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And so we’ve arrived at the end of the flat racing season, and what a season it’s been. We’ve seen big-name horses confirm their superiority, we’ve seen future stars emerge and we’ve seen plenty of upsets too. It’s not virtually time to wave goodbye to the level and move on to the jumps season, but not before one of the most prestigious flat races. That’s right, it’s time for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which is arguably the most sought-after middle-distance prize in the world of horse racing.
Taking place at the French venue of Parislongchamp on an annual basis, first run way back in 1920, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is about as a prestigious a prize as you can get in racing. Worth nearly £3,000,000 to the winning connections, this world famous race has been won by some of the greats, such as Mill Reef, Sea the Stars, Treve and Enable, while it is undoubtedly one of the very few races that top trainers worldwide want to win, which is why we always see far more than contenders from Britain and France jumping from the starting gates.
Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe betting odds
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Some years, we’ve seen a real short-priced favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but not this time around. One of the French contingent in the form of Ace Impact, who has impressed in recent times is an early favourite, but with several queuing up in behind in the betting, this is far from a race that is all about one horse.
Here’s how things stand in the early betting for the 2023 renewal of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe:
Ace Impact – 3/1
Continuous – 6/1
Hukum – 13/2
Westover – 13/2
Feed The Flame – 9/1
Through Seven Seas – 12/1
Fantastic Moon – 12/1
Bay Bridge – 14/1
Free Wind – 20/1
Place De Carrousel – 20/1
All other runners – 25/1 and bigger.
Best prices taken from a selection of top bookmakers. All odds correct at the time of writing but subject to change.
Our betting tips and predictions for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
This is by no means an easy race to call, and plenty will depend on luck, such as which horse will get the correct position? who will get the race run to suit? will anything improve beyond what it has shown before? Let’s get into it and see if we can find the winner of this fantastic contest.
Our best prediction: Westover (each-way) @ 7/1 (8.00)
I’m going to swerve the first three in the early betting in favour of Westover, who should relish the return to a real soft surface, which could make all the difference. This horse lost nothing in defeat to Hukum in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Royal Ascot, going down by just a head. That was on good-to-soft, and I’ve got a suspicion that expected extra dig in the ground at Longchamp will aid the mount of Rob Hornby more than his re-opposing rival, whose best form is on slightly better ground.
The soft ground certainly brought out the best in the four-year-old when he won over this trip in France back in July and we know he’s strong in a finishing battle, while he’s previously run very well in top-tier international races of this calibre. For me, his claims are solid, perhaps slightly more so than early odds of 7/1 suggest, and ultimately, at the prices, he’s the one to be on as far as I’m concerned.
Our each-way prediction: Through Seven Seas (each-way) @ 12/1 (13.00)
One thing’s for sure in my mind and that’s that Japanese raider Through Seven Seas looks somewhat generously priced at 12/1. With all the hype surrounding Ace Impact, Continuous and Hukum, this one may just have gone under the radar a little.
This horse looked a very smart prospect when winning at Nakayama earlier in the year, before being rested ahead of a very strong race at Hanshin in June. She returned from a 106-day break to finish second on that occasion and she was only beaten a neck by the winner. The winner of that race? Equinox, which is not something to ignore lightly. After all, Equinox is largely considered the best horse on the planet, so to get within a neck of that runner is impressive. The filly now needs to back that up on soft ground, which she might not do, but I think she’s dangerous to dismiss. On that evidence, she’s good enough to challenge the main protagonists here, and as a fan of an each-way angle, I’m absolutely ready to give her a chance at a chunky 12/1.
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