Arc de Triomphe’s stallion-making status is already largely lost

Some notable racing figures argue that opening next year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to geldings will result in it losing status as a stallion-making race. But such status is already largely lost. Although the Arc is Europe’s richest race, winning it doesn’t mean a rich pay-off in the breeding shed any more. That’s because it’s run at a mile and a half, a trip that once defined European racing and breeding but is increasingly more a relic of a bygone bloodstock era.It used to be the ultimate test of a racehorse. The stamina required to carry speed over distance represented class. It’s why Derby wins at Epsom in June or the Arc in October were expressions of quality sure to be subsequently prized at stud. But those days are gone.In commercial terms, mile-and-a-half performance now equals stamina, the very thing a speed-obsessed breeding industry runs from. It’s a black mark for any potential elite stallion, one of those financial nirvanas that all the sport’s major operations are searching for. READ MOREIt’s why the default move for most Epsom Derby winners is to prove their credentials at shorter trips. Do that, and it can be worth a final throw of the dice in Paris. But it’s very different compared to when the Arc was an automatic target. That’s why much of the indignation in response to France Galop’s decision to admit geldings smacks of little more than nostalgia from people not noted for indulging in sentimentality. Coolmore supremo John Magnier is among the “purists” who regret the step. He declared: “I’m speaking from a breeding perspective and the improvement of the breed. The Arc is one of the true proper races, and it will cease to be so if geldings are included.”Andre Fabre, the most successful Arc trainer of all with eight wins, echoed him. The French maestro called it a stupid decision and said: “I am a big defender of tradition, and I don’t like breaking it without a truly important reason.”John Magnier and Aidan O’Brien. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho The problem is that the Arc’s tradition as an identifier of future stallions that stamp the breed doesn’t tally with modern reality. The last such paragon was Sea The Stars who won in 2009, the final race of an epochal career that guaranteed his status as prized stallion prospect long before a Paris romp. Before him was Montjeu a decade previously. Even then, his largely 12-furlong CV felt like an outlier. Outstanding champions such as Golden Horn, Dylan Thomas and Hurricane Run have won the Arc and flopped as stallions. That happens. The strike rate for sires that leave a dynasty is tiny. Outstanding Arc fillies such as the dual-heroines Treve and Enable beat the boys too. But ultimately mile-and-a-half performance is a marginal selling point to any male Arc winner in the breeding shed.Fretting about the impact of geldings running faster than colts is a lot handier than addressing the more chronic issue of how the twin pillars of European racing tradition, the Derby and the Arc, have mostly been upended by commercial bloodstock reality. That Coolmore has largely been the primary impetus behind it makes Magnier’s comments ring hollow. He’s whistling a tune that hasn’t been a hit in a long time. In elite stallion terms, mile-and-a-half form is second division stuff. The real stallion making classic races now are the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket or the French Derby over an extended 10 furlongs. It is the Sussex Stakes, the Prix Jacques Le Marois or Leopardstown’s Champion Stakes that are Europe’s proper all-aged championships.Alpinista with Luce Morris wins the 2022 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamps Racecourse, Paris. Photograph: Horsephotos/Getty Images Cliches about the Derby establishing a champion and the Arc confirming it have got notably dusty with little prospect of some cyclical spring clean anytime soon. Sunday’s Arc Trials card at Longchamp is billed as an aperitif for the main course in four weeks. The defending Arc champion Daryz is set to line up in the Prix Foy. Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini will start in the Prix Niel. The Prix Vermeille may have Jim Bolger’s star filly Sparan Nua.Benvenuto Cellini looks a proper mile-and-a-half horse that probably won’t line up for the Arc if usual soft ground conditions apply. Coolmore’s number one colt, Constitution River, is unlikely to go near the Arc whatever the going. Their top filly Diamond Necklace might line up on Arc day but in the 10-furlong Prix de l’Opera. Juddmonte’s top colt Item won’t be aimed at a soft-ground Arc and their outstanding mare Kalpana could just skip it to wait for Champions Day at Ascot. Godolphin’s Ombudsman is all but sure to be kept for the Breeders’ Cup. Such options weren’t available during the Arc’s glory years when all roads really did lead to Paris. There’s a very different perspective on the race now, enough perhaps to make geldings an important ingredient in the Arc’s future competitive strength.[ John Magnier mystique unmasked in continuing conflict with Maurice ReganOpens in new window ]Opponents paint a supposed nightmare scenario of a National Hunt gelding winning Europe’s most famous race. It isn’t far-fetched. Ethical Diamond’s Breeders’ Cup success last season suggested a vulnerability in top flat performers at a distance that’s increasingly regarded as a marathon test. Decades of breeding for speed appears to have had its impact on the gene pool. Ultimately, bias against talent based on genitals, or a lack thereof, pales in comparison to the impact on the breed of commercial prejudice against mile-and-a-half performance. Something for the Weekend Seven furlongs is something of a specialist trip, but tomorrow’s Betfair Haydock Sprint Cup could be fought out by two horses dropping back to sprinting. Soft ground conditions could be crucial as Copull won on testing ground over seven last time while Marvelman (3.40) has done the same in the past. Andrew Balding’s runner ran a fine race behind Notable Speech at York last time and should finish stronger than most. Make the Tide (4.20) justified market support with a smooth success over a mile at Navan on Wednesday. She should appreciate a step up to 10 furlongs at the track tomorrow under a 7lb penalty.