2022 Arc de Triomphe Ante-Post Preview and Tip – DS
2022 Arc De Triomphe Ante-Post Preview and Tips
The Arc is a race that has proved to be profitable for us in recent years. In 2019 we found Waldgeist at 20/1, in 2020 Gold Trip landed place money at 50s and last year Sealiway just missed out on place money in 5th at 58/1. The 2022 Arc de Triomphe field looks absolutely stacked and it really could end up being a race for the ages. Dave Stevos has his eye on a big priced contender, see who he is backing ante-post for the Arc below.
2022 Arc De Triomphe Preview
The market for this race will revolve around Baaeed. He took the step up to 10f in his considerable stride last time out and connections are now weighing up whether to have a tilt at France’s premier horse race. Baaeed will bid to follow in the hoofsteps of his Dad, Sea The Stars, by winning the Arc if he does run but William Haggas has stressed that his participation will depend on the ground. The Champion Stakes at Ascot is his other option but I hope he runs in this because there’ll be lots of e/w value to be found if he does.
If the ground is decent and he does run, will he win? I think so. I still don’t think we have seen the full extent of his ability and I’m not sure there’s anything talented enough to bring it out of him. This horse simply does enough to win and usually his ‘enough’ is third gear. The only worry would be if he met trouble in running but as Sea The Stars showed when winning this, the best of the best usually have the turn of foot required to get out of sticky situations.
Pyledriver Needs Nice Ground
If the ground is on the fast side, our pal Pyledriver cannot be discounted. He is around 16/1 for this race, even though he beat last year’s Arc winner Torquator Tasso last time out. The son of Harbour Watch has been aimed at this race since and the Muirs will have him primed. If it came up heavy or even soft it would be a huge hindrance to this horse so he doesn’t really appeal as an ante-post bet. If it looks like being good ground a week before the race, that will be the time to back him.
The same sentiment applies to Sir Mark Prescott’s winning machine Alpinista. She is the current 2nd fav behind Baaeed at 15/2 but she is at her best on fast, firm ground. Yes, she has won on soft in the past but that was only a Group 2 and a weak one at that. If it comes up good or better, she’ll have obvious place claims at least but on testing ground, she could struggle.
Bubble No Back Number
On her penultimate run, Alpinista landed the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (12f gd). Luke Morris timed her challenge perfectly and she won by just over a length. The 3rd home, Bubble Gift, was only 1.5L behind her at the finish and she wasn’t pulling away from him. Mikael Delzangles son of Nathaniel is almost 10x the price of the Prescott mare and if it came up soft, I’d fancy him to turn the form around.
Bubble Gift ran a very good race in the Arc in 2021. A shade slowly away for Gerald Mosse, he took a while to hit top gear but when he did, he stayed on strongly. In the end he had to settle for 8th but he was only 5.5L behind the winner and 1.75L off the 4th. Sealiway finished a length in front of him and he landed the Champion Stakes at Ascot on his next start.
This horse has won on good and soft ground and he ran the race of his life on heavy in last year’s renewal. He has only had three outings this season and it looks like he has been trained specifically for another tilt at the big one this year. Bubble Gift is a former C&D winner on good and on that Alpinista form, he shouldn’t be 66/1. It is probably worth waiting for extra places before having a proper bet but at the odds, a small e/w wager is recommended.
