Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe betting tips, best bets and odds for Sunday at Longchamp

@scope (#mos-fa798c8c-c487-4289-9aaf-7f38a0e82423) { @font-face {
font-family: “Independent Serif”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Medium.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Serif”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Regular.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Sans”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Sans-Regular.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Sans”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Sans-Medium.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}

.bookmark-experience {
box-sizing: border-box;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
position: fixed;
top: 0;
left: 0;
right: 0;
bottom: 0;
inset: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
z-index: 10000;
padding: 12px;
margin: 0;
}

.bookmark-experience,
.bookmark-experience * {
box-sizing: border-box;
}

.bookmark-experience .modal {
position: relative;
width: 100%;
max-width: 400px;
margin: 0;
padding: 32px 24px 28px;
text-align: center;
color: #ffffff;
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #3b030f 0%, #3b030f 27%, #76071f 52%, #3b030f 100%);
box-shadow: 2px -2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn {
position: absolute;
top: 12px;
right: 12px;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
cursor: pointer;
background: none;
border: none;
padding: 0;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
display: block;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon {
position: relative;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
content: “”;
position: absolute;
top: 50%;
left: 0;
width: 16px;
height: 1.5px;
background: #ffffff;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before { transform: translateY(-50%) rotate(45deg); }
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after { transform: translateY(-50%) rotate(-45deg); }

.bookmark-experience .logo-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
margin: 0 0 24px;
}

.bookmark-experience .logo-premium-image {
display: block;
height: 24px;
width: 272px;
max-width: 86%;
object-fit: contain;
}

.bookmark-experience .headline {
font-family: “Independent Serif”, Georgia, serif;
font-weight: 500;
font-size: 28px;
line-height: 32px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
color: #ffffff;
margin: 0 0 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .body-text {
font-family: “Independent Serif”, Georgia, serif;
font-weight: 400;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 22px;
letter-spacing: -0.3px;
color: #ffffff;
margin: 0 0 24px;
}

.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
width: 100%;
height: 42px;
padding: 12px 16px;
background: #ffffff;
color: #76071f;
border-radius: 4px;
font-family: “Independent Sans”, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: 500;
line-height: 16px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
text-transform: uppercase;
text-decoration: none;
}

.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link:hover,
.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link:focus {
background: #f0e6e8;
color: #76071f;
}

.bookmark-experience .login-copy {
margin: 12px 0 0;
font-family: “Independent Sans”, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
line-height: 18px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
color: #ffffff;
}

.bookmark-experience .login-link {
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: underline;
cursor: pointer;
}

@media screen and (min-width: 600px) {
.bookmark-experience {
padding: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .modal {
max-width: 520px;
padding: 40px 48px 32px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
width: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn {
top: 16px;
right: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .logo-premium-image {
height: 28px;
width: 320px;
}

.bookmark-experience .headline {
font-size: 32px;
line-height: 36px;
letter-spacing: -0.75px;
margin-bottom: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .body-text {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 22px;
margin-bottom: 28px;
}
}
}

html:not(.mos-bookmark-open) .bookmark-experience { display: none !important; }

---

There’s a super Sunday of action at Longchamp featuring Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. 16 horses will go to post for one of Europe’s richest and most prestigious races and my horse racing tips include a pick for the big race alongside three other selections from betting sites.

A mouthwatering start for us here with this Group 1 for juveniles over 7f that includes precocious talent such as Amusingly, Imperial Strike, Man’s Best Friend and the unbeaten Avec Toi.

However, preference is for FOLSOM BLUES, who blew away a field of maidens at Gowran Park (7f, soft) in June (second start), stepped up to run second in a Leopardstown Group 3 the following month and then finished 1¼L second to subsequent Group 1 Moyglare Stud and Cheveley Park winner Sun Goddess in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes (6f, good to firm) at the Curragh in August.

Stepped up to 7f in the National Stakes at the same venue last month, the son of Blue Point annihilated his field in impressive fashion. This will be tougher but he is taken to follow up across the channel.

Longchamp tip 1: Folsom Blues – 3pts win @ 7/4 (bet365)

The best of these on recent form is Naana’s Shadow, who is a very speedy juvenile and has the ability to win this. However, she’s drawn in stall 14, which is not good when you consider only three of the last ten winners have been in stalls numbered higher than eight.

Unless all the pace is within those higher stalls, it might be tricky for her, Time For Sandals and Rumstar to win it but it should bring into it Miss Yechance and SHIRI and I’m going to suggest an each-way play on horse racing betting sites on the latter.

Francis Graffard’s filly was beaten over C&D by Naana’s Shadow last time, when she was doing her best work at the finish. She has a bit to find on the evidence of that Group 3 contest but she’s only had seven starts and there’s potential for more from her.

She’s drawn in stall four, which is a positive and we know she acts on a sound or fast surface, so there are other reasons to believe she can again run a big race and she looks worth chancing each-way.

Longchamp tip 2: Shiri – 1pt each-way @ 13/2 (Ladbrokes)

One of the toughest races to call on the Flat calendar. This year, we have last year’s winner Daryz, who was tipped by yours truly, back for a second bite at the cherry and attempting to be the first male back-to-back winner since 1978.

He obviously doesn’t know that stat and it is hard to shake the mind from his brilliant effort to win this in what was a very fast time given the very soft conditions. He’s got a good draw again, a fabulous record in France and also at this track itself.

Francis Graffard’s stellar colt also won’t mind the much faster ground than last year, when his performance was the best that any of these has produced. This time he’s a much shorter price, which doesn’t mean he can’t win again… he can but there are several very tough opponents for him to see off again.

Kalpana was fully 7L behind him last year but she had a more troubled passage and she’s prospered since. She’s got a better draw this time and looks a big player. Maltese Cross is another with claims but he has the nightmare draw in stall 11, which hasn’t produced a winner of this for some time.

Basically, anything drawn wider than stall 12 has the stats against it, including the otherwise outstanding Diamond Necklace, who has been deserted by Ryan Moore in favour of Benvenuto Cellini (stall one).

Varandir has more than half a stone to find with his stablemate, last year’s winner Daryz and I think he’s plenty short enough at 10/1, albeit he’s more or less totally unexposed for this sort of venture and is in the hands of a brilliant trainer. I’m not ruling him out but I’m siding, each-way, with THUNDERING ON.

Regulars will know my admiration for trainer Joseph O’Brien and we’ve had some profitable days based on his exploits in the past year. His filly is also 10/1 and I think that looks quite attractive.

I totally accept she’s going to need some improvement but I can genuinely see that coming. Just look at the pattern of her CV. Her first start when fresh is usually a stepping stone to her second and both previous times she’s had her second run after being fresh, she’s made a significant leap forward.

She impressed with a decisive win in the Oaks, her only previous start over this trip. She returned from a break to win a Group 2 at the Curragh last time (1m2f, good) and there is untapped potential back over 1m4f, while she’s also drawn in one of the prime stalls (three). Finally, it won’t harm her chance to have Pierre-Charles Boudot, who partnered Waldgeist to win the 2019 renewal and has won three French jockeys’ titles, in the plate.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe tip: Thundering On – 1pt each-way @ 10/1 (Ladbrokes)

This should chiefly concern the top three in the market, Pink Panthera, Precise and AVENTURE and on this occasion, I’m with the favourite.

Trainer Christophe Ferland has placed her wonderfully well to win eight of her 17 starts. She finished second in the 2024 Arc and suffered a wide trip in that race behind Daryz last year, when well beaten.

She won last year’s Group 1 Vermeille over the Arc C&D but she’s also very effective back over this 1m2f, as she showed when putting the red hot Coolmore filly Diamond Necklace firmly in her place in a Deauville Group 1 last time.

Aidan O’Brien will have a good idea as to the merits of that form in relation to Precise and both his Group 1 Coronation Stakes and Irish 1,000 Guineas winner. She and Pink Panthera (yet to win a Group 1 but a close second in both the Prix de Diane and the Vermeille this season) are more than capable of making a race of it but I’m with the battle hardened market leader on most betting apps.

Longchamp tip 3: Aventure – 2pts win @ 11/8 (William Hill)

It is important to practice safer gambling online, and regulated bookmakers can help bettors stay in control of their betting through their detailed safer gambling hubs.

As you’ll find on all UKGC licensed gambling sites, there is a range of tools available such as deposit limits, profit and loss calculators, reality checks and self-exclusion options.

If you need to seek help for a gambling problem, there are various charities that can help if you ever feel your gambling has got out of hand:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.