John Hammond today ruled Montjeu out of Saturday`s ESAT Digifone Irish Champion Stakes.
The Chantilly trainer has decided to keep his star colt closer to home and aim him instead at the Prix Foy at Longchamp 24 hours later.
He had warned last weekend that a planned trip to Leopardstown was doubtful for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes winner, due to a minor training setback.
And after mulling over his options for a few days Hammond has elected to use the Longchamp contest as the four-year-old`s prep race for the Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe.
'The horse will probably run at Longchamp on Sunday in the Prix Foy,' the trainer said.
'He has missed some work due to a slight setback and that is why he won`t be going to Ireland.
'But it is important that he has a run before the Arc. He is not at the top of his game but he is fine to run.'
Montjeu is odds-on favourite to repeat last year`s victory in the Arc, having made it three wins form three starts in 2000 with a highly-impressive length-and-three-quarter defeat of Fantastic Light in the King George.
Giant`s Causeway has been given the go ahead for Leopardstown providing he pleases connections in his final workout tomorrow.
The three-year-old`s trainer Aidan O`Brien said: 'Giant`s Causeway will do a nice swinging canter in the morning and if we are happy with him we`ll declare him for Leopardstown.
'I would like to run him, obviously, but I just want to see how he is after the spin before we make our final decision.
'If he runs we`ll run something else, what that will be we don`t know yet.'
The Ballydoyle trainer also has Rothmans Royals St Leger entry Lermontov in the Irish Champion Stakes.
But he said: 'If Giant`s Causeway runs in the Champion, at this stage, Lermontov could run in the Listed race (Palmers Golden Ball Foxrock Stakes) at Leopardstown and that would mean Rostropovich would probably run in the St Leger and Joplin would run in the Flying Childers.'
Rostropovich is a 33-1 chance with Ladbrokes for the St Leger.
Dermot Weld`s Muakaad is also entered in both the Champion and Foxrock Stakes and the Curragh-based trainer said: 'If the good horses run in the Champion then Muakaad will run in the Listed race.'
