Quick surface expected for Arc de Triomphe in boost to Japanese challengers

For the second time in three seasons, the word ‘bon’ could well appear in the going description at Longchamp for the Arc de Triomphe

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erhaps it is climate change or maybe it is just a blip but, for the second time in three seasons, the word “bon” could well appear in the going description at Longchamp when the best middle-distance horses in Europe and Japan gather in the Bois de Boulogne on Sunday for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the showpiece event of the European Flat season.

Seventeen horses remain in this year’s Arc after the penultimate declaration stage on Monday, while Aidan O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk, unbeaten in four races this season including the Oaks and Irish Oaks, is expected to be added to the field at the supplementary entry stage on Wednesday.

An equally significant number ahead of the race on Sunday, though, is the reading of 7.2 on the GoingStick at Longchamp, which equates to “bon souple”, or good-to-soft, ahead of the six-day run-in to Arc day with little or no rain in the forecast.