PARIS: The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is a name that resonates across the sporting spectrum justifying its status as Europe’s most prestigious race and on Sunday the 2024 winner will merit the term champion. That title is attractive enough but the first prize of 3.1 million euros ($3.4million) is another magnet for the connections of the 16 runners that go to post at Longchamp. With this year’s European turf superstar City of Troy being aimed at the Breeder’s Cup Classic the race is wide open.

AFP Sport picks out four likely contenders to join turf legends such as Ribot, Sea Bird and Enable:

Sosie leads Arc master Fabre’s hopes

Andre Fabre symbolizes the phrase ‘let the horses do the talking’ as the French master trainer is famously media shy. Fabre’s hunger for glory even at 78 has not diminished and the admirer of Napoleon could make more history of his own on Sunday with a record-extending ninth Arc if one of his three runners wins. Sosie represents on paper at least his best chance of also becoming the first trainer to win the Arc in five different decades. Sosie is favorite with most bookmakers on the back of winning the Arc trial, the Prix Niel last month beating Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Look de Vega. Fabre can take heart from the fact the last Niel/Arc winner was Rail Link trained by him in 2006. Punters may favor him but Fabre appears to be playing down his chances. “In any country I haven’t seen any top-class three-year-olds, they are all good but none of them is top class,” he told The Racing Post.

Sheikh Joaan’s Arc

Look De Vega’s impressive win in the Prix du Jockey Club prompted Qatari Sheikh Joaan al-Thani to buy a fifth of him. Sheikh Joaan is no stranger to welcoming the winner of the Arc as Treve won in 2013 and 2014 - not a bad return for the sponsor of the race. Look De Vega may have lost his unbeaten record in the Niel to Sosie but for the father and son training team of Carlos and Yann Lerner it was the perfect prep for the big one. “For us looking back on it it was like a training gallop in the Niel,” said Yann. “Even though it is a longer race than the Jockey Club we still believe he will have the necessary acceleration when it counts.”

Shin Emperor carries hopes of a nation

Shin Emperor carries the heavy weight of Japanese hopes to break the Arc glass ceiling they have hit their heads against ever since their first try in 1969. Ordinarily a horse that has yet to win a Group One would be considered a long shot. However, there are three major factors in his favor. Firstly his brother Sottsass won the 2020 Arc and Shin Emperor ran an impressive third in the Irish Champion Stakes last month. That was the same race the French-trained Sottsass impressed in en route to winning the Arc. The third string to his bow is his trainer Yoshito Yahagi, otherwise known as the ‘man in the hat’ for his plentiful supply of different colored headwear. The 63-year-old has made history elsewhere becoming the first Japanese trainer to win at the prestigious Breeder’s Cup meeting, indeed recording a double for good measure in 2021. Yahagi has staked a lot on this roll of the dice having persuaded the owner Susumu Fujita to splash out 2.1 million euros at the sales in France in 2022 with the Arc always his target. “When I bought this horse I dreamt of bringing him here for the Arc,” he said. “It really is a miracle to be able to bring him here.”

Los Angeles seeks Hollywood Arc climax

It is one of the anomalies of flat racing that Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has won many great races a record amount of times but he is way off the Arc landmark with just two wins. With his stable star City of Troy aimed at the Breeder’s Cup Classic he is two-handed with last year’s English St Leger winner Continuous and the more favored Los Angeles. The latter finished behind Shin Emperor in the Irish Champion Stakes but based on his third behind City of Troy in the Epsom Derby and then Irish Derby victory he has every chance of delivering O’Brien a third Arc. – AFP