Few races define a champion quite like the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m).
First contested at Longchamp in 1920, the Arc was created as an international championship bringing together Europe’s leading three-year-olds and older horses under weight-for-age conditions.
Over the past 20 runnings, the race has produced unbeaten champions, shock winners, historic doubles and several horses who later became major influences on the breeding industry.
The period from 2006 to 2025 also belonged to the fillies and mares. Zarkava, Danedream, Solemia, Treve, Found, Enable, Alpinista and Bluestocking collectively won ten of the 20 editions.
The 2006 Arc was captured by the lightly raced Rail Link, who completed the Prix Niel–Arc double for trainer André Fabre.
Ridden by Stéphane Pasquier, the three-year-old defeated Pride and the defending champion Hurricane Run.
It was Fabre’s seventh Arc victory and another demonstration of his ability to prepare a progressive three-year-old specifically for Paris.
Fabre would have to wait another 13 years for his next success, but that victory would become one of the most dramatic of his record-breaking career.
Ireland celebrated in 2007 when Dylan Thomas delivered Aidan O’Brien his first Arc victory.
The four-year-old crossed the line narrowly ahead of Youmzain, but the result was delayed by a lengthy stewards’ inquiry after interference in the straight.
Connections were eventually able to celebrate after the placings remained unchanged.
Dylan Thomas retired at the end of that season and began his stallion career at Coolmore. His most notable descendants included Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden and multiple Group 1 winner Blazing Speed.
The brilliant Zarkava produced one of the defining Arc performances of the modern era in 2008.
The Aga Khan-owned filly entered the race unbeaten after winning the French 1000 Guineas, Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille.
She was slowly away in the Arc and found herself near the rear of the field, but Christophe Soumillon remained patient before guiding her through the field.
Once clear, Zarkava accelerated past her rivals to defeat Youmzain and Soldier Of Fortune, completing an unbeaten seven-race career.
Her influence continued as a broodmare. She produced Zarak, a Group 1 winner who later became a successful stallion, ensuring the bloodline of one of the Arc’s greatest fillies continued into another generation.
If Zarkava was the outstanding filly of her generation, Sea The Stars was arguably the most complete racehorse of the period.
John Oxx’s colt arrived in Paris in 2009 after winning the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Eclipse Stakes, International Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes.
Despite meeting traffic during the Arc, Mick Kinane found a gap and Sea The Stars accelerated through it before defeating Youmzain.
The victory completed a remarkable six-race Group 1 campaign over distances ranging from 1600 to 2400 metres.
Sea The Stars retired to the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud and became an outstanding stallion. His progeny include Derby winner Harzand, Oaks and King George winner Taghrooda, champion Baaeed and 2025 Arc winner Daryz.
His influence on the breed has become almost as significant as his achievements on the racecourse.
German racing produced two of the greatest Arc upsets of the modern era.
The first came through Danedream in 2011.
Sent out at long odds, the three-year-old filly accelerated away from an outstanding field to defeat Shareta and Snow Fairy in a then-record time of 2 minutes 24.49 seconds.
Trained by Peter Schiergen and ridden by Andrasch Starke, Danedream became only the second German-trained winner of the race.
Ten years later, Torquator Tasso stunned Paris at odds of approximately 72-1.
Rene Piechulek drove the Marcel Weiss-trained colt past Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane on heavy ground, producing one of the biggest shocks in Arc history.
The result was no fluke. Torquator Tasso returned the following year and finished third behind Alpinista, confirming his place among Europe’s leading middle-distance horses.
Japan has spent decades attempting to win the Arc, but few defeats were more painful than Orfevre’s loss in 2012.
The Japanese champion swept into the lead under Christophe Soumillon and appeared certain to end the country’s wait.
However, Orfevre drifted towards the inside rail and began to idle.
Olivier Peslier continued driving on Solemia, who caught the Japanese favourite in the final strides to win for trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias.
It remains one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the race and another chapter in Japan’s long-running pursuit of an Arc victory.
Only eight horses have won the Arc twice, with Treve becoming the first in more than three decades to complete the double.
Unbeaten entering the 2013 Arc, the Criquette Head-trained filly produced a dominant performance under Thierry Jarnet, defeating Japanese champion Orfevre by five lengths.
Her four-year-old campaign was far more complicated.
Injury problems and three consecutive defeats meant Treve arrived at the 2014 Arc with significant doubts surrounding her.
She answered them emphatically, bursting through the field to defeat Flintshire and become the first back-to-back Arc winner since Alleged in 1977 and 1978.
A third consecutive victory proved beyond her in 2015, when she finished fourth behind Golden Horn, but her Arc double had already secured her position among France’s greatest racehorses.
The 2015 Arc belonged to Golden Horn and Frankie Dettori.
John Gosden’s colt had already won the Epsom Derby, Eclipse Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes, but a wide barrier presented Dettori with a tactical problem.
Rather than becoming trapped deep, Dettori allowed Golden Horn to race wide and move forward before crossing closer to the field.
The unusual move worked perfectly. Golden Horn quickened into the lead and defeated Flintshire, giving Dettori his fourth Arc victory.
The colt retired to stud following the Breeders’ Cup and later became a successful dual-purpose sire. His progeny have included top-level Flat performers and leading National Hunt horses.
The 2016 Arc was moved to Chantilly while Longchamp underwent redevelopment, but the change in venue did little to slow Aidan O’Brien.
Found defeated stablemates Highland Reel and Order Of St George, completing an extraordinary first-three finish for Ballydoyle.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, Found travelled strongly before accelerating clear to set a race record of 2 minutes 23.61 seconds.
The victory was particularly significant because it came only weeks after she finished second in the Irish Champion Stakes.
She later defeated Golden Horn in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and retired as one of the toughest mares of her generation.
Enable became the dominant Arc horse of the late 2010s.
The John Gosden-trained filly arrived at Chantilly in 2017 after winning the Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks, King George and Yorkshire Oaks.
Under Frankie Dettori, she defeated Cloth Of Stars decisively and became the first three-year-old filly trained in Britain to win the race.
An interrupted preparation limited Enable to one appearance before her 2018 defence, but she fought off the late challenge of Sea Of Class to become the seventh dual winner of the Arc.
Her attempt to become the race’s first three-time winner ended in heartbreak in 2019.
Enable moved into the lead and appeared on the verge of history, only for Waldgeist to run her down late.
The victory gave André Fabre a record eighth Arc and Pierre-Charles Boudot his first.
Enable retired in 2020 after winning 11 Group 1 races, including three King Georges, two Arcs and the Breeders’ Cup Turf, before joining Juddmonte’s broodmare band.
Run without its usual crowd because of COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 Arc produced another French-trained winner.
Sottsass, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and ridden by Cristian Demuro, defeated In Swoop and Persian King on testing ground.
The victory came after several of Aidan O’Brien’s intended runners were withdrawn because of a contaminated feed issue.
Sottsass was retired immediately after the race and joined the Coolmore stallion roster, having previously won the Prix du Jockey Club and finished third in the 2019 Arc.
Sir Mark Prescott spent more than half a century training racehorses before finally winning the Arc with Alpinista in 2022.
The grey mare arrived in Paris on a seven-race winning sequence that included five consecutive Group 1 victories across Germany, France and Britain.
Luke Morris positioned her close to the speed before Alpinista took control in the straight and held off Vadeni and Torquator Tasso.
The victory was celebrated as much for the connections as the horse, rewarding Prescott’s patient handling and Kirsten Rausing’s breeding programme.
Alpinista was retired shortly afterwards following a setback that ruled her out of the Japan Cup. She finished her career with six Group 1 victories in three countries and joined Rausing’s broodmare band.
French racing produced another unbeaten Arc champion when Ace Impact won in 2023.
The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained colt began his career in a maiden at Cagnes-sur-Mer before progressing rapidly through the ranks.
After winning the Prix du Jockey Club, he produced an explosive finishing burst at ParisLongchamp to sweep past Westover.
Ace Impact retired unbeaten after six starts and became the first French Derby winner since the race was shortened in 2005 to win the Arc during the same season.
His racing career lasted less than nine months, but his unbeaten record and exceptional acceleration made him one of the most exciting Arc winners of the period.
He was retired to Haras de Beaumont, where his next challenge began as a stallion.
Connections of Bluestocking paid a substantial supplementary fee to add the mare to the 2024 Arc field.
The decision was rewarded when Rossa Ryan guided her to victory over Aventure and Los Angeles.
Trained by Ralph Beckett for Juddmonte, Bluestocking had already won the Pretty Polly Stakes and Prix Vermeille during a breakthrough campaign.
Her success completed the unusual Prix Vermeille–Arc double and gave Ryan and Beckett their first victories in the race.
She was retired after the performance, having transformed from a consistent filly into Europe’s champion middle-distance mare.
The 2025 Arc produced an emotional victory for the Aga Khan operation.
Daryz, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and ridden by Mickael Barzalona, chased down Minnie Hauk to win by a head.
The three-year-old became another Arc winner by Sea The Stars, but his pedigree carried even deeper significance.
His dam Daryakana was a Group 1 winner at the same ParisLongchamp meeting in which Sea The Stars won the 2009 Arc, while his grandam Daryaba won the Prix de Diane.
The victory came during the first season in which Princess Zahra Aga Khan headed the family’s racing and breeding operation following the death of her father.
It extended an association with the Arc that had already produced victories for four generations of the Aga Khan family.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Winners: 2006–2025
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey |
| 2025 | Daryz | Francis-Henri Graffard | Mickael Barzalona |
| 2024 | Bluestocking | Ralph Beckett | Rossa Ryan |
| 2023 | Ace Impact | Jean-Claude Rouget | Cristian Demuro |
| 2022 | Alpinista | Sir Mark Prescott | Luke Morris |
| 2021 | Torquator Tasso | Marcel Weiss | Rene Piechulek |
| 2020 | Sottsass | Jean-Claude Rouget | Cristian Demuro |
| 2019 | Waldgeist | André Fabre | Pierre-Charles Boudot |
| 2018 | Enable | John Gosden | Frankie Dettori |
| 2017 | Enable | John Gosden | Frankie Dettori |
| 2016 | Found | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2015 | Golden Horn | John Gosden | Frankie Dettori |
| 2014 | Treve | Criquette Head-Maarek | Thierry Jarnet |
| 2013 | Treve | Criquette Head-Maarek | Thierry Jarnet |
| 2012 | Solemia | Carlos Laffon-Parias | Olivier Peslier |
| 2011 | Danedream | Peter Schiergen | Andrasch Starke |
| 2010 | Workforce | Sir Michael Stoute | Ryan Moore |
| 2009 | Sea The Stars | John Oxx | Mick Kinane |
| 2008 | Zarkava | Alain de Royer-Dupré | Christophe Soumillon |
| 2007 | Dylan Thomas | Aidan O’Brien | Kieren Fallon |
| 2006 | Rail Link | André Fabre | Stéphane Pasquier |
By Scott Bailey
