The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Daryz seeks a repeat at ParisLongchamp

At ParisLongchamp the 105th edition of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runs today. Of the 73 horses entered last May, only 16 actually made it to the start: a severe selection, typical of a race that remains among the most coveted events on the international racing calendar.

The race’s total purse is 5 million euros, of which 2.857 million is reserved for the winner alone: a figure that alone places the Arc among the richest races in Europe and explains part of the attention it draws every year from owners and trainers from multiple countries, as well as from fans who follow the race even outside France.

The pre-race favorite is Daryz, tenant du titre, who aims to become the ninth horse in the race’s history to win two consecutive editions. It is a rare record, one that measures the difficulty of repeating in a race where the field changes every year and where the entry selection — from 73 to 16 starters — makes each edition a different contest from the previous one. The entry mechanism itself, with the cut from dozens of proposed horses to a narrow number of admitted starters, is part of the reason why a repeat win remains so rare in the event’s history.

The combination of the prize money and the rarity of a repeat win explains why the Arc de Triomphe remains a different kind of test from an ordinary group race: it is not just about the prize, but about a status that few horses achieve twice. In the race’s history only eight horses have managed it so far. Today at ParisLongchamp it will be known whether Daryz joins that select group or whether the list of double winners remains fixed at eight names.