The sprinters and stayers will have their moment to shine at Longchamp.
Although the weekend of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe tends to be dominated with debate about the best middle-distance horse in Europe, the sprinters and stayers will have their moment to shine in the G1 Prix l'Abbaye (1000m) and G1 Prix du Cadran (4000m).
For the sprinters, the G1 Prix l'Abbaye is the only Group One over 1000m in the French racing calendar and often crowns the fastest horse in Europe. Over the last few decades, some of the quickest British and Irish sprinters have made the journey over the Channel with plenty of success – eight of the last ten renewals have been won by non-French horses.
Often luck in running plays a major role in the result, while it has been difficult for horses to claim multiple success in the race. The Ian Balding trained flying filly Lochsong was the last horse to complete the double in 1993 and 1994.
Another speedy filly will be chasing the elusive double in this year's renewal of the race. Glass Slippers out-ran her odds to score by an eye-catching three lengths in the 2019 Prix l'Abbaye and has had an ideal preparation for the race again, winning the G1 Flying Five Stakes (1000m) at the Curragh (Ireland) on her last start. She will face a difficult task against sprinting superstar Battaash who has benefited from the lack of spectators at British racecourses during the summer. Temperamental on his day, the gelding has been beaten twice in the Prix l'Abbaye since his success in 2017.
Art Power is an improving three-year-old and caught the eye with a two and a half-length victory in the G3 Lacken Stakes (1200m) at Naas (Ireland) in July. The Dark Angel colt has since finished fourth in the G1 Sprint Cup (1200m) at Haydock (UK) and may appreciate the return to a shorter distance. Air De Valse, Wooded and Livachope head the French defence and can't be dismissed in an open contest.
The G1 Prix du Cadran was first held in 1837 and has a long history. The French equivalent of the G1 Ascot Gold Cup (4000m), the Cadran has been dominated by domestic horses over the last ten years with only one UK/Irish trained winner. The market is headed by Call The Wind who has enjoyed an excellent season with three victories from four outings, including the G2 Prix Kergolay (3000m) and the G3 Prix Barbeville (3000m) at Deauville. Winner of the 2018 Cadran, Call The Wind was only narrowly denied back-to-back victories when beaten by Holdthasigreen in 2019.
Nayef Road will be looking to capitalise on the absence of long-term rival Stradivarius (who races in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe). Second in the G1 Ascot Gold Cup (4000m), the four-year-old is a proven stayer over the distance and has not finished out of the frame in 2020. The Francois-Henri Graffard trained Think Of Me will be trying the journey for the first time. This lightly raced mare was second in the G3 Prix Gladiateur Stakes (3000m) at Longchamp and is potentially still improving.
