FRANKIE DETTORI will need a Tor de force in the saddle if he is to win his seventh Arc de Triomphe.
The legendary Italian and defending champ Torquator Tasso were handed a nightmare draw in stall 18 of 20 for the £4.2 million race at Longchamp.
If anyone is capable of winning from the car park, it’s Frankie.
He won from stall 15 on Sakhee in 2001 and was also drawn wide in 14 when giving Golden Horn a masterful ride in 2015.
But no horse in the modern era has won from wider than stall 16, when Carroll House was successful in 1989, and this is the biggest Arc field in eight years.
And only seven horses in the 102-year history of the Arc have managed to defend their title.
OFFERS OF THE DAY
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 on Racing and get £30 in free bets –CLAIM HERE
Ladbrokes: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 13.04.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook. Further terms apply. Begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets only redeemable on horse racing. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply.
Ladbrokes: 18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
Those stats don't appear to be putting punters off, with Torquator Tasso still rock-solid at 5-1 with Coral having been backed down from 9-1 over the last 48 hours.
Dettori jetted over to Germany on Tuesday morning to give the Marcel Weiss-trained five-year-old his final tune-up before the big race.
And ground conditions have come in his favour, with the going currently soft and with further rain to come on Saturday.
Dettori said: “I rode him in his last gallop before the Arc and he felt in really good form.
“The rain is coming for him and he is the defending champion, so I am very excited for the big day.
Most read in Horse Racing
Bash the bookies with these three outsiders at Salisbury and Lingfield
My NAP to strike at Salisbury before King Charles gets first Royal win
'Luckiest man in the world' heartbreak as his horse is blocked from the £4.2m Arc
Jockey slammed by 'half of industry' and banned after death of fellow rider
“When I rode him in his last race when he was second at Baden-Baden there were only four runners and a slow gallop which didn’t suit him at all.
“It’s an open Arc with 20 runners so they are sure to go a strong pace, which will help because he is a strong stayer.
"There is nothing you can do about the draw, you just have to try and get as good a position as you can.”
Weiss, who won the Arc last year in just his second season with a licence, added: "There was a real harmony between horse and ride.
"It was important for us that Frankie came over to ride this gallop, especially to ride him around a right-handed track. He feels like a different horse that way round.
"The trouble with the Arc is that once you've won it, you just want to do it again. It's like a drug."
Luxembourg remains the 7-2 favourite, with Alpinista holding her position in the market at 5-1.
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article