PRIX DE L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE BETTING
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race held annually in October at the Longchamp Race Course in Paris. It is contested on a turf track over 1 ½ miles (2400 meters) and is open to thoroughbred horses aged 3 years or older. Field sizes in recent years have ranged from 16 to 19 horses but the race has seen as many as 30 entries (1967).
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THE RACE COURSE
Referred to colloquially as the 'Arc' it is one of the most popular racing events in Europe and the third richest turf race in the world behind the Melbourne Cup and the Japan Cup. It was first run in 1920 and since 2003 has been marketed with the slogan "Ce n'est pas une course, c'est un monument" - "It's not a race, it's a monument". The race is currently sponsored by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) and offers a prize purse of €4 million.
The turf course at Longchamp is a notoriously challenging track for horse and jockey alike. The first thing that a North American racing fan will notice is that the course is not flat and goes up and down hill at various points. Like many European turf races a handicap system is at play which assigns a weight 'handicap' based on the age and sex of each horse. Three-year-olds receive an 8-10 pound allowance over older males (depending on gender) and a 4-7 pound weight advantage over older females. An extra pound or two might not make a difference in the race but on an already grueling race course an extra 8 to 10 pounds is a significant concern and should be accounted for when placing your Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe bets.
HANDICAPPING THE PRIX DE L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE
Once you understand the unique characteristics of this race you can start formulating a strategy to bet on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The overwhelming majority of race winners have come from England, Ireland or France. 84 of the 92 all time winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe came from these countries. A US bred horse has never won the race. In recent years a growing number of Japanese bred horses have competed in the event and they'll likely produce the next non English/Irish/French winner.
THE WEIGHT HANDICAP IS KEY
As noted earlier, the weight handicap plays a very important part in Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe betting. This has been especially true in recent years as the last three winners have been three year old fillies who enjoy a 10 pound advantage over the older males in the field. This looks to be a trend to keep an eye on going forward. A filly hadn't won in fifteen years until 2008 when Zarkava won as a three year old. That means that four of the last six races have been won by three year old fillies. The other two races in that stretch have been won by three year old colts. That strongly suggests that the weight handicap is very significant and the focus should be on three year old horses of both genders over more experienced and accomplished older males.
FORM IS ALSO IMPORTANT
Despite the apparent advantage to younger horses in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe don't expect an unknown to come out of nowhere and compete. The last 13 winners of the race had at least one Group 1 race victory and had raced within the past 50 days. Well over 80% of the winners in that timeframe won their last time out. Experience at the distance is also key and over 80% of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners in the past twenty years had a previous victory at a distance of a mile and a half or greater.