Dettori for Lammtarra

Racing

Racing

JOHN COBB

There is to be no emotional reunion in Paris between Walter Swinburn and his Derby- winning mount Lammtarra. The Godolphin management announced yesterday that Lanfranco Dettori, who replaced Swinburn on Lammtarra in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, will keep the ride for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday week.

Swinburn will partner Balanchine, last year's Oaks winner under Dettori, for Godolphin.

The announcement gave the big bookmakers the opportunity to shorten the Arc price of Lammtarra, but to be fair they could not be accused of being over-cautious, for once. As no horse has emerged from the autumn trials with great credit, Lammtarra's odds of 5-1 had looked tempting and his new top price of 9-2 with Coral still holds attraction. The same firm also quote the best price about Swain -14-1 rather than the 10-1 of William Hill and the 8-1 with Ladbrokes. Swain, held in high regard by Andre Fabre, has built a five-race unbeaten sequence. He acts on the soft ground that is likely to prevail in Paris and has been confirmed as a runner.

The danger of long-range betting on horses that are not certain runners was reinforced yesterday when Medaille Militaire, the 10-1 second favourite for the Cambridgeshire on Saturday week, was declared instead to run at Ascot this Saturday in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes.

The centrepiece at Ascot, though, is the pounds 250,000 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, in which the winners of Royal Ascot's Coronation and St James's Palace Stakes, Ridgewood Pearl and Bahri, return to the scene of their triumphs to claim the title of Europe's champion miler.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: Coral: 9-2 Lammtarra, 8-1 Carnegie, Balanchine, 12-1 Tamure (with a run), 14-1 Swain, Carling, Pure Grain, Hernando, 16- 1 others.

William Hill: 4-1 Lammtarra, 5-1 Balanchine, 6-1 Carnegie, 10-1 Swain, 12-1 Carling, Pure Grain, 14-1 Freedom Cry, Lando, 16-1 Hernando, Housamix, Poliglote, Presenting, Winged Love, 20-1 others.

Ladbrokes: 4-1 Lammtarra, 5-1 Balanchine, 8-1 Swain, Carnegie, 10-1 Carling, 12-1 Pure Grain, 14-1 Hernando, 16-1 Strategic Choice, Winged Love, 20- 1 others.

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes: Entries: Bishop Of Cashel, Flemensfirth, Harayir, Bahri, Missed Flight, Soviet Line, Mr Martini, Ridgewood Pearl, Muhab.