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Road To The Arc : Love

3 minute read

Mouth-watering clash awaits at Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.

LOVE winning the Oaks at Epsom in England.
LOVE winning the Oaks at Epsom in England. Picture: Megan Ridgwell/Pool via Getty Images

We all Love horse racing and this year's renewal of the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe promises to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory.  

By Galileo, Love has produced six victories from ten career starts and has been impressive throughout her Classic campaign. As a juvenile, she improved from fourth in a Leopardstown maiden on debut to win the G3 Silver Flash Stakes (1400m) over the same course and distance on her fourth career start. 

She struggled to be involved behind subsequent Royal Ascot G1 Coronation Stakes (1600m) winner Alpine Star in the G2 Debutante Stakes (1400m) at the Curragh but bounced back to form with a success in the G1 Moyglare Stakes (1400m) at the Curragh in September. Love closed off the season with a third in the G1 Fillies' Mile (1600m) at Newmarket and following that run, connections could look forward to an exciting three-year-old campaign. 

Love returned to the track with an eye-catching performance winning the 1,000 Guineas (1600m) at Newmarket (UK). She confirmed her quality and domination of the division when taking the G1 Investec Oaks (2400m) at Epsom Downs in early July. The nine-length success was one of the best performances in recent years and it was an effort that will not be forgotten. 

She returned six weeks later and maintained her unbeaten record in 2020 with a victory in the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks (2400m) at York. 

It has been an ideal preparation for a tilt at the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Troimphe (2400m) at Paris Longchamp in October. 

Three-year-old fillies have won the 'Arc' three times since the turn of the century - Zarkava (2008), Treve (2013) and Enable (2017). The weight allowance gives the Classic female generation an opportunity to compete against the older horses at the top level and many three-year-old fillies have produced big performances without winning in the last few years. Notably, in 2018 Enable was nearly denied a second 'Arc' when the British-trained Sea of Class produced a laterun and Taghrooda overcame an unfavourable draw to finish third behind Treve in 2014. 

Love will make her French debut on Sunday 4 October and races in the same colours' as 2016 'Arc' heroine Found – Michael Tabor for Coolmore. Trainer Aidan O'Brien will be seeking a third victory in the blue riband event having previously been successful with Found and Dylan Thomas (2007). 

Enable and Love will meet for the first time in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Experience and weight allowance could be the decisive factors in this a mouth-watering clash between the pair. 

  Number of runs  Win strike rate   Place strike Rate  
Black type races  5 = 71%  1 = 14% 
Longchamp 
Righthanded  2 =40%  2 = 40% 
Distance  2 = 100% 
'Arc' 

 

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