Preview of the 2025 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Festival

The first weekend of October means only one thing in flat racing: ParisLongchamp comes alive for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Across two action‑packed days - Saturday 4 October and Sunday 5 October 2025 - Europe’s best thoroughbreds (and the world’s leading Purebred Arabians) converge on Paris for a festival that blends heritage, high‑class competition and wall‑to‑wall storylines. This preview walks you through what the Arc is, where the meeting takes place, the full weekend race schedule in UK local time, what the forecast looks like, and what matters most if you’re having a bet on the horses. We close with quick‑fire FAQs covering how to watch, the prize money, and a popular specials market for 2025: a Japanese‑trained winner of the Arc.

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend is more than a single race – it is France’s flagship flat racing festival. Across two days, ParisLongchamp hosts a sequence of Group races for two‑year‑olds, Classic‑age performers, older stayers, fillies and mares, sprinters and middle‑distance stars. Since its inception in 1920, the Arc meeting has grown into a global showcase, drawing the best horses, jockeys and trainers from around the world. The Saturday card sets the stage with high‑class staying and juvenile contests, while Sunday brings a crescendo of Group 1 action. Taken together, the Arc weekend stands as one of the most prestigious racing festivals worldwide, blending heritage, glamour, international rivalry and top‑class sport.

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At the heart of the festival is the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe itself. Run since 1920 and sponsored by Qatar, it is a Group 1 contest over 2,400 metres for three‑year‑olds and older, excluding geldings. The Arc is the championship mile-and-a-half on turf, run under weight-for-age conditions: three-year-olds carry 56.5 kg, while horses aged four and older carry 59.5 kg, applying equally to stallions and mares. The 2025 edition carries a total purse of €5,000,000, with €2,857,000 awarded to the winner – one of the richest prizes in flat racing. The Arc is celebrated as the ultimate test of class and stamina on the European turf calendar, consistently producing champions whose names endure in racing history.

The meeting takes place at ParisLongchamp racecourse, an iconic right‑handed track set in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. The course has multiple configurations and a long, testing home straight that rewards balance and a well‑timed run. On a big Arc weekend crowd, atmosphere matters: draw, track position and pace can all play decisive roles.

Below are the racecards for both days in UK local time (BST). We list the race name, scheduled off‑time, the latest declared number of runners, official distance (metres) with an approximate miles/furlongs guide, and the advertised total prizepot (€). Runner counts reflect the most up‑to‑date declarations published at time of writing; late non‑runners can still change field sizes on the day.

Also on Saturday’s card (times UK/BST): 12:33 – Qatar Arabian Trophy des Juments (4yo Purebred Arabians, 2,000m, €150,000), 14:15 – Qatar Prix de la Place de la Concorde (Handicap, 1,600m, €72,000), 17:10 – Qatar Prix de la Place des Vosges (Handicap, 2,500m, €72,000). Runner numbers for these support races can be fluid close to post time; check official channels on the day.

Stamina sets the tone on Saturday. The Prix du Cadran (4,000m) is Europe’s ultimate staying test on the flat; winners blend iron constitution with a touch of pace to handle the long ParisLongchamp straight. The Prix Chaudenay is a classic end‑season target for improving three‑year‑old stayers stepping up in trip. The Prix de Royallieu is a Group 1 for fillies and mares over 2,800m: it rewards balance and patience, and has become a springboard to top‑level winter campaigns or broodmare careers.

At a mile, the Prix Daniel Wildenstein demands tactical speed and a clean slot turning for home, while the Prix Dollar over 1,950m is a specialist’s trip—often a platform for horses prepping for international targets like the Japan Cup or Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 2yo ARQANA Series Criterium d’Automne tests raw ability and professionalism at a straight mile; draw and pace are key on a big field of juveniles.

Also scheduled on Sunday (UK/BST): 17:00 – Qatar Grand Handicap des Flyers (1,400m, €72,000) and 17:35 – Qatar Prix de la Place de l’Étoile (2,000m, €72,000).

Arc Sunday compacts multiple Group 1s into a breathless afternoon. The Prix Marcel Boussac and Prix Jean‑Luc Lagardère crown the leading two‑year‑old filly and colt of the autumn; they are also significant signposts for next spring’s Classics. The Abbaye is the pure five‑furlong burn‑up—speed, position and the first two furlongs decide everything. The Prix de l’Opéra, over 2,000m for fillies and mares, has a habit of producing tight finishes where turn‑of‑foot trumps grinding stamina.

The Prix de la Forêt at 1,400m is a unique elite trip in Europe; specialists who struggle at a mile often find their sweet spot here. Sitting at the heart of it all is the Arc: a pace‑sensitive, tactical mile and a half where class and rhythm meet. The winner usually travels like a top‑notcher, finds a position on the turn and sustains a decisive run from the 400m pole to the line.

Paris is set fair for the weekend: Saturday 4 October looks breezy with morning showers clearing and sunny intervals (around 19°C, dropping to ~10°C overnight). Sunday 5 October should bring bright spells and highs near 17°C. That points to ground in the good‑to‑soft range unless there is unexpected overnight rain, a historically influential factor at this meeting. Always re‑check going updates on raceday.

• Draw and track position: Over 2,400m on the Grande Piste, inside stalls can help if the field goes a shade steady, but pace and cover matter more than raw draw statistics. Don’t over‑react to a wide stall if a horse has tactical speed and a handy rider.

• Three‑year‑olds vs elders: The weight allowance keeps the Classic generation very competitive. Profiled improvers stepping out of autumn trials often rate better than exposed older horses.

• Turn of foot on easy ground: Autumn at ParisLongchamp frequently rides on the easy side. Side with runners who have already shown a sharp change of gear with cut underfoot.

• Prep runs and freshness: The Arc is a peak target. Connections who peak horses here, sometimes off a light summer, are worth respect. Repeated hard battles in midsummer can leave a mark.

• Stable form and rider record: Leading French yards (Fabre, Rouget, Head, Graffard) and visiting powers (O’Brien, Gosden, Haggas) know this race inside‑out; top jockeys with a feel for the track can be decisive in the last 300m.

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.