A spectacular Sunday in store at ParisLongchamp !
A spectacular Sunday in store at ParisLongchamp
With just one month to go before the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the dress rehearsal has arrived!
On Sunday, ParisLongchamp will stage a gala meeting featuring the three Qatar Arc Trials (Qatar Prix Vermeille, Qatar Prix Foy and Qatar Prix Niel). These three Group races will be joined by the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Group 1), the Qatar Prix d’Aumale (Gr2) and Qatar Prix La Rochette (Group 3) for two-year-olds, as well as the Qatar Cup – Prix Dragon (Group 1 PA), reserved for Purebred Arabians.
A marvellous Vermeille!
The Qatar Prix Vermeille brings together thirteen fillies and mares trained in France, Great Britain and Ireland. Among the French contenders, Lapothéose will test herself over 2,400 metres with the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on 6 October firmly in mind. Trained in Deauville by Yann Barberot, she remained unbeaten until her run in the German Oaks (Group 1), where she finished second on fast ground that did not play to her strengths.
Also representing France, Pink Panthera, runner-up in the Prix de Diane Longines (Group 1), also finished second in the Cygames Prix de Malleret (Group 2) over the same course and distance she will tackle again on Sunday. Now four years old, Sunly is still seeking a first Group 1 victory, having performed well against the males in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud – World Pool by PMU (Group 1), finishing third behind champion Calandagan and Cualificar.
Also trained by Francis Graffard, Rabbit’s Foot showed her well-being at Deauville with an emphatic victory in the JRA Prix Alec Head (Group 2).
Among the overseas challengers, the main threat could come from Ireland’s Sparan Nua, who recently finished second to champion Kalpana in the Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1), or from Survie, French-bred but now trained in Great Britain by George Boughey after beginning her career in Chantilly.
Daryz, winner of the 2025 Arc, returns to ParisLongchamp
The horse everyone will be eager to see in the Qatar Prix Foy (Group 2) is, of course, Daryz, winner of the 2025 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Victorious in the Prix Ganay – World Pool by PMU and the Prix Aga Khan IV, formerly the Prix d’Ispahan (both Group 1), in the spring, he subsequently finished third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, although he was not at his peak at the time. He is expected to show a different side of himself on Sunday.
A formidable Irish challenger in the Niel
Among the three-year-olds lining up in the Qatar Prix Niel (Group 2), Aidan O’Brien fields two runners, including Irish Derby (Group 1) winner Benvenuto Cellini. He will undoubtedly start as the race favourite…
For France, Pearled Majesty, who was unlucky in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, went on to win the Prix Eugène Adam (Group 2) with considerable authority and will also be one to watch closely, as will Alam and Varandir, third and fourth respectively in the Cygames Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1) after a fiercely contested finish over this same course on Bastille Day.
A Moulin featuring seven flying horses
With seven runners, including three Group 1 winners, this year’s Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is particularly strong. The three-year-olds Erdenali, whose granddam Ervedya won the race, and Nighttime will be the only French-trained runners taking on high-class international opposition headed by Ireland’s Gstaadand Godolphin’s Opera Ballo, who was bred in France at Haras des Capucines.
The exuberance of youth…
In the Qatar Prix La Rochette (Group 3), Avec Toi will put his unbeaten record on the line for trainer Christopher Head, who will also be represented by Data in the Qatar Prix d’Aumale (Group 2). The Chantilly-based trainer won both of these Group races last year and could repeat the feat on Sunday, as he has established himself as a true specialist in the training of young two-year-old Thoroughbreds.
Finally, on paper, the Qatar Cup – Prix Dragon is headed by HM Alchahine, the defending champion, who recently won again at this level at Deauville.