Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Born from the ruins of war, the Arc arrived in 1920 already gunning for Europe's richest prizes.

The inaugural Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was held on 3 October 1920 at Longchamp Racecourse, conceived as a grand international race to revitalise French racing after the First World War. The five-year-old Comrade, trained by Peter Gilpin and ridden by Frank Bullock, won the first running. With a purse that immediately rivalled the richest races in Europe, the Arc announced itself as a contest of serious ambition from day one.

Corrida won the Arc twice in succession; a benchmark scarcely a handful of champions would ever match.

The French-bred filly Corrida won the Arc in both 1936 and 1937, becoming the first filly to take the race twice. Her back-to-back victories established a benchmark that only a handful of truly exceptional horses would match in the century to come. By the late 1930s, the Arc had cemented its status as the championship race of European flat racing.

Even under occupation, the Arc refused to surrender its place in the racing calendar.

The Arc was not held in 1939 or 1940 due to the Second World War, but it resumed in 1941 at Longchamp under German occupation. In 1943 and 1944, the race was moved to Le Tremblay racecourse. It returned to Longchamp in 1945, and the post-war years saw the race quickly regain its international prestige as European racing rebuilt itself.

Ribot completed sixteen races unbeaten, claiming the Arc in both 1955 and 1956, the latter by six lengths.

The Italian-bred Ribot, trained by Ugo Penco, won the Arc in 1955 and 1956 as part of an unbeaten 16-race career. His six-length demolition of the 1956 field remains one of the most devastating performances in the race's history. Ribot proved that the Arc could attract and crown the very best from beyond France's borders, turning it into a truly pan-European championship.

Piggott didn't win the 1977 Arc; he threaded a needle through it at 40 miles an hour.

Alleged, trained by Vincent O'Brien and ridden by Lester Piggott, won the Arc in 1977 and 1978. The 1977 victory was particularly memorable: Piggott, at his tactical finest, threaded through the field in the straight to win by a length and a half. It was the kind of ride that reminded everyone why the Arc, more than any other race, rewards both horse and jockey in equal measure.

Four races. Three classics. One perfect career.

Lammtarra, ridden by Frankie Dettori, won the 1995 Arc in only his fourth career start, having already taken the Derby and the King George. It was Dettori's first Arc victory and the beginning of a remarkable association with the race. The 1990s also saw the Arc's prize money climb sharply, with Qatar's sponsorship from 2008 eventually pushing the purse to €5 million and confirming the race's place at the summit of global flat racing.

She won it twice before Waldgeist finally, cruelly, said enough in 2019.

Enable, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori, won the Arc in 2017 as a three-year-old and returned to win again in 2018. Her attempt at an unprecedented third consecutive victory in 2019 fell short when Waldgeist denied her in the final strides. Enable's two wins, combined with her Oaks, King George, and Breeders' Cup triumphs, marked her as one of the finest middle-distance fillies in racing history.

A €140 million reinvention brought Dominique Perrault's grandstand to the Bois de Boulogne, yet the turf that defines the Arc remained untouched.

After a major redevelopment that saw the Arc temporarily relocated to Chantilly in 2016 and 2017, Longchamp reopened in 2018 with a striking new grandstand designed by Dominique Perrault. The modernised racecourse brought improved hospitality facilities and a contemporary architectural statement to the Bois de Boulogne, while preserving the sweeping right-handed turf course that has defined the Arc for over a century.

Three lengths clear and unbeaten; Ace Impact left the Arc with nothing left to prove.

Ace Impact, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and ridden by Cristian Demuro, produced a devastating front-running display to win the 2023 Arc by three lengths. The unbeaten three-year-old was subsequently named Cartier Horse of the Year. It was a fitting reminder that the Arc, now over a century old, still has the power to produce performances that stop you mid-conversation. The race remains the one every owner, trainer, and breeder in Europe circles on the calendar.