The Prix De l'Arc De Triomphe is one of those legendary races which stops Europe. And with John Gosden’s Enable attempting a three-peat, there is every chance that passionate racegoers and horsemen from around the world, will take pause to watch this race.
Dual Arc winning heroine Enable was kept in training as a 5YO with the sole purpose of becoming the first horse to win the race three times.
Her current campaign has been faultless with a hat-trick of Gr.1 wins in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, King George at Ascot and the Yorkshire Oaks at York.
Gosden believes his star mare is at her peak ahead of her return to Paris.
Aidan O’Brien is sending two spears from his stable (Japan and Magical), attempting a third victory in Europe’s most significant race which he first won a dozen years ago with Dylan Thomas, and also with Found leading home a famous Ballydoyle 1-2-3 in 2016.
Both horses are among the foremost challengers to Enable in the betting.
Moore rode both in their last races, including Magical in the Irish Champion Stakes.
Charlie Appleby’s Ghaiyyath who was quietly impressive on his latest appearance in Germany will be Godolphin's only entry.
Andre Fabre has Waldgeist in contention as he bids to add to his record tally of seven Arc wins.
The leading hope for the home contingent is Jean-Claude Rouget’s French Derby winner Sottsass.
Japanese Kiseki, the Katsuhiko Sumii-trained 5YO son of Rulership, got a prep on French turf, in the Prix Foy, finishing third.
Victory has continued to elude Kiseki, whose last win was the 3YO classic Kikuka Sho in 2017, but he nonetheless has come close, running second in three of his last five starts prior to the Prix Foy, all Grade 1 events, including last year’s Japan Cup behind Almond Eye.
Kiseki is to join two other Japan-based horses in the Arc – this year’s Tenno Sho (Spring) winner Fierement and 2018 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) champ Blast Onepiece, who arrived in Newmarket early September.
French Fifteen's 4YO son French King is now unbeaten in four starts this year after registering a comfortable length victory over Communique in the Gr. 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten.
The colt, trained by Henri-Alex Pantall for French Fifteen's owner Sheikh Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Thani, was Listed-placed in the French provinces last year but has gradually risen through the ranks. In February he won the valuable Emir's Trophy in Qatar, and since then has won the Carl Jaspers-Prieis at Cologne and Grosser Hansa Preis at Hamburg, both Gr.2s, before recording his first elite victory.
Nagano Gold will be attempting the Czech Republic on the world map when he runs in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The 5YO has proved already that he can already create earth-shattering shocks when he nearly won the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He was marginally unlucky that day, too, having been broadsided by 2018 Derby winner Masar on coming out of the stalls, losing far more ground than the eventual half a length he was beaten by Defoe.
On the back of that, he was sent off favorite for the Grand Prix de Deauville but could finish only third.
The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Soft Light was supplemented at the last moments when Anthony Van Dyke was scratched. The son of Authorized is yet to win in six attempts this season but has finished second on four occasions and finished four lengths behind Grand Prix de Paris winner Japan in his only previous Group One.
Click Here To Watch Race 2018
1. Soft Light (J. Rouget), 2. French King (H. Pantall), 3. Waldgeist (A. Fabre), 4. Ghaiyyath (C. Appleby), 5. Kiseki (K. Sumii), 6. Blast Onepiec (M. Otake), 7. Fierement (T. Tezuka), 8. Nagano Gold (V. Luka), 9. Enable (J. Gosden), Magical (A. O'Brien)
Distance: 2,400 metres (1½ miles), Surface: Turf, Track: Right-handed, Qualification: Three-years-old and up,excluding geldings, Weight: 56½ kg (3yo); 59½ kg (4yo+), Allowances,1½ kg for fillies and mares, Purse: €5,000,000 (2018),1st: €2,857,000
