Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Grade 1, ParisLongchamp 15:05 €5,000,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 1
Tweet Sunday 4th October 2026

Estrange reignited dreams of a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with a polished victory in the Betway Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes at Carlisle on May 30, confirming she has returned as an even stronger mare following the disappointment of missing Europe’s premier middle-distance prize last autumn.

David O’Meara’s grey had been on course for ParisLongchamp after a superb campaign in 2025, only for a minor setback to scupper those plans. She nevertheless returned to finish second to Kalpana on British Champions Day, producing form that set a clear standard for this Group Three contest.

Easy peasy for #Estrange who is a stylish winner of G3 Lester Piggott Stakes @CarlisleRaces for @omeararacing.

The grey may head to @haydockraces for the Lancashire Oaks or G1 Pretty Polly @LeopardstownRC

25/1 Arc de Triomphehttps://t.co/gJunLPAorw 🔞 pic.twitter.com/jskesK6Awg

— Unibet Racing (@UnibetRacing) May 30, 2026

Sent off the 8-11 favourite, Estrange briefly looked vulnerable after racing keenly in the early stages and finding herself momentarily outpaced when the tempo lifted.

However, class ultimately told. Once Danny Tudhope asked her to lengthen, she eased through the gears with trademark authority before pulling a length and a half clear of Waardah, immediately prompting bookmakers to reintroduce her into Arc calculations at prices ranging from 20-1 to 33-1.

The performance strengthened the belief that unfinished business may await in Paris this autumn.

O’Meara said: “I think physically she looks like she has improved from four to five. She looked bigger and rangier when she was walking around the paddock.

“You know Minnie Hauk (winner of the Yorkshire Oaks with Estrange second) is back for more this year, as is Kalpana, so we’ll need to have improved. But on that showing she has and it will put her in the mix.

“If you don’t bring your A game to these races you are not going to win, but she has not let us down.”

The trainer was keen to stress that October remains a long way off, but confirmed the Arc remains firmly on the agenda should all continue to go well.

He said: “October (Arc) is a long way off, but she’s in. She would be in the Lancashire Oaks and she could come back to 10 furlongs for the Pretty Polly in Ireland, but the Lancashire Oaks worked well for her last year.

“But the Pretty Polly would come under consideration, especially if the ground was slow over here.”

Those intermediate targets are likely to shape her route back towards the highest level, with races such as the Lancashire Oaks, Pretty Polly Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks all potential stepping stones towards a return to Longchamp.

Cheveley Park Stud managing director Chris Richardson made no secret of where connections ultimately hope the season will lead.

He said: “Look at her, she is hardly blowing. She doesn’t even look like she has had a run really.

“We will probably go to York for the Yorkshire Oaks again. She is in Ireland, too, but it is a question of where the rain is.

“That (Arc) is the dream, yes. She has done it very nicely and she has another year under her belt. She has done well physically and improved.”

With another winter of strengthening behind her and her first outing of the campaign suggesting further progression, Estrange appears well placed to pursue the ambition that was denied her last year.

For O’Meara and Cheveley Park Stud, the road to Paris has begun again — and on this evidence, the dream of lining up in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe remains very much alive.

Qatar Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe 2025
€5,000,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 1
17 ran
Going: Very Soft

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (2)    Daryz 3 8-13 F-H Graffard Mickael Barzalona 166/10
2 (1) hd Minnie Hauk 3 8-9 A P O'Brien Christophe Soumillon 5/2F
3 (3) 5½ Sosie 4 9-5 A Fabre Stephane Pasquier 12/1
4 (5) hd Giavellotto 6 9-5 Marco Botti Andrea Atzeni 37/1
5 (15) nk Byzantine Dream 4 9-5 Tomoyasu Sakaguchi Oisin Murphy 7/1
6 (16) ¾ Arrow Eagle 4 9-5 J-C Rouget Ioritz Mendizabal 105/1
7 (10) snk Kalpana 4 9-2 Andrew Balding Colin Keane 16/1
8 (6) shd Leffard 2 3 8-13 J-C Rouget Cristian Demuro 47/1
9 (7) 2½ Quisisana 5 9-2 F-H Graffard Alexis Pouchin 19/1
10 (11) hd Hotazhell 3 8-13 Mrs John Harrington Shane Foley 94/1
11 (12) ½ Aventure 4 9-2 C Ferland Maxime Guyon 57/10
12 (9) nk White Birch 5 9-5 John Joseph Murphy Dylan Browne McMonagle 53/1
13 (13) nse Gezora 3 8-9 F-H Graffard Tom Marquand 31/1
14 (17) hd Croix Du Nord 3 8-13 Takashi Saito Yuichi Kitamura 87/10
15 (8) ¾ Cualificar 3 8-13 A Fabre William Buick 22/1
16 (4) 3½ Alohi Alii 3 8-13 Hiroyasu Tanaka Christophe-Patrice Lemaire 9/1
17 (14) 7 Los Angeles 4 9-5 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 44/1
NR 7 (18) Estrange 4 9-2 David O'Meara NON RUNNER

Previous Winners