Milan to break the mould

Milan will be Aidan O'Brien's first serious attempt at winning tomorrow's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-Lucien Barriere but history and the elements were presenting the Ballydoyle trainer with a headache last night.

A reading of 3.9 on the Longchamp penetrometer is not good news for the main Irish hope and the racecourse manager Gerard Grandchamp reported: "It looks like being very soft ground - but not as bad as it was a couple of years ago." In 1999 Montjeu overhauled El Condor Pasa on a quagmire, a race that featured O'Brien's sole Arc runner to date, Genghis Khan, who ran as a pacemaker for the winner.

Milan boasts much different credentials, principally a stunning success in the Doncaster St Leger, but it's that victory, along with the going, that was concerning O'Brien yesterday.

"A Leger winner has never won the Arc. Even Nijinsky got beat in it so that looks the biggest bogey. We're hoping for the best," said O'Brien who at least got a partial edge with the draw yesterday.

The inner rail is slightly faster than the rest of the track and Milan has stall one. That contrasts with the favourite Sakhee who will be marooned in stall 15 but the surface remains a worry.

"Milan would not want it heavy, or anything like it. It's not mad in his favour. Given a choice between fast or heavy for Milan, I would go for fast every time. He has plenty of pace." Nevertheless, conditions should bring Milan's proven stamina into play.