Sarafina strengthened her position as favourite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as she overcame trouble to run out a narrow winner of the Qatar Prix Foy at Longchamp.

Christophe Lemaire was content to sit last of the four runners behind a steady early gallop set by last year's Arc runner-up Nakayama Festa from Japan, and Aidan O'Brien's St Nicholas Abbey briefly hit the front over a furlong out.

Lemaire suddenly had nowhere to go as the second Japanese challenger, Hiruno D'Amour, hemmed him in, but he forced his mount through a small gap and she showed plenty of courage to take the opportunity. Hiruno D'Amour finished second.

Installed Arc favourite when Derby winner Pour Moi had to be retired, Sarafina was cut to 3-1 by Coral, Ladbrokes and Stan James, and to 7-2 by Betfred.

The owner of the winner, the Aga Khan, said: "She's been very keen in her races before and the main thing we are trying to do is get her settled.

"She'd prefer a faster run race as they went quick early but then slowed down. It's always going to be a fast pace in the Arc.

"She's from a family that you have to wait a long time for, that's the nature of the game."

O'Brien said of St Nicholas Abbey, who finished third: "We're happy with him, he was fresh beforehand but he ran well. He'd have preferred a stronger pace.

"We came here with the idea of looking at the Arc and now we'll go home and digest it."

He added of So You Think, prominent in the betting for the Arc: "It's way off still and it hasn't been decided whether he'll run in the Arc."