For the thousands of rosbifs battling through the fire-damaged tunnel to France this weekend, patriotic expectation may be a missing ingredient of the annual pilgrimage. It will be an almighty upset if the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe does not conform to the precedents of the big-race summer by being trained in either France or Ireland.

The Arc is now the richest turf race in the world, doubled in value to €4million (about £3.1 million) under its new sponsors from Qatar, but that is only likely to underline the fact that the best middle-distance horses of this era are not based in Britain.

Four contenders from this country remained at declaration time yesterday but only Youmzain is trading at shorter than 20-1, and that owes much to his runner-up heroics in the race last year. Two of the others are trained by Sir Michael Stoute, who has never won the Arc and can have limited pretensions with either Ask or Papal Bull.

Intriguingly, the final British-trained runner is in the hands of Godolphin, no great recommendation on the form of this summer but at least a stable with solid Arc pedigree. Saeed bin Suroor, indeed, is the only trainer to send out Arc winners from this country since 1989, and he has done so three times.

Schiaparelli, the Godolphin candidate, is something of a wild card, having had only one run for the stable after a year off. But his nine previous wins include four group ones in Germany and Italy and victory tomorrow would provide dramatic redemption for the bleakest of years.

Much more likely, of course, is that Zarkava will justify the hype around her and become the first winning filly in 15 years, or that the wide sweep of dominance exerted by Aidan O'Brien this year will take a second successive Arc back to Co Tipperary.

Johnny Murtagh, O'Brien's stable jockey, was declared to ride Duke Of Marmalade yesterday but with the clear proviso that further rain - on a track now reported good to soft - would see him switch to Soldier Of Fortune.

Zarkava, unbeaten in six runs, maintains favouritism even after being drawn one, on the inside rail, which her trainer, Alain de Royer-Dupré, conceded is “not ideal”.