The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is the most famous horse race run in France and also the most valuable on the Flat in Europe. It has an illustrious roll of honour dating back a century to 1920. Regarded as the greatest middle-distance event on the continent, the Arc de Triomphe horse race often ties British, Irish, French and even German form lines together towards the end of the season.
Horses come from all over Europe and beyond to compete in the Arc. The race terms specify that three-year-old horses receive 3kg weight for age from their elders. Fillies and mares also get a sex allowance of 1½kg. The Arc de Triomphe race roll of honour reads like a who’s who of great middle-distance racehorses including Mill Reef, Alleged, Dancing Brave, Lammtara, Montjeu, Dalakhani, Sea The Stars and Golden Horn.
Although only a mile-and-a-half in distance, successful horses need stamina as well as class to win. This is because the Arc course at the Hippodrome de Longchamp involves climbing a hill in the back straight and then taking three bends. The penultimate turn leads to a false horse straight and the race can develop then, still half-a-mile from the winning post.
The Arc de Triomphe race 2020 is an early closer meaning, if owners and trainers think they have a horse capable of running well in it, they make entries in June. At that stage, it is common for around 100 horses to be put in the race. By early autumn, it is much clearer which horses look likely to run and which aren’t. Ahead of the next declaration stage, here is a list of possible Arc runners:
As the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is such a historic and prestigious race, a market exists all year round. That means you can get ante post Arc betting and possibly a better price if you take a punt in advance than waiting until the nearer the time. There are some risks attached to getting your bets on early, though, with not being guaranteed a run for your money the main downside.
The Arc de Triomphe betting contains the most high-profile Flat turf middle-distance thoroughbred racehorses in Europe. Their names may be familiar to even casual fans of horse racing. These are the market leaders for the Arc de Triomphe race 2020 who are fancied to win:
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the Arc de Triomphe race twice before with Dylan Thomas (2007) and Found (2016). Neither of those past winners sent out from his Ballydoyle stables had as much going for them as Love. As a three-year-old filly, she gets the maximum weight for age and sex allowances and that is why she is the 13/8 favourite in the Arc betting.
Love has won all three of her starts this season, landing the Classic double of the 1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks before completing her hat-trick in the Yorkshire Oaks. She is the clearly the best filly of her generation in the British Isles after decisive and impressive wins against fellow three-year-olds.
A daughter of the prolific Coolmore sire Galileo, Love has four Group 1 victories from five career attempts at the highest level. The only possible chink in her armour is the fact that her record on ground easier than good is poor. Love may need a dry autumn and the Longchamp ground staff resisting the temptation to water in order to be seen to maximum effect.
The Arc de Triomphe race 2019 runner-up Enable won it in the two previous years. Those two victories in 2017 and 2018 made her owner Prince Khalid Abdullah the joint most successful in the history of the event. This six-year-old mare by Nathaniel has been one of the all-time greats to race out of trainer John Gosden’s Newmarket stables.
Enable was kept in training this year with the specific aim of winning an unprecedented third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. She went so close to a hat-trick last year only for Waldgeist to swoop down her outside and collar her on the run to the line. Since then, Enable shaped as if needing the run when beaten by Ghiayyath in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
She came on for that run, however, when landing a record third King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Rather than tackle Love in the Yorkshire Oaks, Enable warmed up for the Arc by winning a second September Stakes at Kempton. Given her fabulous record in this race, it’s no wonder that she is the 9/4 second-favourite.
Jean-Claude Rouget has described Raabihah as a champion in waiting and she looks to be the leading French hope, according to the Arc betting, this year. Owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum, this three-year-old filly by Sea The Stars won her first two stars and was well-supported for the Prix de Diane when losing out by just half-a-length in a blanket finish at Chantilly.
Raabihah bounced back from that by winning a Group 3 at Deauville and was sent off favourite for the Prix Vermeille when stepped back up to the highest level on Arc Trials day. She bumped into the lightly-raced Tarnawa on her first start over a mile-and-a-half. Losing to an older filly when she was getting weight for age is a slight concern, but Raabihah retains plenty of scope for further progress.
She has had just five career starts. If coming on for that first try over course and distance, Raabihah is definite each-way value in the Arc de Triomphe betting at ante post odds of 16/1. As with Love, the race terms favour her and carrying bottom weight is a clear advantage in this event.
British champion stayer Stradivarius comes into the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe having failed to win all three of his previous career starts over a mile-and-a-half. That does not tell the whole story, however. When warming up for a tilt at this, the John Gosden trained six-year-old son of Sea The Stars was a diminishing short-head runner-up to Anthony Van Dyck in the Prix Foy over course and distance.
Stradivarius’ stamina is not doubt after winning four consecutive Goodwood Cups and a hitting a hat-trick in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. The question is whether he has the tactical speed to go with his endurance, but owner Bjorn Nielsen is keen to give the Arc a go. Regular jockey Frankie Dettori, meanwhile, faces the dilemma of choosing between Stradivarius and Enable.
He will not desert the star stayer lightly, but Enable has excelled over this distance and that could be a factor in his decision about which horse to ride. With his status as an all-time long-distance Flat turf great already assured, this is a free hit for Stradivarius who is also a top-price 16/1 for the Arc.
While statistics don’t guarantee you will find the winner in the Arc de Triomphe betting, they can help you to make better judgements and decisions about the big race. As well as the key trends list below, it is well worth you knowing how well fillies have got in recent years. Eight of the last 12 winners of the Arc have been female and this may have something to do with the sex allowance they receive. You should also be aware of these stats:
A major race like the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is perfect for bookies to provide offers on. There is usually a large field which can mean extra places available through online bookmakers for each-way bets once final declarations are known. That is the kind of promotion which may attract you to place further bets on top of any wagers struck in the ante post market in advance. Check back nearer to the race to view the latest Arc betting offers right here.
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Which horses have won the Arc de Triomphe race in recent years? The table below contains the last 10 winners with detailed summaries of what happened in each of the previous three renewals:
Waldgeist came with a late run under Pierre-Charles Boudot to deny Enable a historic hat-trick in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Returned at 131/10, the five-year-old son of Galileo gave trainer Andre Fabre a record eighth winner in this race. Held up in midfield early on, Prix Foy winner Waldgeist made away approaching two out and was angled to the outer by his jockey thereafter. He then stayed on really well and only needed riding out for a 1¼ lengths success over the dual Arc heroine.
Victory for Waldgeist made him the first horse older than four to win this race since 2002. Enable had been sent off odds-on at 1/2 as if defeat in her historic bid was out of the question, but she got blindsided by the winner close home down her outside. The front two pulled 1¾ lengths clear of 66/10 chance Sottsass for Jean-Claude Rouget.
Enable became just the eighth horse in history to win the Arc more than once. Following her success at Chantilly 12 months early, the race returned to its proper home of Longchamp here. Her narrow victory over Sea Of Class made jockey Frankie Dettori the most successful jockey in the Arc, but it was a close run thing. Sent off the even-money favourite, Enable was weakening close home and only just held on by a short-neck for trainer John Gosden from William Haggas’ young pretender.
James Doyle had delivered Sea Of Class late to great effect earlier in the season, but timed his run just too late here. She was backed into 6/1 and was three-quarters of a length ahead of Cloth Of Stars for Godolphin and trainer Andre Fabre at an unfancied 28/1. Stable companion Waldgeist ran fourth and was a further three-quarters of a length behind.
Chantilly crowned a new queen in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as Enable capped a fine season with victory in this feature race. Backed off the boards into 10/11 for John Gosden, Frankie Dettori and Prince Khalid Abdullah, the daughter of Nathaniel always raced handily here. She was angled out nicely two-and-a-half furlongs from home and chased the leading pair. It wasn’t long before Enable was in front and ridden into the clear before staying on strongly for a decisive 2½ lengths victory.
She pulled 2½ lengths clear of Andre Fabre’s Godolphin runner Cloth Of Stars who ran a huge race at 20/1. There was a further 1¼ lengths back to the weakening 9/1 chance Ulysses who perhaps paid for racing freely early on under Jim Crowley for Sir Michael Stoute. Enable had her rivals well strung out here, but was good value for this after her Oaks double.
Trials for the Arc de Triomphe horse race can be found all over Europe, but you will find the key ones below. These events have produced winners of this event, so it’s worth considering the victorious horses if they’re entered in the Arc: