Qatar Prix de l'Arc Triomphe verdict: What the trainers say

Los Angeles leads Aidan O’Brien’s bid for a third victory in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Third in the Derby to illustrious stablemate City Of Troy and winner of the Irish version at the Curragh later the same month, he then won the Great Voltigeur with a penalty.

Los Angeles was dropped back in trip for the Irish Champion Stakes next and finished well for fourth when a length and a quarter behind William Haggas’ Economics.

That run sealed O’Brien’s decision to send him to Paris, with the St Leger at Doncaster left for his stablemates to contest in his absence, although the prospect of soft ground meant stablemate Auguste Rodin stayed at home.

Speaking after watching Illinois win the first Group race of the weekend O’Brien – whose two Arcs have come with Dylan Thomas (2007) and Found (2016) said: “The ground is plenty soft – it’s plenty slow with a lot of moisture in it. When we landed I was kind of half-sorry for taking out Auguste Rodin, but when I walked out on the track I’d say it was yielding Irish ground/good to soft English ground. Ryan (Moore) says it’s plenty soft and he was very happy that it was the right thing.

“Los Angeles and Continuous shouldn’t mind it. Los Angeles is in good form and everything has gone well with him since last run. We’ve been very happy with Los Angeles since the Irish Champion Stakes. We were hoping if he finished in the first four that would be good enough to run in the Arc and that’s what he did.

“After the Irish Derby we knew Los Angeles could be a Leger horse, but we had other horses for that as well so we started to think of the Arc then. We went to York to get a run into him when he won with a penalty over a mile and a half and we came back to a mile and a quarter after that. It’s been the plan for a long time with him.”

O’Brien also runs Continuous, who will be the mount of Christophe Soumillon after horse and jockey teamed up to finish third in the Prix Foy over course and distance last time out.

He added of his other runner, who was fifth in 2023: “Continuous is the same, the last day wasn’t ideal as he would have preferred not to make the running, but it was only a trial and he needed that race and he’ll be better taking his time.

“We’ve trained him with an autumn campaign in mind. Last year it was a slowly-run race but we were happy with his run, we always had it in mind that he would be better this year and hopefully prepare better for the race.”

O’Brien’s son Joseph will saddle Al Riffa, a son of Wootton Bassett who was runner-up behind City Of Troy in the Eclipse and then won the Group One Grosser Preis von Berlin by five lengths at Hoppegarten last time out when stepping up to the Arc trip.

“I was very proud of the performance in Germany and I have always thought, with the extra distance, he really did look like he was better for it,” said O’Brien, whose colt will be ridden by Japanese great Yutaka Take. “This race has always been a good prep race for the Arc and we thought that it was good for him to go there as a fresh horse. He is versatile in terms of the going.

“He had a busy first half of the season and that is why we made the decision after Germany to keep him fresh. It is no bad thing to have had a run at Longchamp, but it will be a completely different experience in the Arc. The Arc is one of the biggest races in the world and it is special just to have a runner in it with a live chance. We are looking forward to it and we are going to enjoy the race and the whole experience. If we were lucky enough to win it, it would be right up there with anything I have done before.”

Bluestocking, trained by Ralph Beckett, was a supplementary entry after winning the Prix Vermeille last time out.

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “She produced a career-best in the Vermeille and she was tough and gutsy and I think she likes a little bit of ease in the ground. She also likes to get into a battle and she had all of that the last day and it was a great performance. We’re hoping it will be third time lucky, it is the third year in a row ourselves and Ralph will have been to the Arc, twice with Westover and now with Bluestocking, so hopefully we get lucky.”

It is no secret the Arc is greatly revered by the Japanese and this year their hopes are pinned to Shin Emperor, who made his first start in Europe when a gallant third in the Irish Champion Stakes.

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi said: “He was not yet in his top form when he was in Ireland and I thought that race was going to be very hard, so when he finished third we were very encouraged by that run. Because the ground in Ireland was all right, the horse didn’t actually have a very tough race and was not too tired afterwards. Since then we haven’t been excessive in either way, he hasn’t had a lot of work and he hasn’t been completely off work.

“It looks very open, but there are many good horses in there. I can’t really pick out one horse who I fear as an opponent, they are all very good horses and you have to have some luck in running to win this race.”

French-born David Menuisier will be represented by Sunway, third in the St Leger and the runner-up of the Irish Derby in June.

“We’d been mulling over with (co-owner) Guy Pariente whether to go for the Arc, and it seems to be the case of now or never,” the Pulborough-based handler said. “Especially as the horse is flying at the moment having been in good form all year. There’s no reason not to go for the Arc.

“Sunway deserves to take his chance and he goes there with a fighting chance of being in the money, and the colt also has every right to win the race. He finished very close to a horse of the calibre of Los Angeles and he will be ridden by Oisin Murphy. He is one of the toughest horses I have ever trained, and he never stops giving his best.”

Look De Vega is out to reverse his fortunes when he encounters Sosie once again on Sunday. The colt raced only once at two when taking his maiden by an easy seven lengths, after which he returned this year to move onto bigger things when starting out with a comfortable victory.

Stepped up in class for the French Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, his flawless record was maintained at the highest level as he prevailed by two lengths with Andre Fabre’s Sosie in third behind him.

The two horses met again in the Prix Niel recently over the Arc course and distance and Sosie was able to turn the tables on his rival, crossing the line first with Jean-Claude Rouget’s Delius behind him and Look De Vega further back in third.

The father and son team of Carlos and Yann Lerner were naturally hoping their three-year-old would land the Arc trial, but have lost no faith in his ability to stay the distance as they feel he was short of peak condition last time out.

Yann Lerner said: “The distance holds no worries for me. We shouldn’t judge his ability to stay the trip based on his effort in the Prix Niel, given that he wasn’t in peak condition when attempting the trip for the first time. He found himself making the running for the first time in his career, and Ronan Thomas (jockey) can confirm that colt’s breathing patterns weren’t as they usually are, having been denied the chance of a breather at the critical part of the race. The pace in the Arc will be far more searching, and he has the tactical speed which enables him to adjust to whatever scenario unfolds in terms of the pace.

“He should find himself in a far better place in terms of how the race unfolds. Furthermore, I think he’ll quicken in the same way over 2400 metres as he does over 2100 metres.”

Fabre’s Sosie is now proven twice over the Arc course and distance having won the Grand Prix de Paris prior to his Prix Niel victory.

The colt was bred by the Wertheimer brothers, Alain and Gerard, whose racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau said: “He loves the track and has won there three times, while the distance is no problem either as he won the Grand Prix de Paris and Prix Niel over the same course and distance. He will have no problem with both distance and track and that is important.

“Andre knows how to get a horse prepped for the big day and that will be important. After the Grand Prix de Paris the aim has always been the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The other day he had a good race and didn’t have to fight too much so hopefully there is some more to come.”

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.