2025 Longchamp Arc Meeting Preview & Tips – DS
2025 Longchamp Arc Meeting Preview
The only positive on Saturday was that the three non-runners limited our losses. Sunfall ran an absolute stinker and was beaten after 2f. Cathedral wasn’t a million miles away from a place but Exclamation was bitterly disappointing. Hopefully Dave Stevos can turn the ship around in Paris, his 2025 Longchamp Arc meeting tips are below.
12.40 – Prix Marcel Boussac (Group 1)
The top two in the market here look to be the best fillies in the race, though the Ballydoyle filly Diamond Necklace has done her winning on good ground so she has to prove she handles these conditions. Green Spirit won on soft here last time out so she may be the safer bet of the market principals but the one I’ll take a chance on is Francis Graffard’s Siyouni filly, Narissa.
She has chased home Green Spirit on her last two starts, in a Deauville G3 and a G2 at this venue. In the latter race, I’m not sure she appreciated being ridden from the front so it was a gutsy effort to finish second, just over a length behind the winner.
I’m hoping Mickael Barzalona is a bit less aggressive on this filly on Sunday and with Aidan O’Brien running what looks like a pacemaker in Venosa, hopefully he can deliver her late off a fast pace. It is hard to see her reversing form with Green Spirit but with three places on offer, she is worth backing e/w at odds of 14/1.
2025 Longchamp Arc Meeting Tip: Narissa e/w @ 14/1
1.15 – Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Group 1)
Plenty of promising colts in here and the one that looks potentially overpriced to me is the son of Romanised (the legend!), Cielo Di Roma. This colt has had just the two runs and on debut at Saint Cloud on testing ground he made a race of it against Campacite (an 11/1 shot here), who had the benefit of a previous run.
Cielo Di Roma was beaten less than a length that day and he put that experience to good use in a Deauville 7f conditions race next time. The third home in that race hacked up next time out and ran to an RPR of 95 so there is a bit of substance to the form.
The oddsmakers have completely dismissed the chances of this horse but given that he was less than a length behind Campacite on debut, surely odds of 50/1 are a tad generous. Yes, he certainly has to prove he belongs at this level but he’s unexposed and he has scope to improve. At the prices, a small e/w interest is advised.
2025 Longchamp Arc Meeting Tip: Cielo Di Roma e/w @ 50/1
1.50 – Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (Group 1)
We managed to find Makarova in this race last year and she was our NAP too. The most important thing in this race is usually the draw. It is very difficult to win from a very wide berth so I normally focus on horses with single figure draws.
The one I have come down on is the Kevin Ryan trained Ain’t Nobody. I Napped this son of Sands Of Mali in the G3 Hackwood at Newbury earlier this season and he ran a stinker. However, he confirmed the potential I saw in him two runs later when running an absolutely huge race in the 5f G1 Nunthorpe at York at 100/1.
He was 1.25l behind the winner Asfoora (6s here) and in behind him were the likes of Frost Of Dawn (10s here), Night Raider (16s here) and Rumstar (20s here). Since that excellent run Ain’t Nobody has run poorly twice over 6f, in the Sprint Cup at Haydock and in the Ayr Gold Cup.
Soft Ground
Now, it must be said that the ground was soft at Ayr and the trainer said afterwards it was ‘holding’ and that he hated it. I am hoping that the ground is looser at Longchamp and that they can get through it. His only other start on ground with soft in the description came on debut and he won, so he can handle an ease.
What could be more important is the draw and he has a lovely one in stall 6. He drops back to 5f for the first time since that excellent Nunthorpe run and if he handles the ground, hopefully Ain’t Nobody can stay on fast and late to nick a place at least.
2025 Longchamp Arc Meeting Tip: Ain’t Nobody e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
3.05 – Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Group 1)
We’ve already backed Quisisana at 33/1 (read why here) and those odds are gone. She is now a best price of 18s and I am happy to stick with her. Given how this weekend has gone so far, she’s probably goosed but we live in hope.
2025 Longchamp Arc Meeting Tip: Quisisana already advised e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
3.50 – Prix de l’Opera (group 1)
Given that I fancy Quisisana to run well in the Arc, I have to back Grand Stars in this 1m2f G1. This daughter of Sea The Stars hasn’t won yet this season but she has finished close up behind some extremely classy animals.
Last time, she was less than 2l behind the aforementioned Quisislana. In June, she chased home the brilliant Goliath over C&D (beaten 1.75l). In May at Saint Cloud she was third over 1m2f, 1.5l behind one of the big fancies for the Arc, Aventure.
That form stands up to the closest of scrutiny and she has won on heavy ground so the underfoot conditions are in her favour. Surely 18/1 is far too big given those formlines and with four places on offer, she looks a cracking e/w bet.
