Paris primed for a British bash on Arc weekend
ON A hot summer’s night, a crowd of 10,000 lounged around the beautiful grounds of Paris-Longchamp Racecourse, some to watch the Group One Grand Prix de Paris, but most to party hard to a Robin Schulz DJ set.
Fast forward 80 days and an estimated 35,000 racing enthusiasts are expected to flock to the French capital to witness the five-times awarded Longines World’s Best Flat Race, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, with around a quarter of those set to travel from Britain and Ireland.
Of course, due to the pandemic, racecourse attendances have been markedly down since 2019, but Longchamp are now fully prepared to welcome back the racing-mad masses once again.
And with a Sunday card that features six Group Ones and the £5 million Arc, not to mention tickets available for as little as €10, you can see the attraction for a grand day out.
Betting turnover on Arc day looks set to surpass last year’s eye-watering mark of £150 million, particularly with the likelihood of Japanese contenders on the track, while high-quality, international fields are expected across the card.
The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club have extended their partnership with France Galop for a further five years until 2027, helping to keep prize money at a premium and attract the world’s top thoroughbreds, while the two-day Arc weekend has now been extended to three, kicking off with nine-race card at nearby Saint-Cloud to warm things up.
All in all, Paris looks like the place to be for the first weekend in October, and France Galop Chief Executive, Olivier Delloye can’t wait to see the Brits flooding in.
“The British are responsible for around 20 percent of the attendance, but more like 80 per cent of the noise!”, Delloye quipped.
“We always have a great atmosphere on Arc day, and sometimes it feels like a British raceday taking place in France.”
As for the race itself this year, it could be a real melting pot of international quality.
Nearly 50 horses from the UK, Ireland and Germany, including last year’s victor Torquator Tasso, have already been entered across the Sunday card, while Japan have two obvious contenders primed for the Arc in the shape of Title Holder and Do Deuce.
“The British delegation could be very strong this year, and probably the strongest of all the countries with expected runners at this stage,” said France Galop boss Dolleye.
“Alpinista, who made a big impression in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, could be joined by the Derby winner Desert Crown, and what makes this race so exciting this year, is the confrontation of Europe’s top horses and some very good ones from Japan as well.”
Given the lofty prices of trains up and down the country at the moment, taking the Eurostar from London to Paris in under two hours with a ticket for a tenner to the world’s best Flat race waiting for you at the other end has plenty of appeal.
Tickets to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend at ParisLongchamp start at €10 and can be bought directly at https://www.billetterie.france-galop.com/uk/QPAT