The field for the 2024 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is becoming clearer as 16 horses will line up for Europe’s biggest flat race at Longchamp on Sunday, 6th October. Aidan O’Brien is responsible for two of them as he tries to win the middle distance showpiece for the first time since Found in 2016.
His main challenger looks set to be Irish Derby hero Los Angeles in what looks an open race. The son of Camelot has only been beaten twice, running an encouraging race to be fourth in the 1m2f Irish Champion Stakes in his preparatory run. Son Joseph looks set to send recent Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Al Riffa to the race in strong form too, with O’Brien’s other contender being 2023 St Leger winner Continuous.
All could well line up to give Ballydoyle a strong hand, though the hosts have an equally healthy set of runners. Sosie is unbeaten at Longchamp, and won the Prix Niel as his warm-up. That day he reversed Prix du Jockey Club form with the previously unbeaten Look De Vega, with Delius placed in both races. All three are three-year-olds looking to follow in the footsteps of brilliant 2023 Arc hero Ace Impact.
Fans of Japanese racing have been yearning for a winner of the Arc for a number of years. They have gone painfully close in the past, though Shin Emperor could well be the horse to end their wait, having shaped very well when third in the Irish Champion Stakes, finishing ahead of Los Angeles despite trouble in running.
Elsewhere, Mqse De Sevigne is still unbeaten this season, while other Classic generation fillies in contention could be Aventure and Sparkling Plenty, the former a narrow runner-up to Bluestocking in the Prix Vermeille last time out, and the latter the Prix De Diane winner earlier in the season. The aforementioned Bluestocking has been supplemented by Ralph Beckett and looks to be a fascinating inclusion.
Of the last few to mention, four hail from France in Sevenna’s Knight, Survie, Zarakem and Haya Zark, with Sunway potentially in line for a run for David Menuisier. Germany claimed a shock success three years ago, and Fantastic Moon would be their sole representative if declared.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Runners 2024
| Number | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1 | Zarakem | Cristian Demuro | Jerome Reynier |
| 2 | Haya Zark | William Buick | Adrien Fouassier |
| 3 | Fantastic Moon | Rene Piechulek | Sarah Steinberg |
| 4 | Al Riffa | Yutaka Take | Joseph O’Brien |
| 5 | Sevenna’s Knight | Mickael Barzalona | Andre Fabre |
| 6 | Continuous | Christophe Soumillon | Aidan O’Brien |
| 7 | Bluestocking | Rossa Ryan | Ralph Beckett |
| 8 | Mqse De Sevigne | Alexis Pouchin | Andre Fabre |
| 9 | Look De Vega | Ronan Thomas | Carlos & Yann Lerner |
| 10 | Shin Emperor | Ryusei Sakei | Yoshito Yahagi |
| 11 | Sunway | Oisin Murphy | David Menuisier |
| 12 | Delius | Ioritz Mendizabal | Jean-Claude Rouget |
| 13 | Sosie | Maxime Guyon | Andre Fabre |
| 14 | Los Angeles | Ryan Moore | Aidan O’Brien |
| 15 | Survie | Tom Marquand | Nicolas Clement |
| 16 | Aventure | Stephane Pasquier | Christophe Ferland |