Sosie gained the role of future-book favorite for the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris on Oct. 6 with a comfortable win in Sunday’s Group 2 Prix Niel at the same track. European bookmakers made Sosie 4-1 for the $5.53 million, which, like the Prix Niel, is run at 1 1/2 miles. In the $144,200 Prix Niel, Sosie stalked 7-10 favorite Look de Vega to early stretch before taking the lead under jockey Maxime Guyon. Sosie (who paid $8.60 in American pools) won by 1 1/2 lengths over 6-1 Delius while being eased down in the final strides. Look de Vega, winner of the Group 1 French Derby in June, finished third by 3 1/2 lengths in his first start at 1 1/2 miles. Look de Vega was beaten for the first time in the Prix Niel in his fourth start. Sosie was third in the French Derby and rebounded to win the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at 1 1/2 miles for 3-year-old colts and fillies at Longchamp in July. The Prix Niel was restricted to 3-year-olds. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Look de Vega was as short as 7-2 for the Arc in recent days, and was 6-1 after the Prix Niel. Sosie, a colt by Sea the Stars, races for Alain and Gerard Wertheimer and trainer Ande Fabre. Sosie has won 4 of 6 starts. There were two other stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Longchamp on Sunday with implications for the Arc. Bluestocking ($7.40) won the day’s richest race, the Group 1 Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length over 5-1 Aventure. Ridden by Rossa Ryan for British trainer Ralph Beckett, Bluestocking was near the front throughout, took the lead with about three furlongs remaining and was fully extended to hold off Aventure. Beckett mentioned the Arc as a possibility for Bluestocking, a 4-year-old filly. The $665,000 Prix Vermeille was Bluestocking’s second consecutive win in a Group 1. She won the Pretty Polly Stakes for fillies and mares in Ireland in June. The 7-year-old gelding Irisene ($6) won the Group 2 Prix Foy against four rivals, but will not be part of the Arc field since geldings are not eligible. Irisene won the Prix Foy by a neck over 7-1 Zarir, who moved off the rail in early stretch and closed steadily to just miss. Continuous, the 4-5 favorite, set the pace, but faded to finish third by 2 3/4 lengths. Irisene, ridden by Marie Velon for trainer Jean-Pierre Gauvin. Zarir is also a gelding. Continuous, trained by Aidan O’Brien, was fifth in the 2023 Ac. Ireland review Bradsell enhanced his status as Europe’s top five-furlong sprinter with a second consecutive Group 1 win at the distance in Sunday’s Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland. Bradsell won the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at the same distance at York Racecourse in Britain in August. Both races provide a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at five furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 2. In the $443,000 Flying Five Stakes, Bradsell (who paid $6.20 as the favorite) finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 9-2 Believing, who was also second in the Nunthorpe. Bradsell started from post 14, while Believing began from the inside post. The field of 18 divided into groups, with Bradsell near the front in the group that raced closest to the stands and Believing racing behind the frontrunners in a group in the middle of the track. Bradsell, ridden by Hollie Doyle for trainer Archie Watson, took the lead with less than two furlongs remaining. Makarova (34-1) finished third. Watson said after the race that Group 1 Prix l’Abbaye at five furlongs at Longchamp on Oct. 6 is a possibility for Bradsell along with the BC Turf Sprint. Lake Victoria earned a berth to the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 1 with a slight upset in Sunday’s Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs at the Curragh. Lake Victoria ($13.60) closed from last in a field of five under jockey Wayne Lordan to lead in the final sixteenth. Lake Victoria, trained by Aidan O’Brien, finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 8-1 Simmering. The O’Brien-trained Exactly (19-1) finished third, a nose behind Simmering. The disappointment in the small field was O’Brien’s Bedtime Story, the 1-2 favorite who set the pace before fading in the final sixteenth. Lake Victoria, by Frankel, is unbeaten in three starts. O’Brien mentioned the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse in Britain on Sept. 28 as a possibility for Lake Victoria. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.