The world's race with a French flavour: how this year's Arc is set to play out

Sunday: 3.05 Longchamp
Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Group 1) | 1m4f | 3yo+ | ITV/Sky

If the perfect championship horserace were ever to be created, it would need to be run at a neutral venue. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe shows that any race, regardless of its importance or international flavour, is always likely to be influenced by the received wisdom of the host nation.

Only in France, where the prep race is observed like the sabbath, would there be a whole card billed as trials for a single race. And only in France could you ensure that a race made up of horses and riders from across the globe would, as often as not, involve the field quickening from exactly the same point.