The three favourites - Montjeu, Daylami and El Condor Pasa - were among 23 initial acceptors yesterday for Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.

Daryaba, fourth choice in most ante-post lists, pleased trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre by working well at Chantilly yesterday.

"It was just a routine piece of work to keep her ticking over so it was nothing serious. She handled the underfoot conditions well," de Royer-Dupre said.

De Royer-Dupre will also run his Prix Ganay winner, Dark Moondancer, in the Arc, with Pat Eddery in the saddle.

The dual Group winner was scheduled to work between races at Maisons-Laffitte yesterday, while Borgia, the sole representative of Andre Fabre, was due to work at Chantilly.

Aidan O'Brien's Genghis Khan and the Noel Meade-trained Sunshine Street are the two Irish acceptors but both are likely to miss the race. Noel Meade, Sunshine Street's trainer, said: "We are going to take him out tomorrow. He'll go instead for the Turf Classic in New York on October 9th and then he will stay over there, possibly with Neil Drysdale."

The ground, which was very soft on Monday at 3.9 on the penetrometer scale, had softened even further yesterday to 4.4, holding.

Michael Grassick's San Sebastian, third in the race last year, is an acceptor for Saturday's Prix du Cadran.

The English-trained acceptors are: Invermark (James Fanshawe), Celeric (John Dunlop), Pozarica (Godolphin), Largesse (John Berry) and the Paul Cole pair Mowbray and Generosity. Strategic, from the John Oxx stable, is one of eight acceptors from Ireland and England for the Prix Dollar. The others are: Handsome Ridge (John Gosden), Lear Spear (David Elsworth), Haami (Dunlop), Pegnitz (Clive Brittain), Sure Dancer (Cole), Goombayland (Jeremy Noseda) and Kabool (Godolphin).