Dar Re Mi Arc run on hold as owners wait on Paris appeal.

Byline: Desmond Stoneham ; Jon Lees

Monday Thursday THE connections of Dar Re Mi left Paris yesterday hopeful of overturning the filly's controversial demotion from first place in the Prix Vermeille, but a run in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe remains in the balance.

With a return to Longchamp a week on Sunday dependent on the outcome of the hearing, there will be no announcement on running plans for the Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webberowned four-year-old until after France Galop officials make their decision public on Tuesday. Dar Re Mi is as short as 10-1 to win the Arc, behind odds-on favourite Sea The Stars.

Madeleine Lloyd Webber and trainer S JoS hn Gosden attended yesterday's two-hour appeal against the Longchamp stewards' decision to demote Dar Re Mi for causing interference in the Group 1, in which she beat Stacelita.

Gosden said: "They listened very well and it was a very balanced hearing. They listened clearly to our arguments and looked at the whole race. The statements from the jockey of the German filly Soberania [Johan Victoire] were very helpful to our position, and we are extremely hopeful that an injustice will be undone. We will leave it at that."

Lady Lloyd-Webber said: "I hope we had a fair hearing, they were very gracious, polite and professional. We won't make any decision on whether Dar Re Mi will run in the Arc until next Wednesday, when we know the result of the appeal, how she is working and the ground and weather. We must then see what the boss thinks."

The Lloyd-Webbers' case was presented by solicitor Jean-Etienne Giamarchi, who highlighted two incidents, the second involving Stacelita's pacemaker that he claimed was overlooked at the original inquiry.

"When you look at the race, you realise that Soberania was in her rightful place [fifth] and we don't see an interference big enough to justify the demotion. Johan Victoire was able to ride her out to the line and didn't lift his hands," he said.

"The second point is more important and was not picked up by the stewards. If there was, in fact, interference, it was caused originally by an important movement by Volver, who was pacemaking for Stacelita.

"The rules of racing state that if one horse is coupled with another in the same ownership, and one of them gets in the way of another, the two should be penalised. The English are protesting against an injustice because they have the feeling that only Dar Re Mi was penalised and Stacelita wasn't."

Preparations for the Arc continued elsewhere as Conduit, Britain's leading hope, completed a racecourse gallop at Sandown yesterday morning. Watched by trainer Sir Michael Stoute, Conduit covered nine furlongs under regular work-rider Neil Varley in the company of two stable companions, Crystal Capella [Ryan Moore] and Lang Shining, kicking about two and a half lengths clear at the finish.

Peter Reynolds, manager of owners Ballymacoll Stud, said: "He is in good order. These horses need something like racing, so the gallop and travelling away would have helped him a bit."

Magadan, owned by the Wildenstein family and a three-time course winner, has recovered from an abscess on his near hind heel - which caused him to miss the Prix Foy - and is now set to run on Sunday week.

Trainer Elie Lellouche said yesterday: "I find him in very good shape and all lights are green for a run in the Arc. I am hoping it will rain as he does better on a soft surface, and even heavy. Magadan is at home at Longchamp."

The ground at Longchamp is good, with clerk of the course Christian Delporte set to water last night.

"The going is good and we will be putting 5mm of water on the track this evening as a matter of prudence," he said.

"I am still aiming to have good ground for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meeting in ten days' time."

Only light rain is forecast for the Paris region for the next six days, although there is more uncertainty about the weather from Thursday onwards. For up-to-the-minute news on inspections, abandonments and the latest going updates visit racingpost.com

CAPTION(S):

Conduit (Neil Varley) starts to draw clear of his stablemates in yesterday's Sandown workout