Regarded by many as the most prestigious race in the world, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe sees the best horses of both genders, excluding geldings, clash to see who comes out on top.
The race, which takes place on the first weekend in October at ParisLongchamp over a mile and a half, has been won by some of the greatest to grace the turf, including Sea The Stars, Treve and Enable.
This year, another star-studded line-up is set to do battle in the French capital. Here’s a look at some possible leading contenders…
Carlos and Yann Lerner’s Look De Vega is the current favourite for the race. This three-year-old son of Lope De Vega is unbeaten to date. From three runs, he has produced three wins and his last was certainly eye-catching due to his turn of foot and the ease of the win in the French Derby.
In his races to date, he has easily got the better of well-known names like Ghostwriter, Diego Velazquez and Sosie.
None of these challenges have seemed like too much for him yet and his limit certainly hasn’t been reached.
His trainers believed the best thing to do was wait with him as he is such a big horse, and this has clearly paid off. After his last win, Yann Lerner said: “He does have an entry in the Arc and I think he can stay the mile and a half, absolutely no doubt.
“The Arc can be a very tricky race and he can adapt to those conditions – he is a horse that ticks all the right boxes because he has shown what he can do in the future.”
Sosie is Andre Fabre’s leading contender in the race. The son of Sea The Stars had his odds nearly halved after his Group One win in the Grand Prix de Paris, in which he ran on well and drew clear of a strong field, even beating the Queen’s Vase winner Illinois in testing conditions.
He will not arrive at the Arc with a perfect record, as he has finished third behind Look De Vega, but he has two course wins at Longchamp and is an interesting contender.
Fabre is the leading trainer in the race with an impressive eight victories in the bag, and will be looking to notch another.
Aidan O’Brien is no stranger to winning the illustrious race and Opera Singer could be his best shot this year. But this season has not been all plain sailing as she did suffer a setback, seeing her miss the original target of the English Guineas.
This is the shortest filly in the betting after a strong three-year-old career, placing in every run. The excellent form features a third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, a second in the Coronation Stakes and most recently a solid win in the Nassau Stakes.
Opera Singer is untried beyond the 10 furlongs she ran at Goodwood. However, she does hold a whole host of entries which could see her feature over further before the Arc.
Ryan Moore has given his support to this daughter of Justify from the early stages.
O’Brien’s colt for the Arc is City Of Troy. He was a thoroughly-impressive two-year-old but has had a well-documented rollercoaster of a season.
It seemed in the 2000 Guineas, when he was sent off the short-priced favourite, that he had not trained on and the bubble had burst on his potential. But in The Derby he showed how good he really is by comfortably winning before underwhelming in the Coral-Eclipse with a workmanlike victory.
His next target is the Juddmonte International which could further secure his place at the Arc, which has always been the long-term target.
Joseph O’Brien’s contender is somewhat of a frustrating horse and has struggled to continue at the top in his four-year-old career.
Last year saw him produce a narrow second to Ace Impact in a prep race for the Arc. On his last-but-one start in the Coral-Eclipse, he travelled strongly late on, making up a lot of ground to take second in the closing stages.
He went on last time out to win a German Group One by five lengths, booking his ticket into the Arc.
He will need to continue in this vein to notch a first Arc win for Joseph O’Brien but it is very unlikely he will be out again before the big contest.
Economics (10/1) is currently unbeaten this season with three solid runs to his name – including one in the trial race for this, the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano, in which he again looked something special. However, William Haggas has suggested he would rather go for the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
Sparkling Plenty (16/1) was another unbeaten as a two-year-old but has had a slightly rocky season so far. She is untried over the distance but does have a lovely turn of foot. Additionally, she has form at the top level, winning the French Oaks. Last time out at Goodwood, she finished third behind Opera Singer in the Nassau Stakes.
White Birch (16/1) is another that is unbeaten this year with three nice wins to his name, but that does not paint the full picture. The four-year-old bettered Auguste Rodin last time out but problems keep popping up for the son of Ulysses, with an unsatisfactory scope ruling him out of the Eclipse and further fitness woes appearing ahead of the Juddmonte International. His new aim is the Champion Stakes.
Watch the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe live on Sky Sports Racing on October 6.
