Horse racing in France often goes under the radar in Britain and Ireland but that rule certainly doesn’t apply to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. It’s the richest horse race in Europe and the prize fund is around €5,000,000. The race dates back to 1920, when the winning prize was 150,000 francs.
Hosted by Longchamp racecourse, it always takes place on the first weekend in October. That means the big race takes place on Sunday and it’s sure to be another cracker. Check out our free tips page, where you can find daily content.
It’s a Group 1 over 1m4f and the top middle-distance horses around the world come to compete. Japan has become a rising force in middle-distance turf racing internationally and they will be keen to get a winner up on the board in the next few years.
The Arc truly is an international race and we’ve had winners from France, Britain, Ireland and Germany all within the last decade. France have won three of the last 10 renewals and British raiders have come out on top five times.
Some big names have won this race over the years, including the likes of Dancing Brave Mill Reef and Alleged back in the 70s and 80s. More recently the race has been won by superstars such Enable, Sea The Stars and Zarkava.
French trainer Andre Fabre holds the record with eight Arc successes, whilst the legendary Frankie Dettori had six winners as a jockey. No horse has won the race more than twice, with eight horses holding the distinction of two victories, including the John Gosden-trained Enable.
Andre Fabre is the obvious one here, as the record holder, but fellow Frenchman Jean-Claude Rouget is also one to watch. He won with Sottsass back in 2020 and the excellent Ace Impact came out on top two years ago.
John Gosden has an excellent recent record, with three wins since 2015 and it won’t be long until he and Thady add another to the list. Historically it has been one race in which Aidan O’Brien often struggles, which is a rarity, but he does have two wins to his name and is probably the best trainer in the world.
The vast majority of Arc winners are three of four, although interestingly we have had two five-year-old winners in the last six years. It’s important not to read too much into this as most top middle-distance horses go to stud earlier, which explains that to an extent, but it’s worth bearing in mind.
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