back. Seven furlongs seems to be his preferred trip though and a mark of 103 is probably fair. He ran in the Britannia after his run in the French Group 1, finishing a very creditable fifth off a one pound lower rating than his current mark but then disappointed over this course and distance in the International at the end of July. He can be forgiven that effort and conditions on Saturday should be ideal. He's 8/1 with Sky Bet.