La Prix De L'Arc
"I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round." OK, so horses don't actually talk, but if they did you'd imagine Sea The Stars coming out with a quote like one of Muhammad Ali's gems. Horse racing spread betting enthusiasts are well aware just how close John Oxx's superstar is to immortality and a win in the world's second richest race on turf will cement his place in the history books. He has built up a huge following on both sides of the Irish Sea and they will be following him over to France in their droves. The Arc is the crowning glory for the best horses in Europe and those following the dual Classic winner on the spreads will be encouraged to hear that three-year-olds have won 70% of the last 20 races (14/20). However, they may not feel quite as confident when they hear that only two of the last 20 winners have been trained in Ireland.
The 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will be fondly remembered by racing fans with Zarkava becoming the first filly to win the race since Urban Sea in 1993. It was a majestic performance by the Aga Khan-owned runner and she was smashed into on the spreads as the big hitters came out to get with her on the Sporting Index win index. Kieren Fallon will partner Youmzain in the race, who has finished runner-up in the last two years and will aim to become the first horse older than five to win the race since Motrico won in 1932 as a seven-year-old. Fallon has won both the 2007 and 2005 renewals, so if the pattern is to continue, spread bettors will be following him all the way to Paris. No jockey has ever won this race more than four times, but both Frankie Dettori and Olivier Peslier are on three, so will have their fair share of supporters. However, if there is one 'King of the Arc' it has to be Andre Fabre who has won this race a record seven times and will rely on Cavalryman following his win in the main trial, the Prix Niel, earlier this month.
Sea The Stars' participation in the Arc, as with all of his races, is entirely ground dependent, but the long-range forecast looks good and spread bettors may be surprised to learn that seven of the last ten Arcs have been actually been run on good or good to soft ground. Zarkava was the first favourite to win the race since Sakhee in 2001 and there have been three winners priced 8/1 or bigger since 2002, which will give hope to the spread punters looking to oppose the son of Cape Cross. The winning distance market will interest a number of bettors, as Sakhee's six-length demolition is the only time a horse has won the race by more than 2 lengths in the past decade. Followers of Sea The Stars on the spreads though will know that he usually just does enough; although his first win as a two-year-old and perhaps his best performance last time out in the Irish Champion Stakes both came by a 2 1/2 length winning margin.
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