Course officials are expecting good to soft ground for both days of this weekend's Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at Longchamp.
Conditions were described as very soft when Mark Prescott’s Alpinista claimed victory in Europe’s premier middle-distance contest 12 months ago, while the going was heavy when Torquator Tasso caused a huge upset for Germany in 2021.
Testing terrain also prevailed for the Arc triumphs of Sottsass in 2020 and Waldgeist in 2019, meaning this weekend’s ground is likely to be the quickest it has been for Arc day since Enable successfully defended her crown in 2018 – the first renewal staged following Longchamp’s redevelopment.
Charles de Cordon, clerk of the course, said: "We are preparing for a very big weekend for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. I would like to point out that the track is new, having not been used since 14 July, because on the day of the Qatar Arc Trials the rail was at nine metres, so we now have eight metres of new ground for the weekend.
"Since the Arc trials we have aerated the track with a mechanical spiker, which means there is better water infiltration. We also did some mechanical seeding to densify the turf and the turf has been rolled in order to get a smooth track.
"This week it is mainly just maintaining the track. It was mowed on Monday, it will be mowed on Wednesday and for the last time on Friday so that the grass has a height of 10 centimetres.
"The track is in very good condition."
The official going on Tuesday was described as soft – but with little or no rainfall forecast for the coming days and no plans to water in place, conditions are expected to dry out between now and the start of racing on Saturday.
