The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: Our trip to Europe's richest race
- Racing Breaks
- Oct 14, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: May 10, 2023
What is the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?
With its inaugural edition in 1920, the race takes its name from the thousands of veterans who filed under the Arc de Triomphe as the First World War came to a close. The first running went to a British horse, Comrade, and there's been plenty of oversees success in the years since. Now with prize money of €5m, it remains Europe's richest race, frequently complemented by American, Australian and Japanese entries.
What's the itinerary?
Leaving London on Saturday, we bring you to Paris on the Eurostar. Settling in at hotels around the city centre, you have the afternoon to explore Paris at leisure. After our exclusive Q&A (see below), we can recommend restaurants for dinner nearby. The next day, around 10am, it's time to head to Longchamp, which sits just twenty minutes away in the Bois de Boulogne. We transfer you to the racecourse, where there's a range of ticketing and hospitality packages to choose from, and we drop you back at your hotel after the last race. Head home that night or, on Monday, explore more of the city as you wish.
What happened in 2022's running?
2022's edition was won by 'gutsy and brave' Alpinista, a five-year-old mare bred by Swedish businesswoman Kirsten Rausing. Trained in Newmarket by Sir Mark Prescott (famed for his aversion to foreign travel), her jockey, Luke Morris, was riding his first Arc. After a torrential downpour before the start, soft ground suited Morris' less-than-stylish (if effective!) technique. Alpinista saw off Vadeni in the final furlongs and, arriving in the winner's enclosure, she basked in a flood of emotion, not least from her tearful groom, Annabel Willis.
What about our exclusive Q&A?
This year our ambassadors, Frankie Dettori and Jim Crowley, joined suprise guest Oisin Murphy at our annual drinks evening in central Paris. Interviewed by ITV's Rishi Persad and Racing TV's Tom Stanley, they reminisced about Arcs gone by, answered questions about their careers, and gave tips for the following day. Our Racing Breaks invitees were given the chance to ask questions, and to enter a raffle, with prizes including free racedays, Frankie's signed autobiography, and Jim's signed racing silks.
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