Longchamp's Prix Niel, the Group Two mile and a half event that has been used as an Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe stepping stone by the likes of Helissio, Peintre Celebre and Montjeu, is set to be Sinndar's next start.
John Oxx's double Derby winner has only once before raced outside Ireland, at Epsom last month, but September's French trial, which is confined to three-year-olds, is considered a more suitable warm-up event than Leopardstown's Champion Stakes on the same day.
"It would mean him having to travel but the Champion Stakes could turn out to be a very tough race, an objective in itself, and that would not be ideal," said Oxx yesterday.
However, the Curragh trainer was keen to emphasise he is not ruling out Leopardstown completely and several factors will have to be considered for Europe's top three-year-old, who has an 8 to 1 quote for the Arc in early October. One factor unlikely to figure, though, is the ground.
"That isn't really a consideration with him, although, I suppose, one wouldn't want him to run on very firm ground in a prep," added Oxx. "The horse is in fine shape at the moment."
The next big event in Ireland is the Oaks on Sunday week but Oxx was unable to give an upbeat bulletin about his chances of completing the Derby-Oaks double.
"I'm a little light on fillies this year. We do have Mouramara, who won nicely at Roscommon, but she's had some little problems since and we don't know if we'll be able to get her to the Oaks. We'll see how she is next week and how the race itself shapes up," he said.
Preseli remains on course for the Oaks after her short head second to Lady Upstage in last weekend's Pretty Polly Stakes.
"Even though it's always frustrating to be beaten a short head, she ran well and she stayed well, which I always thought she would," said Preseli's trainer Michael Grassick.
There's another eight-race session at Bellewstown this evening where Kevin Prendergast, 68 yesterday, can get a belated birthday present courtesy of Saffron Dancer in the Tattersalls Maiden.
This one has a couple of third placings behind the Eddie Lynam pair, Urban Legend and Gallito Castao, to his credit and tonight Declan McDonogh takes an extremely useful 3lb off his back. That could just swing it Saffron Dancer's way.
Navan's five furlongs may be Sally Pledge's idea of heaven but the Bellewstown five isn't totally different, and Sally Pledge should have come on enough for her Tipperary run behind Akebono to go close in the sprint handicap.
Helen's Quay rejoices in a 17 rating but goes into the first division of the 0-50 mile handicap scheduled to carry just 7-5, and it's worth remembering she was only just touched off by Treora over this course last year.
Banrion won over Cork's sprint track in the spring, so maybe Geraldo is a logical alternative in the 0-70 handicap; while John Daniel Moore is an interesting booking for the Willie Mullins-trained Mykon Gold in the last.
Chiang Mia (Aidan O'Brien) and Dollar Bird (John Dunlop) are both acceptors in the Group Three Prix Minerve at Deauville on Sunday.
