It's not the oldest race but it is the one every owner, trainer, jockey wants to win.

It's not even the richest these days but it carries the name that is worth more than cash.

So what is going to happen on Sunday?  As usual a fair amount of the answer to this question rests with the weather.  We've been there when it was virtually tropical and another time when you were up to your knees in mud in the parade ring.  This year there is a forecast of rain for Sunday but who knows.  So the best is to ignore that and look for the best horse or horses.

The Brits always think they are going to win and are sending in a strong team: Derby winner and favourite in the UK Adayer, the Godolphin stablemate and St Leger winner Hurricane Lane and the Prix Niel winner Teona.  The Irish keep their cards close to their chest(s) and Tarnawa is favoured by many.  She won the Prix de l'Opéra last year and has been aimed at this race.  There are 3 O'Briens in the field:  Snowfall who was favourite until recently, Love and Broome.  Snowfall is due to be supplemented on Wednesday and is the big question mark in our book.  She's by Deep Impact out of a Galileo mare and won the English and Irish Oaks this year by sizeable margins.

The home team has Raabihah.  He was 5th in the race last year and while he hasn't been racing in top company this year he has been in the money. His sire Sea The Stars won the race. Bubble Gift is another local that has come in for some support but we are not so enthusiastic.

That leads us now to the Japanese.  They have two runners (and a half if you consider Snowfall) with both showing the different approaches that the Japanese have to this race.  Deep Bond came over early and had a prep run on Arc Trials day in the Prix Foy which he won.  His team have been very enthusiastic about him since he's been in France.  The Foy showed that he had a finish, which is most important in the Arc and it was over the same trip.  Chrono Genesis has come straight from Japan.  She's quite lightly raced and won the Takarazuka Kinen in June but most people are looking at her run in the Sheema at Dubai where she was a close second to Mishriff and had been hampered in the run.  Her sire Bago won the race.

Some stats to bear in mind: Frankie Dettori has won 6 times and will partner Love; Andre Fabre has trained the most winners but doesn't have an entrant this year;  the draw favours horses in the first 8 stalls;  3yo colts have won 47 times;  only one horse has won the St Leger and the Arc in the same year; a couple have the Derby-Arc double and the 3 Arc Trials have provided 11-7-6 winners and the Irish Champion Stakes 7.

There's great racing on the Saturday with 2 G1s and 3 G2s and on the Sunday 6 G1s including the Arc.  People who are able to get to Longchamp just need a "Health Passport" and there is no restriction on numbers this year. 

While our final decisions will depend somewhat on the draw and the weather, we are contemplating a Japanese Trifecta of the 2 Japan based horses and Snowfall, who could be the Aunt of Deep Bond and thus keep it in the family.