Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 Preview – Runners Guide to Europe’s Richest Horse Race

Longchamp in Paris becomes the centre of the horse racing world on Sunday, 5 October with the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe of 2025 set for 3pm UK time. Worth over £2,360,000 to the winner, it’s the most valuable race in the whole of Europe.

Some 18 runners line-up in the Arc this time with a third of those being older male horses. Joining them are as many fillies and mares in the line-up with four aged four and up. Half-a-dozen three-year-old colts complete the line-up with the field comprised of British, French, Irish and Japanese hopefuls.

The tagline for this great event translates as “it’s not a race, it’s a monument”, a reference to the triumphal arch in Paris that this feature contest takes its name from. The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2025 will, as it has done in some many seasons, tie various form lines between generations together.

As younger horses, the three-year-olds receive weight for age from their elders. Fillies benefit most from this as there’s a sex allowance on top of that as well. Such race terms are something that punters and tipsters alike must consider when looking through the prices on horse racing betting sites for the Arc.

Luck in the draw is also an essential ingredient with lower numbers favoured in recent editions. Jumping from a high gate could break a horse’s chances of Arc glory, so bear that in mind as well. We asked our horse racing experts to run their eyes over the entire field and profile every entrant taking part…

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 Runners Guide

1. Giavellotto

Stays 1m 6f, which is a plus for this assignment. Catapulted into Arc contention when lowering the colours of Kalpana in a Kempton Group 3 latest. Landed valuable prize in Far East last winter and not disgraced when behind Jan Brueghel and Calandagan in Coronation Cup at Epsom on UK reappearance. Lively outsider with handy low draw.

2. White Birch

Needs the forecast rain to fall after it didn’t materialise in sufficient amounts to aid his bid for Irish Champion Stakes glory at Leopardstown latest. Useful in the mud as demonstrated when notching Group hat-trick at the Curragh in the spring of 2024. His Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 hopes hinge on the weather gods.

3. Arrow Eagle

Progressive in twice beating subsequent Prix Maurice de Nieuil, Grand Prix de Deauville and Preis von Europa winner Sibayan over course and distance, and again at Chantilly earlier in the campaign. Disappointed in his Arc trial latest, so needs to bounce back, but a high draw counts against him.

4. Sosie

Genuine Longchamp specialist with five wins from seven starts here. Fourth in last season’s edition behind Aventure and Los Angeles. Farmed shorter distance Group 1s in the spring, but cross-Channel raid on the Eclipse at Sandown didn’t work out. Not disgraced when runner-up to Byzantine Dream in Prix Foy latest, so one of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 contenders of note.

5. Los Angeles

Third in this 12 months ago, splitting Aventure and Sosie, and drawn higher now. Narrow wins at home in Ireland in the spring, but form has dipped since then. Beaten favourite in the Prince Of Wales during Royal Ascot and Royal Whip before disappointing fourth in Prix Foy on Trials day latest. Stable second string to supplemented Minnie Hauk. Needs first-time cheekpieces to spark a revival.

6. Byzantine Dream

⭕ #ParisLongchamp – #Qatar Prix Foy (Gr II)
Byzantine Dream (Epiphaneia) décroche son premier succès de Groupe en Europe pour l’entraînement de T. Sakaguchi. Le représentant de K. Yoshida s’impose devant Sosie (Sea The Stars) et Almaqam (Lope de Vega). @Q_REC pic.twitter.com/AmiLPoe09z

— France Galop (@francegalop) September 7, 2025

Landed valuable long-distance race in Saudi Arabia this winter. Head second in the Tenno Sho back on home turf, before Prix Foy success over course and distance latest. Goes well under Oisin Murphy and leading Japanese contender as the Far East seeks a breakthrough win here. Only negative is his high draw. One of the more intriguing Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 runners.

7. Estrange

Lightly-raced filly who recorded back-to-back Group wins at Haydock. What that form amounts to is open to question, but not disgraced on faster going than ideal when chasing home Minnie Hauk in the Yorkshire Oaks latest. Now meets her old rival off 2lb better terms, but drawn widest of all and needs all the rain forecast to get optimal conditions.

8. Quisisana

It’s QUISISANA’s G1! 🙌@GraffardRacing & Christophe Soumillon pair up to win the G1 Prix Jean Romanet in Deauville… 🇫🇷

🎥: @AtTheRaces

pic.twitter.com/dwpUUwUyqw

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) August 24, 2025

Career best when landing a Deauville Group 1 against fellow fillies and mares latest. Enjoyed previous Listed successes including over this trip, but now in even deeper water. Still relatively lightly-raced for her age, so could still have improvement in her. Draw no problem and she’s done nothing wrong in winning all three starts this season. Can give another good account in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe of 2025.

9. Kalpana

Finished last season on a high with Kempton Group 3 success and Group 1 glory on British Champions Day. Had the Arc as her long-term target ever since. Placed on all four subsequent starts including the Tattersalls Gold Cup and Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland. Runner-up in the King George to Calandagan, but has seemed to find one or two too good throughout the campaign. First-time cheekpieces applied.

10. Aventure

Two wins and as many seconds over course and distance for this four-year-old filly who was runner-up 12 months ago. Only defeat this term came at the hands of Calandagan in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Has since landed a Group 1 trial for this against fellow females. Now meets re-opposing second Geroza off 1lb better terms in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe of 2025, so a leading home team contender albeit drawn high enough.

11. Daryz

Listed course winner earlier in the season and short-head second in Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange here latest. Beat subsequent Prix Niel second in Saint-Cloud Group 2 over the summer. Unexposed at a mile-and-a-half and could have more improvement in him stepping up to that for the first time. Something of a dark horse from his low draw.

12. Leffard

Short-head winner of a course and distance Group 1 when just getting up on the line in the Grand Prix de Paris. Pounced late that day, but never nearer sixth in the Prix Niel latest was disappointing. May have the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2025 run to suit, though, and if ridden closer to the pace, he could give a better account of himself.

13. Cualificar

French Derby second after landing a couple of Classic trials in the spring. Disappointing at Deauville on penultimate outing, but bounced right back with gutsy Prix Niel success over course and distance latest. Met trouble in-running, yet still found a way to win. Dam won The Oaks, so bred for a mile-and-a-half. Has to be on any shortlist.

14. Hotazhell

Hasn’t encountered the soft ground that saw him to such good effect when landing his final juvenile starts last autumn. Third in the Irish 2000 Guineas on reappearance, but the plan was to run in the French equivalent. Ahead of Sosie in the Eclipse, but fourth in America and at Leopardstown since. Needs the rain, but even then one of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 outsiders over a new longer trip.

15. Croix Du Nord

Japanese Derby and course Group 3 winner over Daryz latest. He only just held on and now has a very high draw to overcome. Lightly-raced colt still unexposed over a mile-and-a-half and looks open to further improvement. Another iron in the fire for the Far East in their breakthrough bid in this world famous race.

16. Alohi Alli

Deauville Group 2 on European debut latest and and drawn lowest of the three Prix de l’Arc de Triopmphe 2025 runners from Japan. Had subsequent Prix Niel hero Cualificar in-behind in third on the Normandy Coast and laid out for this ever since. Has only won in a small field, however, but made all the running and wasn’t stopping over a mile-and-a-quarter. Chance.

17. Minnie Hauk

Ticking off the Oaks ✅

Irish Oaks, English Oaks, Cheshire Oaks and now the Yorkshire Oaks for Minnie Hauk 💪@coolmorestud @yorkracecoursepic.twitter.com/WGeyMAVL3p

— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) August 21, 2025

Supplemented for the Arc by powerful connections after hat-trick of mile-and-a-half Group 1s against fellow females. Receive the maximum weight and gender allowances as a three-year-old filly and can have no complaints about the lowest draw. Easy to see why she’s favourite, but has new jockey on board for the first time.

18. Gezora

Group 2 course winner and then landed the French Oaks at Chantilly over the summer. Followed Aventure through in the Prix Vermeille latest, but 1lb worse off with her now. Has high-ish draw to overcome, but shaped very nicely on her sole start over a mile-and-a-half here last time. Definite each-way contender for top French stable.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2025 Shortlist & Verdict

High draws for most of the Japanese contingent may mean their wait for Arc glory goes on. While supplemented Minnie Hauk and last season’s runner-up Aventure are well-found in the market, better each-way value could lie with GEZORA and CUALIFICAR, who both performed well over course and distance last time.

Kalpana hasn’t replicated her form from last autumn, yet could still come good for 2024’s winning owners. Giavellotto appeared to beat her fair and square around Kempton, so he’s a lively outsider if rain stays away from Paris. Daryz is a dark horse and completely unexposed over this far, while last season’s third and fourth Los Angeles and Sosie need to find more.

Michael Lee

Betting Expert

Michael Lee

Betting Expert

Michael has worked in the sports betting industry for many years. Following football, horse racing and track and field athletics, he has covered the last three Olympic Games, World Cups and other major sporting events.

All posts by Michael Lee