• Combine a trip to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a round of golf at the host of the 2018 Ryder Cup, Le Golf National. With this experience you will spend an additional night in Paris, staying at the Novotel Saint Quentin, the on-site hotel of Le Golf National.
• Sep 15, 2017 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Enable has been by far and away the best middle-distance horse of the season so far, cementing her position as the leading 1m 4f of her generation with wins in the English and Irish Oaks before going on to lower the colours of a stellar field of older horses in the King George at Ascot when last seen.
• Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 race run over a mile and a half, open to horses aged three and older, and usually takes place on the first Sunday in October. Often referred to as the ‘Arc’, it is one of the most prestigious Flat races in Europe. The Arc meeting grows in stature each year, with the Arc itself now worth €5,000,000, making it the.

The 2019 flat racing season has offered up some of the most wonderous races and stories of the sporting year, and while the sun is about to set on another summer campaign, perhaps the best is yet to come in Paris this Sunday afternoon as Longchamp hosts the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with the start time due off at 15:05 BST.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Tips 2019. Europe’s premier flat race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a twelve-furlong Group 1 contest for the best that Europe has to offer in the middle-distance division. 2019 Prix De l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) race results, race date, entries, field, video, contenders, probables, news, notes, & comments. Kentucky Derby 2021 - Derby 2021 - Road to the Derby.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race, open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. The race is run over the classic middle distance trip of one mile and four furlongs (2400m).

Popularly referred to as the “Arc”, it is Europe’s most prestigious horse race. Its roll of honour features many highly acclaimed horses in its history, and its winners are often subsequently regarded as champions. It is currently the world’s richest turf race and third-richest horse race – behind the Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup.

Date: October 6, 2019

History

First run back in 1920, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was won by Comrade, a three-year-old colt, with the winner’s prize of 150,000 francs. From 1935, the race was helped via lottery funding to maintain its high-profile status within the sport, until the early 1980’s, when sponsorship became heavily involved.

Up to the present day and the race is now bankrolled by Qatar Racing, with the prize fund totalling a staggering five million euros. Following a two-year absence for racecourse renovations, the ‘Arc’ is back at its Longchamp home following the previous two years’ races being held at Chantilly.

Some of the all-time great horses have laid claim to the biggest prize in European turf racing over the years. Montjeu, Sinndar, Dalakhani, Zarkava, Sea The Stars and the mighty French filly, Treve have all tasted glory in the Paris showpiece within the last two decades.

John Gosden’s star filly Enable is back once hoping to be the most successful horse in the race by claiming her third Arc crown. 11 possible opponents will line up against her at the most recent declaration stage, so can the superstar filly complete the impossible and three-peat? Read on for our thoughts in this preview.

Hat-trick bid for Superstardom

Thirteen wins from 14 career starts and almost nine-and-a- half million pounds in prize money, Enable is the jewel in the crown of the John Gosden stable. 2019 has already been a hugely successful year, with three previous victories, but another win on Sunday would put this immensely talented filly amongst the all-time greats of the sport – if she isn’t already in that conversation.

Owned by Khalid Abdullah, Enable is just under even money (4/6) with the majority of bookmakers to retain her Arc crown, but it would take a brave punter to back against her in my view. Okay, there are some potential doubts, the course being one, as Enable will face some lesser exposed rivals in this race, but she is the obvious star judging on previous form.

Enable has learned to do just enough in her races this season, or perhaps, she is a horse on the decline. I’d prefer to lean towards the former, as the five-year old seems to always have enough in reserve to get to the finish line ahead under jockey, Frankie Dettori.

There will be plenty of punters prepared to back against the Gosden/Dettori combination I’m sure, but I believe this filly is one of the all-time greats of the sport, and her coronation could be confirmed on Sunday afternoon if she can live up to the billing.

Japan to Strike for Ireland?

Aidan O’Brien

According to the bookmakers at least, the most likely rival to Enable in this race will come from Aidan O’Brien’s Japan – who has done nothing but improve in his recent outings. After finishing third behind Anthony van Dyck in the English Derby, the Galileo offspring has won three consecutive races, to put this highly talented three-year old bang in the mix for this race.

Japan began his illustrious run by claiming the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and demolished his rivals by over four lengths. The Ballydoyle colt then went over to Longchamp in July and won the Group 1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris to offer course and distance form for the Arc race.

But perhaps Japan’s best effort was on his most recent start in taking down the colours of Crystal Ocean in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York. This effort was a serious piece of form, and with the benefit of a three-pound weight allowance over Enable, Japan could well be a big player in the race at the best industry odds of 6/1 with 888Sport.

Home Hope

French trainer, Jean-Claude Rouget has been very bullish in the media in recent days by taking up the chances of his star three-year old, Sottsass. Rouget has yet to win this race in his training career, but he believes that Sottsass has what it takes to keep the winners’ prize in his home nation.

In a similar path of success to Japan, Sottsass has won his last three outings, with his most recent being a victory at Longchamp in the Group 2 Prix Niel. It was his first outing over the mile-and-a-half trip, and he showed an excellent turn of foot inside the final furlong to win by over one length.

The beauty of punting a French horse in a race of this nature in the United Kingdom is that generally, the foreign horses are priced with a little more value than if you were to back the said horse in France itself. Sottsass is available to back at 7/1 with Ladbrokes, and it is an excellent each-way punt in my view, and it could keep the Arc trophy on home soil.

Others to Consider

The top three in the market look to hold most of the cards in this race, however, Ghaiyyath, trained by Charlie Appleby for the Godolphin operation, may well be involved at the finish. The four-year-old was beaten into third place behind Waldgeist in April at Longchamp over ten and-a-half furlongs, but there were mitigating circumstances for the poor effort as it was just three weeks behind his previous run – again at Longchamp.

Ghaiyyath was back to his very best in early September by slamming his rivals by fourteen lengths to win the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden at Baden-Baden over the Arc distance. It is not always easy to ascertain how impressive that performance actually was, dependent on the quality of opposition, but the son of Dubawi could do no more by winning as he liked. Provided that run has not taken any significant effect out of him then the 11/1 available with 888Sport is tempting indeed.

Of the remainder, only Magical and Waldgeist are likely to be involved at the business end of the race, but in truth, they both look to be fully exposed at this level to really figure.

Conclusion

Prix De L Arc De Triomphe 2019 Oddschecker Horse Racing

I have to be honest here, this is a difficult race to ultimately call here as it is a little of a ‘heart versus head’ moment. From a purely sporting perspective, I would love Enable to win this race, and believe that she can win, but the 4/6 on offer is tempering my enthusiasm from a betting angle.

So, I’m prepared to offer up two each-way alternatives in Sottsass and Ghaiyyath to try and make a few units against the favourite. Both of these horses could well be very strong challengers to Enable, and if the star filly is not on her best form, then one, or the other could pounce.

Best Bets:

• Sottsass (each-way) at 7/1 with 888Sport
• Ghaiyyath (each-way) at 11/1 with 888Sport.

Tony McFadden previews Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, in which Enable will bid for a historic third success.

First published Tuesday, 1 October

When Treve attempted to become the first three-time winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe she faced a formidable opponent in Golden Horn – a Derby, Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes winner who had established himself as the dominant performer of a strong classic crop. However, no such star will stand in the way of Enable at Longchamp on Sunday when she bids to complete her historic hat-trick under Frankie Dettori, who already has an Arc record beyond compare.

Enable has not been beaten since April 2017. Since then she has clocked up 12 wins and has made consistency at the highest level her hallmark. When you factor in her season being expertly centred around the Arc, there is good reason to expect she will once again deliver a performance which sets a standard too high for her rivals to match.

Enable tops Timeform’s weight-adjusted Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe ratings, despite the fact she is rated 5 lb below her peak, which was achieved in the 2017 Arc when she comfortably won by two and a half lengths to put the seal on a sensational classic campaign comprising five Group 1 successes.

However, injury last year restricted her campaign to just three starts, which offers some mitigation, and her most recent success in the Yorkshire Oaks, where she readily beat old adversary Magical by two and a quarter lengths, hinted that she was working back towards her absolute best – a scary prospect for her rivals considering even a repeat of her best form this season is likely to be good enough.

Magical, who is set to reoppose on Sunday, has since backed up the form by winning the Irish Champion Stakes and it is very difficult to find a chink in the armour of Enable.

Enable has captured the imagination of the public in a way few horses in recent times have managed. However, there is arguably no better rider to handle the pressure than Dettori, who has won the Arc on six occasions and has undergone an incredible renaissance in recent seasons. In 2013, Dettori had just one Group 1 winner from only 14 rides at the highest level, the lack of opportunities highlighting how his star had waned, but this season he has won 16 Group 1s from 38 rides at a strike-rate of 42%. The strike-rate when only considering rides for Enable’s trainer John Gosden this season improves to a staggering 57% (13 from 23).

Two of Dettori’s Arc wins (Sakhee in 2001 and Marienbard in 2002) were achieved in the silks of Godolphin, and the powerful operation – which has also undergone a resurgence in recent years – are responsible for a fascinating contender in Ghaiyyath, who features prominently on ratings and could be even higher were a literal interpretation taken of his 14-length rout in Germany last month.

L'arc De Triomphe Pictures

The Grosser Preis Von Baden – Germany’s most important race – was turned into a procession by Ghaiyyath, whose winning margin is one of the widest recorded in Group 1 company. The lofty level he reached was not a complete surprise as he had previously shown notable promise, most conspicuously in the Prix d’Harcourt on his reappearance at Longchamp in June. However, he failed to back up that performance when a beaten odds-on favourite in the Prix Ganay and, while he undoubtedly has the talent to make an impression, he is unlikely to get his own way out in front against better calibre opponents.

A greater threat to Enable could come from the steadily progressive Japan, who produced his best effort yet to beat Crystal Ocean – who had previously pushed Enable close in an epic King George – in the Juddmonte International at York last time.

Beating a horse so tough and consistent as Crystal Ocean confirmed that Japan was the best middle-distance three-year-old around and there can be no doubting his heart or tenacity after coming out on top of such a pulsating finish, while it’s difficult to escape the feeling that his improvement came in spite of the drop in trip to an extended 1m2f.

🏇 WHAT. A. RACE.
🇯🇵 Japan provides Aidan O'Brien with a sixth success in the G1 Juddmonte International @yorkracecourse, defeating Crystal Ocean in a thriller!
🏆 A second G1 victory for the three-year-old son of Galileo#ClassicEborpic.twitter.com/Fd6BDCmTpO

In addition to Japan and Magical Aidan O’Brien could also be represented by Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck. He had Japan behind him in third when successful at Epsom but unlike his stablemate has not progressed.

Japan rates as the pick of O’Brien’s team. However, he will need to improve again to challenge an on-song Enable. Similar sentiments apply to leading French challenger Sottsass, who arguably enhanced his reputation despite facing a relatively simple task in the Prix Niel. The French Derby winner was expected to book his Arc ticket with the minimum of fuss in a trial which had been a fantastic stepping stone – seven Arc winners between 1996 and 2006 had run in the contest - but has fallen out of fashion in recent years. However, he was hemmed in on the rail and needed to produce a striking turn of foot to prevail.

He remains capable of better, while his potent turn of foot and proven Group 1 form at around 1m2f will prove a considerable asset if the emphasis is placed on speed.

He got through in the end! Sottsass has a nightmare trip but wins the Group 2 Qatar Prix Niel for @CristianDemuro and Jean-Claude Rouget at @paris_longchamppic.twitter.com/22p1CYDY6i

The Prix Foy has a poor record when it comes to producing Arc winners – Sagace in 1984 was the last to do the double – but this year’s winner Waldgeist holds solid claims. He was beaten less than two lengths by Enable in the King George in July, a performance which showed he is better than ever at the age of five, and a comfortable victory in the Foy should act as a perfect prep. He is likely to come up slightly short, as he did last year when fourth, but ought to give a good account.

The Japanese have famously failed to win the Arc – a race craved above all others by many of the nation’s trainers – but have gone agonisingly close in the past, most notably with El Condor Pasa, who was overhauled by Montjeu in 1999, and Orfevre, who somehow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in 2012.

This year’s challenge, which is likely to come from Blast Onepiece, Fierement and Kiseki, is strong numerically but perhaps lacks the quality of previous raiding parties. Blast OnePiece, who is a strong stayer but managed to win the Group 2 Sapporo Kinen over 1m2f last time, is perhaps the pick of the team but it would be a surprise were he to beat Enable, whose season has revolved around this one race, arrives on the back of a solid success and boasts the strongest form.

Recommendation:

L'arc De Triomphe Information

Back Enable at 8/11 in Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp