Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

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The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe attracts some of the best racehorses in the world to compete.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe ran at the stunning Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, is one of the most valuable international turf races in the world and one of the most prestigious Group 1 horse races in Europe.

The Arc often features a clash between the current generation of Classic winners and established stars from around the world.

In our Arc De Triomphe guide, we will cover all the runners, horses odds, tips and latest news related to the amazing horse race.

Find out more about the Prix de l”Arc de Triomphe:

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

The Race – The Arc

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 all-aged race over a mile and a half at Longchamp in early October.

This top French race was held at Chantilly in 2016 and 2017 while renovation work was carried out at Longchamp.

The going can sometimes ride very soft in Paris at this time of year and that can catch out horses who have shown their best form through the summer months.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is often a tactical race and a high draw can be a significant disadvantage. It is currently sponsored by bt Qatar and is the last major race of the European racing calendar.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Previous Winners

YearWinnerAgeJockeyTrainer
2013Treve3Thierry JarnetCriquette Head
2014Treve4Thierry JarnetCriquette Head
2015Golden Horn3Frankie DettoriJohn Gosden
2016Found[f]4Ryan MooreAidan O’Brien
2017Enable[f]3Frankie DettoriJohn Gosden
2018Enable4Frankie DettoriJohn Gosden
2019Waldgeist5Pierre-Charles BoudotAndré Fabre
2020Sottsass4Cristian DemuroJean-Claude Rouget
2021Torquator Tasso4Rene PiechulekMarcel Weiss
2022Alpinista5Luke MorrisSir Mark Prescott
2023Ace Impact3Cristian DemuroJean-Claude Rouget

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Previous Result

Check out this result from Longchamp Racecourse:

Best Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Betting Sites 2024

The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe betting is available throughout the year and has benefitted from the presence of defending champion Enable in recent seasons.

Betway offered new customers a special price of 50-1 to a limited stake against the mare completing the hat trick in 2019. Similar offers are likely as well as enhanced each-way terms if there is a large field.

If you are looking to bet online we recommend the great online Arc de Triomphe betting sites shown on this page. 

Famous Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Winners & History

Famous Prix de l’Arc Triomphe winners include Sea Bird (1965), Mill Reef (1971), Alleged (1977, 1978), Dancing Brave (1986), Sea The Stars (2009), Treve (2012 & 2014) and Enable (2017 & 2018).

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (or Arc for short) was first run in 1920 with victory going to Comrade.

It quickly became established as one of the top races in France and in modern times has become the ultimate all-aged mile and a half race in Europe.

It is now the feature event of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend at Longchamp.

Brilliant early winners include Ribot (1965) and Sea Bird (1965), both winning by six lengths. The victory of Epsom Derby winner Mill Reef in 1971 helped to raise the profile of the Arc in the UK. Ian Balding’s colt was being prepared for the 1972 renewal when he suffered a fracture. Fortunately, he was saved and went on to become a top stallion.

Vincent O’Brien and Lester Piggott teamed up to score back-to-back victories with Alleged in 1977 and 1978.

Sagace won for France in 1984 and was first past the post in 1985, only to be disqualified in favour of Rainbow Quest. He was owned by Khalid Adbullah who would see his colours carried to a brilliant victory by Dancing Brave the following year.

The race was now attracting runners from around the globe with the Italian-trained Tony Bin winning in 1988.

Germany had won the race for the first time with Star Appeal (1975) and struck again with Danedream in 2011.

Japan has gone close to winning the coveted prize with Deep Impact (third in 2006) and Orfevre (runner-up in 2012).

Key Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Trials

Eight horses have won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in successive seasons, the latest being John Gosden’s Enable (2017, 2018).

Treve (2013, 2014) finished fourth when attempting the elusive hat-trick in 2015 while Enable was thwarted by Waldgeist in 2019.  The winner had finished fourth behind Enable the previous year. Eight horses have won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe twice.

The Prix Niel is a key trial for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runners and has been used as a successful route by Andre Fabre over the years. He trained Hurricane Run (2005) and Rail Link (2006) to win both races. Peintre Celebre (1997) and Bago (2004) were both beaten in the Prix Niel before winning the Arc.

The Prix Vermeille has also been a good source of Arc winners including the Aga Khan’s brilliant Zarkava (2008) and dual Arc winner Treve (2013). Epsom Derby winners have a good record in the race with Sea The Stars (2009), Workforce (2010) and Golden Horn (2015) all following up their Classic success.

One race to avoid when assessing Arc form is the St Leger at Doncaster. The gruelling nature of the race and its proximity to the Arc in the racing calendar have contributed to a desperately poor record at Longchamp.

Favourites had a dismal run in the Arc prior to Enable’s victory in 2017. She ended a run of seven successive defeats for the market leaders when returning at 10-11. Enable was a well-backed even-money favourite in 2018 but was an expensive loser at 1-2 in 2019.

Trends indicate that the form can be turned upside down this late in the season and there has been a wide range of winning odds. Danedream at 20-1 (2011) and Solemia at 33-1 (2012) left many punters perplexed while Treve’s second victory came at odds of 11-1.

The longest priced winner in the history of the race was Star Appeal at 118-1 in 1975.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Stats

  • Recent form is a key factor for Arc winners with a high percentage having raced within the previous month.
  • Many of these had previous winning form over a mile and a half at Group 1 level.
  • Fillies and mares have a very good recent record in the race with victories for Zarkava, Danedream, Solemia, Treve, Found and Enable.
  • The draw can have a big influence on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe betting. A high draw is considered a disadvantage as they must either race early to hold a position or sit and suffer behind horses into the home straight. Treve (15) and Golden Horn (16) managed to overcome this handicap but there have also been plenty of hard luck stories.
  • Horses aged three and four have virtually monopolised the Arc with older horses rarely getting a look-in. Waldgeist bucked the trend by becoming only the fourth five-year-old to win in the history of the race.

Top Trainers and Jockeys of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

Andre Fabre took his Arc haul to a record eight winners with Waldgeist, 32 years after his first success with Trempolino in 1987.

Aidan O’Brien won the Arc with Dylan Thomas (2007) and Found (2016) while John Gosden has enjoyed recent success with Golden Horn (2015) and Enable (2017, 2018).

Frankie Dettori is the leading jockey in Arc history with six winners. His first victory came with Lammtarra in 1995 followed by Sakhee (2001), Marienbard (2002) and Golden Horn (2015). Enable provided the Italian with victories five and six.

Olivier Peslier also has a fine record in the race with four victories, the most recent being outsider Solemia in 2012.

Frankie Dettori
Frankie Dettori and John Gosden have had notable success in the race.

Popular Questions

Is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on TV?

The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2024 will air live on ITV.

You can live stream the Arc Racing Event free of charge using ITV Hub.

In the US Fox Sports won the rights to broadcast Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with full coverage from Longchamp on FS1.

How long is the Arc de Triomphe race?

The length of the Arc de Triomphe race is One mile and four furlongs.

The 1m 4f race a distance of 2,400 metres which is approximately 1½ miles.

Can geldings run in the Arc?

No geldings are not allowed to run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Group 1 flat horse race in France.

The arc is open to colts, fillies and mare thoroughbreds aged three years or older.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Group 1 flat horse race was originally designed to serve as a showcase for French thoroughbred breeding so geldings were forbidden from running in the spectacle and that rule still remains in March 2024.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Summary

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is one of the highlights of the horse racing year and French sporting calendar, as a race it often features an intriguing clash of the generations.

Racing fans want to see the best race against one another. The prospect of the winner of the Derby or the Oaks clashing with established stars is the best that flat racing has to offer.

The race has also produced several upsets so plenty of interest for the each-way punter.

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