Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Grade 1, ParisLongchamp 15:05
€3,000,000 added,
3yo plus,
1m 4f, Class 1    
Sunday 4th October 2020

BetZone

1 Sottsass 13/2
2 In Swoop 17/2
3 Persian King 15/2
11 ran NR: Japan, Mogul, Serpentine, Sovereign
Distances: nk, 1¾l, hd Time: 2m 39.30s (slow by 8.80s)

Sottsass, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and ridden by Cristian Demuro, led home a clean sweep for French-trained runners, with two-time winner Enable only able to finish sixth.

Third in the race 12 months ago, his trainer had stated that only one day mattered for the four-year-old this year and he proved trained to perfection.

For John Gosden’s Enable, chasing history with a third victory in the race, she was bogged down in the heavy ground and suffered interference when the pace quickened.

In contrast, Sottsass picked up smartly and stayed on well to beat In Swoop, with Persian King hanging on for third having made the running, just ahead of Gold Trip. Enable’s Gold Cup-winning stablemate Stradivarius was seventh.

As a result of the interference, a stewards’ inquiry was immediately called – but following a short deliberation, the placings remained unaltered.

While Enable did not manage to win a third Arc, she will still go down in history as one of the greatest racemares to have graced the sport.

As well as her two wins in the Arc, she won the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot three times, the English Oaks and Irish Oaks and at the Breeders’ Cup.

Trainers Quotes

Sottsass won the French Derby last season, but had failed to set the world alight this year. However, Rouget had been making increasingly confident noises in recent days and his colt had been well-backed.

Cristian Demuro enjoyed a perfect run through the early stages, just tracking Persian King with Frankie Dettori just a length behind the eventual winner.

When the pace quickened in the straight Dettori had Enable in the perfect position to strike, with Stradivarius on her outside, but she when she needed to quicken, the heavy ground meant she was unable to use her raking stride and she was beginning to send out distress signals when squeezed up.

In Swoop, the German Derby winner, was predictably strong at the finish, but Sottsass was always doing enough and held on by around half a length.

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Qatar Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe
€3,000,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 1
11 ran
Going: Heavy

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (4)     Sottsass 4 9-5 J-C Rouget Cristian Demuro 13/2
2 (1) nk In Swoop 3 8-13 F-H Graffard Ronan Thomas 17/1
3 (7) 1¾ Persian King 4 9-5 A Fabre Pierre-Charles Boudot 15/2
4 (9) hd Gold Trip 3 8-13 F Chappet Stephane Pasquier 33/1
5 (2) 2 Raabihah 3 8-9 J-C Rouget Maxime Guyon 10/1
6 (5) 2 Enable 6 9-2 John Gosden Frankie Dettori 6/5F
7 (14) ½ Stradivarius 6 9-5 John Gosden Olivier Peslier 9/2
8 (12) 2½ Deirdre 6 9-2 Mitsuru Hashida Jamie Spencer 40/1
9 (6) nse Way To Paris 7 9-5 Andrea Marcialis Ioritz Mendizabal 28/1
10 (8) ¾ Royal Julius 7 9-5 J Reynier Shane Foley 100/1
11 (13) 20 Chachnak 3 8-13 F Vermeulen Tony Piccone 100/1
NR 4 (11) 4-4335 Japan 4 9-5 A P O'Brien NON RUNNER
NR 5 (10) 01-326 Sovereign 4 9-5 A P O'Brien NON RUNNER
NR 13 (3) Mogul 3 8-13 A P O'Brien NON RUNNER
NR (15) Serpentine 3 8-13 A P O'Brien NON RUNNER