A field of 16 will contest the Oct. 6 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) after Aidan O’Brien officially withdrew Auguste Rodin and Luxembourg from the Longchamp showpiece at the final declaration stage Oct. 4.
O’Brien will instead rely on Irish Derby (G1) and Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2) winner Los Angeles as well as last year’s fifth Continuous to potentially provide him with a third win in the Arc.
Los Angeles, who won the 2023 Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) on his only previous start in France, would be the first Arc winner this century to break from stall 10 should he oblige under Ryan Moore.
Two-time Arc-winning rider Christophe Soumillon will continue his partnership with Continuous, whom he rode to finish third in the Prix Foy (G2) last time, as last year’s St Leger (G1) hero bids to become the first winner from stall 14 since a Frankie Dettori-inspired Golden Horn in 2015.
O’Brien’s son Joseph saddles Al Riffa , with Yutaka Take taking the ride. Japan could end their long wait for an Arc win should Shin Emperor build on his Irish Champion Stakes (G1) third.
Bluestocking became the second British-trained runner to officially be on target for the race when she was supplemented for the €5 million showpiece Oct. 3. Juddmonte paid €120,000 to add Bluestocking to the race and she could emulate the likes of Enable , who won the Arc for the owner/breeder, as well as help trainer Ralph Beckett go one better than last year.
Beckett’s Westover chased home Ace Impact 12 months ago, and that winner’s trainer Jean-Claude Rouget is represented by Delius , who has been beaten by Sosie on his last two starts.
Grand Prix de Paris (G1) winner Sosie had usurped Look de Vega as favorite after beating him by 3 1/2 lengths in the Prix Niel (G2) over course and distance last time.
However, Look de Vega has regained favoritism with most firms, and punters are hoping he can return to the form that saw him land the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) in June after the benefit of a run. The Carlos and Yann Lerner-trained 3-year-old will break from the same stall (8) as last year’s winner. Sosie also has a good draw in stall 5, given five of the six winners prior to last year’s race had been berthed in stall 6 or lower.
Sosie’s trainer Andre Fabre also runs Mqse De Sevigne in a bid for a record-extending ninth win in the race but the five-time group 1 winner has been handed a tough assignment with the widest draw in stall 16.
Cristian Demuro and Rene Piechulek, the two most recent winning riders of the Arc involved in this year’s race, will break alongside each other in stalls 1 and 2 on Zarakem and Fantastic Moon respectively.
Tom Marquand has picked up a spare ride on Survie with Stephane Pasquier, who has ridden the Prix de Diane (G1) runner-up on all seven of her starts, reuniting with Aventure . Pasquier gets the chance of taking his record on Aventure to 3-for-3 with Maxime Guyon instead riding the fellow Wertheimer & Frere-owned Sea The Stars progeny Sosie.
