Daryz back to defend the Arc as Minnie Hauk seeks revenge at Longchamp
Daryz is back at ParisLongchamp to defend his crown.
The 2026 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was due off at 16:05 local time on 4 October 2026, with the defending champion bidding to win the great race for a second year running, according to live coverage from the track The Guardian. He drew stall five. That is the starting gate he will break from, and in a big field it matters.
It is a rematch as much as a defence. Daryz beat Minnie Hauk to win last year's Arc, with Mickaël Barzalona in the saddle The Guardian. Minnie Hauk had started that 2025 race as the hot favourite The Guardian. She finished a narrow runner-up then, and she was back for another try.
The challengers span generations. Thundering On arrived as the Oaks winner. Maltese Cross came as the Grand Prix de Paris winner. Varandir won the Prix Niel trial in September 2026, the recognised stepping stone to this race. Kalpana brought different credentials entirely, as the King George winner racing on at five.
There is depth beyond the headline names too. Saddadd, Chestnut Rocket and Admire Terra were all listed among the runners in a published horse-by-horse guide to the field The Guardian. The Arc is run over a mile and a half, and it tests speed and stamina together.
Conditions added intrigue. The going — how soft or firm the ground is — was described as unusually quick for the time of year. Fast ground changes the race. It rewards sharp travellers and can blunt the finish of horses who love soft turf.
Longchamp staged the meeting across 3 and 4 October at ParisLongchamp racecourse France Galop. The Sunday card on 4 October featured six Group One races, the highest level of Flat racing. Coverage opened with the Prix Marcel Boussac for juvenile fillies — young female horses aged two — at 12:31pm BST, with the Prix de l'Abbaye, the dash over five furlongs, scheduled for 1:47pm.
For fans, this means a familiar story with a fresh edge. Can the champion do it again? Recent history says repeat winners are rare but possible, and last year Daryz found enough when it counted.
The Arc has a habit of turning form on its head. In 2024, Bluestocking, a four-year-old filly trained by Ralph Beckett, won after a supplementary entry that week — a late paid entry into the race The Guardian. That memory hung over this renewal. Nothing is decided until they climb for home at Longchamp.
