The Aidan O'Brien-trained pair of Dylan Thomas and Soldier Of Fortune remain on track to head a powerful Irish team for Sunday's prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meeting in Paris, where horses from this country could run in all six Group One races.

As well as the Arc itself, where Dylan Thomas and Soldier Of Fortune, winners of the last two Budweiser Irish Derbys, appear to represent the main threat to the warm favourite, Authorized, Jim Bolger's star filly Finsceal Beo is on target to travel to Longchamp for the Prix de l'Opera.

A total of 11 opponents, including the Epsom Oaks heroine Light Shift, remain possible for Finsceal Beo, who will be making her third career visit to the Paris track.

In May she was denied a classic treble when Darjina edged her out of the French 1,000 Guineas but last year Finsceal Beo burst on the international scene with an impressive success in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

This time round, Dermot Weld's Mad About You and Aidan O'Brien's Dundalk all-weather winner Savethisdanceforme are the contenders for France's main race of the year for juvenile fillies, which is run over a mile.

Mad About You ran third to Saoirse Abu and Listen in the Moyglare on her last start, the form of which was boosted by Listen's victory in the Meon Stud fillies mile at Ascot last weekend.

The Ballydoyle team will have three to choose from in the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere - Greatwallofchina, Minneapolis and Magna Cum Laude - where just one home-trained colt, Andre Fabre's Shediak, is set to line up against Godolphin's National Stakes runner-up Rio De La Plata.

Dandy Man is the sole Irish entry for the five-furlong Prix de l'Abbaye, while in the two-and-a-

half-mile Prix Du Cadran, Yeats remains the most likely O'Brien starter although the Melbourne Cup hope Scorpion remains among the dozen left in the race.

There will also be Irish interest in Saturday's Group races at Longchamp, with Kevin Prendergast entering Mores Wells in the Group Two Prix Chaudenay and Decado in the Group Two Prix Daniel Wildenstein.

Aidan O'Brien has All My Loving in the Prix de Royallieu, and his French import US Ranger remains a possible to return to Longchamp for the Group One Prix de la Forêt.

Elletelle will attempt to secure a first top-flight victory for her Co Meath trainer, Ger Lyons, in tomorrow's Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket, where she will be joined by Perfect Polly, who is trained in Tyrone by Andrew Oliver.

Achilles Of Troy and Rock Of Rochelle will be the Irish representatives in the Middle Park Stakes, where the Gimcrack winner Sir Gerry heads the home team.

In home news, Horse Racing Ireland yesterday announced five additional fixtures over the next six weeks including an extra meeting at Leopardstown on Saturday, November 3rd, the day before the traditional curtain call on the end of the flat turf season.

The other fixtures are Gowran on Friday, October 19th, Fairyhouse on Tuesday, October 23rd, Punchestown on Tuesday, October 30th and Limerick on Monday, November 12th.

Gowran hosts an all-flat card this afternoon that could well turn into something of a beano for the John Oxx-Michael Kinane team, kicking off with Carbonia in the opening fillies maiden.

This juvenile carried the famous Gerry Oldham colours into second behind Chinese White on her Leopardstown debut despite a troubled passage through the race.

With normal improvement for that outing, Carbonia should be hard to beat this time.

Oxx introduces an interesting newcomer in the colts maiden in the shape of Arizona John, who is by Rahy out of the 1999 Moyglare winner Preseli. Houmairi has ground to make up on Don Pedro Mendoza on Listowel running behind Air Twist but the Oxx runner was a warm favourite that day and could be worth another chance, while Lilanda's rating puts her at the forefront of the nine-furlong fillies maiden.

Orbit O'Gold sprang a 50-1 surprise in a Grade Two hurdle at Punchestown last Spring and looks an interesting contender for the mile-and-a-half handicap under John Murtagh.