Sunday sees Longchamp stage the 2025 edition of the finest race on the European calendar. Run over 1m4f and offering more than £4 million in prize money, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe towers over the competition in terms of value and international appeal.
Open to runners aged three and older, the October showpiece helps determine the true pecking order of the most talented 1m4f performers in training. As the countdown to the big race continues, the latest significant entry stage cut the list of potential runners from 71 to a more manageable 18.
Almaqam Among Notable Absentees
The Ed Walker-trained Almaqam is the most notable British absentee. A third-place finish in the Prix Foy was a solid enough Arc prep, but the four-year-old will remain at home ahead of a tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes.
Others to set their sights elsewhere in the autumn are Aidan O’Brien’s 2024 St Leger winner Jan Brueghel, Joseph O’Brien’s 2025 Irish St Leger champ Al Riffa, and Andre Fabre’s Sevenna’s Knight, who finished a fine fifth in the 2024 edition.
Fillies to the Fore
Bluestocking’s famous 2024 victory was a ninth win in 14 years for the fillies and mares. If the betting is any guide, there is every chance that the fairer sex will enhance that record in 2025.
Aidan O’Brien’s English and Irish Oaks winner Minnie Hauk has been supplemented for the race at a cost of €120,000 and is now listed amongst the 18 runners. Unbeaten in four starts in 2025, the three-year-old daughter of Frankel jointly heads the betting with most firms at a general price of 7/2.
Alongside Minnie Hauk at a price of 7/2 is the Christophe Ferland-trained Aventure. This daughter of 2009 champ Sea The Stars finished best of the rest behind Bluestocking in 2024. Arriving on the back of a first career Group 1 win in the Prix Vermeille, the four-year-old has solid claims of going one better.
Earlier in the year, Andrew Balding’s Kalpana headed the Arc betting. However, the 2024 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner has failed to hit the heights in 2025. Kicking off with a third-place finish in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, she has since filled the runner-up position in the Pretty Polly Stakes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the September Stakes. She will need to leave that latest effort well behind if she is to deliver back-to-back Arc wins for owners Juddmonte.
David O’Meara’s flashy grey filly Estrange adds to the British challenge. Looking like a potential superstar when claiming the Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes, the hype has diminished a little following a narrow win in the Lancashire Oaks and a defeat by three and a half lengths at the hands of Minnie Hauk in the Yorkshire Oaks last time.
The Francis-Henri Graffard duo of Gezora and Quisisana add further depth to the fillies’ challenge. The former claimed the Prix de Diane in fine style in June and posted an eye-catching trial when running on well for second behind Aventure in the Prix Vermeille. Quisisana missed much of 2024 through injury but has looked better than ever since returning in June, winning all three starts, including the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet. If taking her place in the line-up, she is one of the more interesting outsiders at a best price of 33/1.
Record-Setting Fabre Goes for Win Number Nine
One man who may hope that a filly does not prevail in the 2025 Arc is the most successful trainer in the history of the great race. Landing a first Arc with Trempolino in 1987, Andre Fabre grabbed top honours for an eighth time when saddling Waldgeist to victory in 2019.
With Sevenna’s Star dropping out of contention, Fabre relies on Sosie and Cualificar in 2025. Sosie finished a commendable fourth in 2024 and finished a close second in his Prix Foy warm-up, while Cualificar thrust his name into the mix with a last-gasp victory in the Prix Niel.
Arc Success at Last for Japan?
Or perhaps 2025 will finally see the prize head east. With six days to go, three Japanese runners remain in contention. Takashi Saito’s Japanese Derby winner Croix Du Nord is the shortest price of the trio, having warmed up with a narrow Prix du Prince d’Orange victory. However, the Tomoyasu Sakaguchi-trained Byzantine Dream arguably posted a more eye-catching trial when denying Sosie in the Prix Foy.
The unexposed Alohi Alii impressed on his French debut in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano and may be more open to improvement than most. With Marco Botti’s globetrotting star Giavelloto, 2024 third Los Angeles, and the regally bred Daryz also standing their ground, the 2025 Arc has all the ingredients for a vintage renewal.