Ben Linfoot free horse racing tips for Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card at Longchamp Sunday October 6

The Verdict: Sunday October 6

1pt win Al Riffa in 3.20 ParisLongchamp at 9/1 (General)

1pt win Fantastic Moon in 3.20 ParisLongchamp at 25/1 (General)

1pt win Friendly Soul in 4.05 ParisLongchamp at 17/2 (William Hill)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Job well done in the Arc?

It’s not a vintage Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with plenty of the season’s best middle-distance horses missing for one reason or another, but it is a good puzzle to try and solve with the bookies going 5/1 the field.

Sosie and Los Angeles have found their way to the head of the betting and that’s understandable, the pair of three-year-olds having some of the strongest 1m4f form in the race with the promise of more to come.

However, they are just two of many horses in with chances in an open Arc and the one I want to back above all others is AL RIFFA for Joseph O’Brien.

O’Brien has won some of the world’s biggest races already in his training career at the young age of 31 and he’s clearly learnt the art of meticulous planning from his father on the way to winning two Melbourne Cups, a Cox Plate, a Breeders’ Cup trophy, two Classics, plenty more Group Ones and a handful of big jumps races.

He says an Arc would make it right to the top of the list and he’s been planning this from way out, mentioning this race in the aftermath of Al Riffa's Longchamp comeback way back in April when he was fourth in the Prix Ganay.

The son of Wootton Bassett comes into the race the freshest horse in the contest on the back of 56 days off since his excellent win in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten, a race that was the launchpad for the Arc successes of Danedream and Torquator Tasso, while Alpinista won it the year before she won the Arc, too.

It was his first go at 1m4f and it was easily a career-best run, as he took off from 300 metres out for a resounding success, shaping every inch like he could take his form at the trip to an even higher level granted a sterner test.

Bred for a test of stamina thanks to some serious staying power on his dam’s side, O’Brien has held him back from running over a mile-and-a-half to help him peak for the Arc and he could easily produce another career-best on Sunday on ground he should handle just fine.

His 10-furlong form behind Ace Impact and City Of Troy stands up very well in this company and from a single-figure stall in nine there’s no reason why he can’t enjoy the ideal trip under Yutaka Take.

German form is often underestimated and that certainly looks the case with FANTASTIC MOON who is also worth backing at 25/1.

I think he’s a big price largely because he was well beaten in 11th in last year’s Arc, but he was drawn wide that day and he raced too keenly early on, meaning he couldn’t sustain a finishing effort that had started strongly down the outside with the winner Ace Impact.

He was sent off 12/1 for last year’s Arc for good reason and he has taken his form to a higher level this season by virtue of his easy win in the Group One Grosser Preis von Baden at Baden-Baden last time out.

That was his first run over 1m4f since last year’s Arc and he’s three from four at the trip, while a ground-saving ride is expected from Rene Piechulek from stall two.

The more the ground dries the better his chance and connections have stated they’ll pull him out if they’re not happy with the GoingStick reading on Sunday, but if he runs he’s got a better chance than his current odds imply.

The Verdict: Back AL RIFFA and FANTASTIC MOON in the 3.20 Longchamp

Friendly fire in the l’Opera

The undercard looks tricky but there is one bet that appeals and that’s FRIENDLY SOUL for John & Thady Gosden in the Group One Prix de l’Opera Longines at 4.05.

Her campaign threatened to go off the rails after she bombed out in the Musidora after hanging across the Knavesmire, finishing last at odds of 8/11, at York back in May.

However, the Gosdens gave her time and the patient approach has paid off handsomely with the daughter of Kingman winning two from two since her return, making all over a mile in the Group Three Valiant Stakes at Ascot before she won a Deauville Group Two from the front end over ten furlongs in August.

Gently brought along for her first crack at the top-level, this will require another step forward, but she doesn’t have much to find with the best of these and if the ground dries out a bit more that will be in her favour.

I can’t see an awful lot of pace pressure, so another prominent ride looks likely and she might just have a burst of speed at this trip that quite a few of the stouter stayers can’t live with.

The Verdict: Back FRIENDLY SOUL in the 4.05 Longchamp

Preview posted at 1540 BST on 05/10/24

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