The 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is set to go ahead at Longchamp in Paris on October 4th, albeit in front of a restricted crowd of 5,000. As things stand, Ryan Moore and Love, who is so far having a very impressive season, are tipped for victory in the betting exchange, but as we have seen in the past, the historic race is more than capable of throwing up surprises. That said, let’s take a look back the last five winners of l’Arc de Triomphe.
1. 2019 – Waldgeist
André Fabre-trained Waldgeist went into last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as a 16/1 outsider, with 2017 and ’18 winner Enable heavily tipped to be the first horse to win the historic race on three successive occasions. However, after being stuck behind the leaders in midfield with 300 metres to go, jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot steered the longshot to the outside, and even still, Frankie Dettori and Enable looked set to make history, but the two-time winner ran out of gas inside 50m from the finish, and Waldgeist capitalised to win by a length and three quarters.
2. 2018 – Enable
2018 marked Enable’s second, and Dettori’s record-breaking sixth victory, in l’Arc de Triomphe. The John Gosden-trained super mare was the even money favourite before the race and proved her class for the second time at Longchamp in the French capital. Having tracked the leaders well for much of the race, Dettori started to make his presence known on the home straight. Enable led by a couple of lengths at the 100m marker but started to run out of steam. Luckily, however, she had just enough in her tank to record victory by a short neck over Sea Of Class.
3. 2017 – Enable
With Longchamp racecourse closed for major redevelopment, the 2017 edition of the l’Arc de Triomphe took place at nearby Chantilly. Enable, who was on a five-race win streak, entered the l’Arc as the 10/11 odds-on favourite, and following Golden Horn’s victory in 2015, landed the trainer/jockey duo of Gosden and Dettori their second win in three years. Again, tracking the leaders onto the home stretch, the Italian jockey moved Enable to the outside, and pushed on with 300m to go. Having ridden clear, and staying on strongly, the market favourite won by a margin of two-and-a-half lengths over Cloth of Stars.
4. 2016 – Found
The 2016 edition of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which was also held at Chantilly, due to the work being carried out on Longchamp, was a remarkable year for trainer Aiden O’Brien, not just because he saddled the winner, but he trained all of the first three across the line – which was believed to the first time in the history of the 100-year-old race. Found went into the race at 6/1, and, after travelling well throughout, Moore pushed on with 200m to go – eventually winning by a length and three-quarters. It was the Irish jockey’s first win in the l’Arc since 2010, and O’Brien’s first time saddling the winner since Dylan Thomas’ victory in 2007.
5. 2015 – Golden Horn
Golden Horn’s victory in 2015 marked Dettori’s first win in l’Arc since 2002, when he was victorious onboard Marienbard, it was also Gosden’s first time saddling the winner in the historic race. Golden Horn, who was the second favourite at 9/2, tracked the pacesetter for much of the race, but when Shahah ran out of steam, Dettori capitalised, and held-off Fabre-trained duo Flintshire and New Bay, who came second and third, respectively, to win by two lengths.