It’s one of the biggest races anywhere in the world, and every year millions of us tune in to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to find out who will be crowned champion and walk (or trot) away with a staggering £2.3 million for their efforts.
Minnie Hauk, from Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, looks set to head back to Longchamp in October with an obvious chance to turn last year’s narrow defeat into a victory.
With the 2025 runner‑up again prominent in antepost betting behind defending champion Daryz, this year’s race looks like a genuine opportunity for her to add another major middle‑distance prize to her record.
Minnie Hauk’s Shot At Redemption
The 2026 Arc is scheduled for Sunday 4 October at ParisLongchamp, with 73 horses holding entries at the initial stage. Among them are last year’s first three home, Daryz, Minnie Hauk and Sosie, all re‑entered for another tilt at Europe’s leading all‑age turf race.
In 2025 Minnie Hauk was beaten only a head by Daryz after striking for home early in the straight, with a clear gap back to the third.
That narrow reverse followed a campaign in which she had already won the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks, underlining her status as a proven Group 1 performer over 12 furlongs.
Now a year older, she remains towards the front of the antepost market at around 8/1 and holds entries in other major late‑summer Group 1 races such as the Juddmonte International, the Yorkshire Oaks and the Irish Champion Stakes, which could serve either as alternative targets or stepping‑stones back to Longchamp.
For betting fans, these will be key races in establishing whether or not she has a real chance in Paris, so keep an eye on Arc‑themed previews and betting analysis on sites like bestcasino as the autumn approaches.
The Current Antepost Leaders
The early betting is headed by Francis-Henri Graffard’s Daryz, last year’s winner, who finished strongly to edge out Minnie Hauk in the 2025 Arc and gave his owners, the Aga Khan family, a record eighth success in the race.
His proven ability at ParisLongchamp and his strong Arc run explain why he currently trades around 7/2 in antepost lists.
Minnie Hauk sits close behind him at around 8/1, reflecting her narrow defeat last year and her overall Group 1 record rather than any recent winning sequence.
She has not won in her last couple of starts but did finish in front of Daryz when second to Ombudsman at Ascot, showing that she remains a high‑class operator at this level.
Constitution River shares a similar price bracket after a productive three‑year‑old season in which he has developed into one of Europe’s leading middle‑distance colts, adding Group 1 wins in the Prix du Jockey Club and Coral‑Eclipse to earlier pattern‑race success.
His presence alongside Daryz and Minnie Hauk at the head of the market underlines the strength in depth in the current middle‑distance division and sets up a possible clash of established older horses and a rising three‑year‑old.
O’Brien Seeking A Third Arc
Aidan O’Brien has won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe twice, scoring first with Dylan Thomas in 2007 and then with Found in 2016. Found’s victory came in a notable one‑two‑three for Ballydoyle, with stablemates Highland Reel and Order of St George filling the placings in a rare clean sweep for a single yard in Europe’s richest turf race.
Minnie Hauk’s close second to Daryz in 2025 almost added another Arc to the trainer’s record and showed once again that his approach to campaigning top‑class middle‑distance horses remains effective at Longchamp.
In 2026 he has entered eight of his horses, including Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini,
Jan Brueghel and Pierre Bonnard, all of whom could conceivably arrive with both Minnie Hauk and Constitution River as leading contenders, giving him multiple chances to secure a third win.
Europe’s Premier Turf Race
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is widely regarded as Europe’s premier all‑age turf race, offering total prize money in the region of €5 million and routinely attracting an international field from France, Britain, Ireland, Germany and Japan among others.
In 2026 entries again reflect that global reach, with France providing the largest single block of entries and Japan represented by seven horses including high‑profile names such as Forever Young and Shin Emperor.
Though I should mention here that despite the annual hype around the Japanese runners, none have ever won the race. It’s only a matter of time before it happens, and Byzantine Dream, from trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi, came close when finishing in fifth place last year.
One notable feature of the modern Arc is its role as the culmination of the Arc Races series, which links major French Group 1 events and offers wildcard entries and refunded fees to winners not already engaged, ensuring that in‑form horses can still take their chance without prohibitive costs.
For Minnie Hauk, the 2026 edition represents a return to the scene of her narrowest defeat and the opportunity to add further Group 1 success to a record that already includes multiple Classic‑level wins, provided she again navigates the path through her late‑summer assignments and arrives in peak condition.
