Racing: Montjeu heads market

MONTJEU, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, has been installed as the 11-8 favourite for Saturday's Japan Cup by Coral. Japan's Special Week, who finished second last year, is the 9-2 second favourite, with Mark Johnston's Fruits Of Love on 6-1. High-Rise, the 1998 Derby winner, who is yet to sparkle this season, is available at 8-1.

"If the going was soft, Montjeu would be long odds-on, but on this firm ground he is definitely beatable," Coral's spokesman, Simon Clare, said.

In Saturday's Hennessy Gold Cup, the market move yesterday was for Paul Nicholls' Earthmover, who was trimmed from 7-1 to 11-2 by the Tote and from 13-2 to 11-2 at William Hill.

HENNESSY GOLD CUP (Tote): 11-2 Earthmover (from 7-1), Spendid, 6-1 Hanakham (from 11-2), 7-1 Ever Blessed, 8-1 Djeddah, The Outback Way, 10-1 Fiddling The Facts (from 14-1), Tullymurry Toff, Young Kenny, 12-1 Betty's Boy, 14-1 others.