It may be just under three months away now but the current flat season is gradually chugging its merry way towards yet another great crescendo at Longchamp in October for the 98th renewal of the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe.
The 2018 Arc de Triomphe will certainly go down in history as Enable and Frankie Dettori will forever be the only pair to win two consecutive editions of the Arc on two different racecourses, those being Chantilly in 2017 and Longchamp in 2018.
The Arc is a Group 1 contest, taking place over a mile and a half on the first Sunday each October and it essentially crowns Europe’s champion middle distance horse.
So which horses are heading to the French capital with a chance this season then? Let’s take a look at just a few of them and assess their chances.
ENABLE
This filly simply needs no introduction. Unbeaten since April 2017 and hailed by her regular jockey Frankie Dettori as “the queen of racing”, Enable will be heading to Paris aiming to be the first ever horse to win the Arc three times.
Having her first run for eight months, Enable recently became the 2019 Eclipse Stakes winner at Sandown.
Many of the pundits thought she was a risky betting proposition, especially after her time off the track and tackling a shorter distance than usual, but she soon silenced the naysayers.
It is highly plausible that there may only be three races left in Enable’s racing career. The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot later this month is her next intended target, then a trip to York next month will be followed up by a third run in the Arc.
Only the York race is undecided at this juncture. Her trainer John Gosden favours the Yorkshire Oaks, but her owner Khalid Abdullah sponsors the Juddmonte International and he would dearly love to see her race in it.
From what we have witnessed so far this season, the French and the Japanese are going to be very hard pressed to lower the colours of the mighty Enable in the 2019 Arc.
SOTTSASS
The French are currently pinning most of their hopes of regaining the Arc on home turf with the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Sottsass, the winner of the Prix du Jockey Club.
Sottsass easily put the French Guineas winner Persian King to bed in the French Derby and Rouget believes there is better to come.
“Normally he will go for the Niel and then be trained for the Arc,” Rouget told reporters after the race. “He’s in good form – it’s the classic French preparation.”
Quizzed on a potential clash with the English heroine Enable, Rouget added: “John is a good friend of mine and I am a sportsman, so I hope the best horse will win.
“There will be other horses, but they will be the two favourites for the race, if there are no problems before.
“I thought he could become like that in the autumn. I was surprised on Jockey Club day he put in such a smashing performance, I didn’t think he’d be ready to do something like that until the autumn so to do it in June – I think he’ll be a great horse in the autumn.”
JAPAN
After a dominant display in the King Edward VII Stakes, Japan headed to Longchamp on Sunday where he took the Grand Prix de Paris and probably booked himself a return trip back there in October.
Japan and Ryan Moore swept into the lead late and at the end of proceedings had ¾ of a length to spare over Slalom at the line.
Described by Ryan Moore as "better than a St Leger horse", Japan has been slowly easing into his season with an average run in the Dante at York, followed up with a close third to Anthony Van Dyck in the Derby.
"He won well at Royal Ascot and has been in good form since," said his trainer Aidan O'Brien. "We're happy with him and he's shown that he handles ease in the ground."
CRYSTAL OCEAN
When Crystal Ocean took the Prince Of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot, not only did he win a Group One, but he won what many had billed as the race of the meeting.
The race totally oozed class and horses such as Magical, Sea Of Class and Waldgeist could only watch the five-year-old’s backside as he left them all trailing in his wake.
The King George betting sees him priced up as the second favourite behind Enable, however the longer term target could well be the Arc this year in what could well be his last race before going off to stud.
It will be a tall order for the Sir Michael Stoute-trained runner, but as a Group One winner he is more than entitled to go for it.
CHANNEL
Channel does not hold an entry in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but there is every chance she may be supplemented for the race on the back of her French Oaks victory at Chantilly.
Trainer Francis Graffard said he needs to be confident that an extra furlong and a half is not beyond her limits before he makes a decision as to whether to go down the Arc route.
After her Prix de Diane victory we installed Channel as a 20/1 shot for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Graffard said: “When she really accelerated away I never even looked at the others. I knew she would stay to the line. She always did everything well, but to aim so high so quickly, it wasn't easy! It wasn't easy either to enter in the Arc. We will have to see how she comes out of the race. Now we have the problem of having a good horse!”
Horse Racing Tip:
If you’re going to have yourself an early antepost interest in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe then be sure to check out all our latest odds on the website.
If you’re feeling confident you may also want to calculate your potential Arc winnings on our handy betting calculator!
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
