The field for the 2026 Arc is finally beginning to take shape, although there was one important late addition after Tuesday’s latest round of withdrawals.
Monday had left 19 horses in contention for Sunday’s €5 million showpiece at ParisLongchamp. That number was reduced to 15 at today’s forfeit stage, with Sunly, Tattycoram, Pearled Majesty and Light The Ghost all removed.
However, John and Thady Gosden have now taken advantage of the free supplementary entry earned by Friendly Soul when she won the Prix Vermeille, bringing the potential field back up to 16.
That leaves us with a much clearer idea of the horses likely to contest the Arc, although final declarations and the draw still have the potential to change the look of the race.
Friendly Soul Gets Her Arc Chance
Friendly Soul is arguably the most interesting late addition. The five-year-old was not originally entered in the Arc, but her victory in the Prix Vermeille over the same course and distance earlier this month came with a valuable bonus.
As one of the designated Arc qualifying races, victory gave her connections a free supplementary entry rather than requiring them to pay the usual €120,000 fee.
She made full use of her first attempt over a mile and a half in the Vermeille, winning by three-quarters of a length.
It was also further proof of how well she performs at Longchamp given that she had already won the Prix de l’Opera there in 2024.
She is generally available at around 25/1 in the 2026 Arc betting, putting her below the main group of favourites but firmly among the more interesting contenders.
Four More Leave the Arc
The most notable withdrawal on Tuesday was Sunly. Francis-Henri Graffard’s filly had produced one of the most eye-catching performances of Arc Trials day when finishing third behind Friendly Soul in the Vermeille despite stumbling badly from the stalls and then meeting trouble.
There had been some thought that she might join stablemates Daryz and Varandir in the Arc, but Juddmonte had already indicated that Kalpana would be their main Arc runner.
Sunly is instead set to tackle Saturday’s Prix de Royallieu over the longer distance of a mile and six furlongs.
Tattycoram was also withdrawn for Ralph Beckett. She had always looked to be among the outsiders in the field, and her removal leaves Beckett without a runner two years after winning the Arc with Bluestocking.
Pearled Majesty, trained by Mauricio Delcher Sanchez, was another to come out after finishing behind Varandir in the Prix Niel.
Connections had been hoping for more rain, but when only 2.5mm fell on Monday evening, they decided the ground was too quick and will aim their colt at the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes at Ascot instead.
The fourth withdrawal was Light The Ghost, another horse who had been among the bigger-priced contenders.
Daryz Remains the Horse to Beat
At the top of the betting there is one clear name. Daryz remains around 7/4 favourite as he attempts to win the Arc for the second consecutive year.
Francis-Henri Graffard’s four-year-old returned to form with a comfortable victory over Bay City Roller in the Prix Foy and has an exceptional record at Longchamp.
Everything now appears set for his title defence, with connections hoping he will join the exclusive list of just eight horses who have previously won the race twice, with seven achieving back-to-back wins, the last of which was Enable in 2017 and 2018.
Maltese Cross Leads the British Three-Year-Old Challenge
The closest horse to Daryz in the market is Maltese Cross, generally around 5/1. William Haggas’ colt was runner-up in the Derby before winning the Grand Prix de Paris over the Arc course and distance and then strengthening his case further at York.
Diamond Necklace, from Aidan O’Brien, and Kalpana from Andrew Balding are next in the market at around 6/1.
Diamond Necklace is one of three remaining runners for Aidan O’Brien, who looks set to also saddle Minnie Hauk and Benvenuto Cellini. Diamond Necklace, the Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes winner, brings top-class form into the race and, as a three-year-old filly, receives a significant weight allowance.
There is still a stamina question surrounding her over 2,400 metres, but the market clearly considers her Ballydoyle’s leading hope.
Kalpana defeated Calandagan in the King George at Ascot and followed up in the Yorkshire Oaks. Having finished seventh in last year’s Arc, she returns as a stronger and more experienced mare.
The Arc Is Starting to Look Very Different
What began with 73 original entries has now been cut dramatically with the removal of Sunly, Tattycoram, Pearled Majesty and Light The Ghost, reducing the list to 15, only for Friendly Soul to bring the number back to 16.
The betting suggests there is a clear leading group headed by Daryz, Maltese Cross, Diamond Necklace and Kalpana, but the 2026 Arc still has plenty of questions to answer.
The weather could yet determine whether some of the remaining horses actually line up, while Thursday’s draw could have a major effect on the market.
For now, though, we finally have something close to the field that will contest Europe’s biggest Flat race on Sunday.
BETFRED
