Longchamp: The Home of Legends

Other than Royal Ascot there’s no other racecourse that quite matches the class of the newly renovated Paris Longchamp. It’s one of the most celebrated courses in the world of flat racing, mainly thanks to its hosting role of Europe’s most prestigious horse race – the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The race will once more be shown live on ITV Racing in 2018 and we will have Longchamp tips on the site.

The place oozes with luxury. From the claret banners of the sponsors Qatar to the breath-taking views from the now golden grandstand, it’s a course that is more than fit to host some of the world’s best races. That’s all without a mention of the Eiffel Tower peeking through the trees in the distance amongst the Autumn sunshine.

We were lucky enough to visit the track back in 2014 when Treve landed back-to-back runnings of the Arc. It looked to be in need of a little revamp back then, but after the Arc had been run we managed to get up into the seated area of the grandstand which gave you a full view of the track and would be well worth paying the extra few Euros to get up there for the full day if you can afford it.

The course itself is placed just to the South West of central Paris, tucked away inside the huge Bois de Boulogne, which is the French version of a country park. You’ll likely pass one or two runners and cyclists on your way in, or maybe even a glimpse of the Auteuil racecourse, which is just across the park.

In terms of hotels and restaurants, you’ve pretty much got an endless supply with the city centre of Paris quite literally on your doorstep. The Eiffel Tower is under a 20-minute drive away, or if you’re super keen, it’s less than an hour walk. One recommendation for a good sports bar in central Paris is the Moose, which you’ll find just a couple of minutes from the Odeon Metro stop.

Top 5 Longchamp Jockey – Last 5 Years

Christophe Soumillion – 82 wins from 420 rides
Maxime Guyon – 68 wins from 440 rides
Pierre-Charles Boudot – 52 wins from 334 rides
Mickael Barzalona – 43 wins from 264 rides
Stephane Pasquier – 36 wins from 316 rides

Top 5 Longchamp Trainers – Last 5 years

Andre Fabre – 62 wins from 328 runners
Alain de Royer-Dupre – 39 wins from 168 runners
Freddy Head – 27 wins from 132 runners
Jean-Claude Rouget – 26 wins from 122 runners
Carlos Laffon-Parias – 23 wins from 121 runners

Top 5 Longchamp Owners – Last 5 years

H H Aga Khan – 36 wins from 130 runners
Wertheimer and Frere – 28 wins from 140 runners
K Abdullah – 21 wins from 101 runners
Godolphin – 16 wins from 96 runners
Gerard Augustin-Normand – 13 wins from 122 runners

Longchamp – 3 British and Irish Horses to follow

Enable will be many people’s idea of a banker for the whole weekend at Longchamp never mind just in the Arc. An injury over the winter had a few doubting her credentials to land an historic Chantilly-Longchamp Arc double, but an impressive victory at Kempton last month, when trainer John Gosden reported her to be only 80% fit, has silenced any doubters. She’s picked up a seemingly plum draw in stall six as well and is, without doubt, the one to beat.
Battaash may well come with his quirks, but when the word ‘soft’ crops up in the going report he tends to do the business. That is exactly what he’ll get in the Prix de l’Abbaye this weekend and that should leave form readers purring, with two wins from two attempts in Group company on ground softer than good. That latest of those came when blitzing the field in this race last year at Chantilly, and like Enable, he could secure a historic Chantilly-Longchamp double, but will need to be bang on his game against some serious rivals.
Wild Illusion landed her first Group One in the Marcel Boussac at Chantilly last year and another trip to France could see her make it 2-2 on Arc weekend, this time in the Prix de l’Opera. She hasn’t been seen since making all in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood in August, runner-up efforts in both the Epsom Oaks and the Ribblesdale suggest she’s got the class to be extremely competitive, albeit in a tough race.