Arc De Triomphe

Last Sunday October 4 saw the 88th running of the most prestigious turf race in the world, the €4million Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp racecourse in Paris. Below are all the details of the race, including the place, age, jockey and trainer of all the starters.

Race Details:

Date: Oct 4 2009
Track: Longchamp
Distance: 1 ½ mile
Track Condition: Good (Turf)
Crowd Attendance: 48, 700
Sponsor: Qatar
Number of Starters: 19
Winning Margin: 2 lengths
Winning Time: 2:26.30

Race Overview:

From the opening of the gates, Grand Ducal ridden by Pat Smullen established the lead for the first quarter before being surpassed by stable-mate Set Sail. Jockey Sean Levey kept Set Sail two lengths ahead of Grand Ducal, manoeuvring the horse around the Grande Piste’s sweeping right turn, with the rest of the pack five lengths back.

Irish-bred champion Sea The Stars, who began the race as the clear favourite at 4/6, had a slow start stuck at the back in heavy traffic. Jockey Michael Kinane masterfully kept the colt down on the rail, eventually bringing them to ninth place.

As the pacesetters tired, Stacelita passed them and briefly took the lead.

Seemingly boxed in, Sea the Stars found room around the ¼ pole. Accelerating to a sprint, he broke away and by the 1/8 pole was in a clear lead, powering down the turf to secure a two length victory over runner-up for the last three Arcs, Youmzain.

Six-year-old Youmzain (20/1) and jockey Kieren Fallon came from 11th position to make a run at Sea The Stars late in the race, but was unable to catch the three-year-old.

Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Cavalryman (12/1) finished a head back in third after breaking from the outside.

Full Results: