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For jockeys and racegoers there is nothing quite to match the Arc at Longchamp 29 September 2003 Longchamp Racecourse
Frankie Dettori has ridden in every Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe since he was 17, he has won it for the past two years and Sakhee's memorable triumph at Longchamp in 2001 was the Italian-born rider's 100th Group 1 victory. One could expect him to be enthusiastic about the place and the race but he surely echoes the views of all jockeys when he says: "It is a great feeling to ride in this race. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife, it is electric. It is a beautiful track and a beautiful race to win." However the tension created by one of the world's most prestigious races leads Dettori to add some realism to the nostalgia: "I have had a few knocks, a few good trips and a few bad trips. Hopefully you learn from them." Not only for the jockeys is the "Arc" as it is popularly known a one-off annual experience. The idea of a great horserace in Paris is irresistible to the British in particular and of the 45,000 expected at the track ¡V in that magnificent setting between the River Seine and the Bois de Boulougne with the Eiffel Tower as a background - about 20,000 will have made the annual pilgrimage to France's capital city from the British Isles. However even those figures pale into insignificance by comparison to the worldwide audience with a TV broadcast to over one billion in 191 countries. Sponsored by the Barriere Group, the Arc weekend offers Europe's biggest two-day combined purse with total prizemoney of 3.5 million euros (about HK$31 million). And the betting is also pretty ferocious - at least by European standards! Last year the 30.7 million euros (about HK$272 million) that went through the PMU on-track betting tills on Arc day, uniquely boasting 6 group 1 races, amounted to a French record for a flat race meeting. Not surprising considering that the racecourse at Longchamp is situated in 17 hectares, the 2400 metres over which the Arc is run is a big wide track with plenty of room and sweeping bends. Despite this, many jockeys consider a low post position to be crucial especially in a big field where a high draw could mean having to race six wide on the bends. Indeed Sakhee was the first horse since Subotica nine years earlier to win from a double figure post-position and 2002 winner Marienbard was drawn low. However where the Arc is most often won or lost is the sweeping downhill slope called 'the false straight.' Sakhee was pulling double there two years ago but Dettori, like all good Longchamp jockeys, knew the price that many riders have paid by making their move too early. It is invariably the short final stretch where the horse's energy will most be needed. This year jockeys on beaten horses will, as usual, attract some of the blame but there won't be many excuses about the ground, at least not according to Longchamp's veteran track manager Gerard Grandchamp who proudly declares: "There are 10 centimetres of grass and the track is like a pile carpet." When Sakhee won in 2001 he equalled the six lengths winning margin set by Sea-Bird and Ribot, who have often been considered the two greatest winners in Arc history. In France there are many who are hoping, and predicting, that the Aga Khan's Dalakhani is going to restore French pride with a similar runaway victory in a race that no-French trained horse has won since 1999. On Sunday we will find out.
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