Arc de Triomphe 2026 Result: Daryz Wins Again, Admire Terra 11th

Arc de Triomphe 2026 result: Daryz wins again

Update (2026-10-04): Daryz won the 2026 Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, October 4, for the second year running, beating Bay City Roller by 1¼ lengths with Diamond Necklace third. He is the first colt to win back-to-back Arcs since Alleged in 1977-78, and the page below has been updated from preview to result.

The Arc de Triomphe 2026, officially the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, was run on Sunday, October 4, at ParisLongchamp over 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) of turf, for a €5 million purse. It is the richest flat race in Europe.

Daryz, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, ridden by Mickael Barzalona and owned by the Aga Khan Studs, was the 13-8 favorite. Japan's Admire Terra and Meisho Tabaru, the build-up's other big story, finished 11th and 14th, so Japan is still waiting for a first Arc.

How the 2026 Arc finished

Daryz had a trouble-free trip on the wing, and when Barzalona asked him to quicken two furlongs out he surged past Bay City Roller at the furlong pole. "It was a really tough race, it didn't go as we expected but he showed his talent and that made the difference in the end," Barzalona said, adding that the horse "deserved to win again." Graffard called him "a champion."

Princess Zahra, speaking for the Aga Khan family's ownership, suggested afterward that this was likely his final race, with a stallion career ahead rather than a run at five.

The winning margin was 1¼ lengths, per Racing Post and France Galop, with a neck and a short neck separating the next places. The other finishers, with starting prices from Racing Post's full result:

What the win means

• A colt's repeat, first since 1978: France Galop notes that Alleged (1977 and 1978) was the last male horse to win two in a row. Only the mares Trêve and Enable have done it since; Enable (2017 and 2018) is the most recent horse of either sex.
• Nine Arcs for the Aga Khan family: the win extends the family's record to nine Arc victories.
• Last Arc under the old rule: geldings can run from 2027.

What is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?

The Arc is a Group 1 flat race for Thoroughbreds aged three and up, run on grass over 1½ miles. Think of it as Europe's autumn championship for middle-distance horses: the best three-year-olds take on the best older horses, and the winner's value as a breeding prospect jumps overnight.

It was first run on October 3, 1920, less than two years after World War I ended. French racing officials named it after the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris, where the Allies had held a victory parade in 1919. Qatar has sponsored the race since 2008.

How the race works

• Who can run: colts, fillies, mares and stallions aged 3 and older. Geldings (castrated males) have always been barred, but in August the European Pattern Committee approved France Galop's plan to let them run from 2027, so 2026 was the last Arc under the old rule.
• Weight-for-age: three-year-olds carry 56.5 kg and older horses 59.5 kg, a 3 kg break for younger horses that are still maturing. Fillies and mares get a further 1.5 kg allowance.
• The course: Longchamp sits in the Bois de Boulogne on the west side of Paris. It's known for a hill that tests stamina before the long run to the finish.

Records worth knowing

• Frankie Dettori has ridden the most winners (6). André Fabre has trained the most (8).
• Only nine horses have now won the Arc twice, per Racing Post. The most recent before Daryz was the mare Enable (2017 and 2018).
• Before Daryz, the last male horse to win back-to-back was Alleged in 1977 and 1978, a 48-year gap he has now closed.

New to terms like "Group 1," "going" or "the draw"? Our horse glossary covers the basics, our breeds guide explains the Thoroughbred, and our disciplines page shows where racing fits among horse sports.

Daryz and the 2026 Arc field: how the build-up looked

Daryz was the horse to beat, and he delivered. The four-year-old son of Sea the Stars (himself the 2009 Arc winner) is trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, ridden by Mickael Barzalona and owned by the Aga Khan Studs. He won the 2025 Arc as a three-year-old, and the 2026 win makes him only the ninth horse to take the race twice.

In 2026 he won the Prix Ganay and the Prix Aga Khan IV at Longchamp in the spring and finished third behind Ombudsman at Royal Ascot in June. Then he took the Prix Foy at Longchamp on September 6, a key Arc trial, without his jockey needing the whip. Going into the Arc he was about 7/4 after the draw and went off at 13-8.

On Thursday he had drawn stall 5, a good spot near the inside with his main rivals spread around him. "Five is a pretty good draw, especially when you look at how the good horses are spread out. I'm pretty confident," Barzalona said after the draw. Graffard's other runner, Varandir, drew stall 4 right beside him.

Other names, and what happened to them:

• Bay City Roller (Oisin Murphy), drawn in stall 15, was the surprise: a 28-1 shot who went clear in the straight and finished second, 1¼ lengths behind Daryz.
• Kalpana (Andrew Balding, for Juddmonte), the King George winner, drew stall 6 right next to Daryz, shortened to about 5/1 with Colin Keane riding, and finished fifth.
• Maltese Cross (William Haggas, Tom Marquand) was also about 5/1 from stall 11 and finished sixth.
• Thundering On (Joseph O'Brien), the Oaks winner, drew stall 3 with Pierre-Charles Boudot, was about 8/1 and finished eighth.
• Friendly Soul, a five-year-old mare, was supplemented by John and Thady Gosden using the free entry she earned by winning the Prix Vermeille, and drew stall 7 with James Doyle. A dual Group 1 winner, she finished fourth in the Arc at 25-1. Before the race, Thady Gosden called Daryz a "worthy favourite" but said the team was pleased with the draw for an "exceptional filly."
• Varandir, also trained by Graffard, won the Prix Niel for three-year-olds on the same Sunday as Daryz's Prix Foy. He drew stall 4 and finished seventh.
• Aidan O'Brien's three: Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini had the rail in stall 1 with Ryan Moore, who switched to him from Diamond Necklace after the draw, and finished ninth. Minnie Hauk, second in 2025, drew 10 with William Buick and finished 10th. Diamond Necklace got the widest draw, stall 16, and drifted to about 12/1 from 7/1 with some bookmakers, yet Christophe Soumillon brought her home third at 10-1.

The four that dropped out at the forfeit stages were Pearled Majesty, redirected to the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Oct. 17, plus Sunly, Tattycoram and Light The Ghost.

The Arc 2026 draw

Sixteen runners is a big field, so racing luck matters. Even so, the stall-5 favorite had a clean run and won.

Japan's bid: Admire Terra 11th, Meisho Tabaru 14th

Japan entered seven horses back in May, including Breeders' Cup Classic winner Forever Young. The two that reached the Arc field and carried the country's hopes were Admire Terra and Meisho Tabaru. Neither got close: JRA-VAN's official result lists Admire Terra 11th and Meisho Tabaru 14th.

The pre-race profiles below are kept for context.

Admire Terra

• Who: a five-year-old grey colt by Rey de Oro, trained by Yasuo Tomomichi, who has brought Makahiki and Do Deuce to past Arcs.
• Form: won the Hanshin Daishoten (Grade 2, 3,000 m) in March in record time, then finished third in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3,200 m in May. He was ninth over a shorter trip in the Sapporo Kinen in August, a run his camp put down to the pace and distance.
• Rider: Cristian Demuro, the Italian-born, France-based reigning French champion jockey, who won the Arc on Sottsass (2020) and Ace Impact (2023). After the September 22 gallop he said the horse quickened as soon as he asked.
• Fun fact: in the 2025 Japan Cup he lost his jockey at the start and crossed the finish line first anyway. Riderless horses aren't placed, so it didn't count.

Meisho Tabaru

• Who: a five-year-old son of Gold Ship, trained by Mamoru Ishibashi.
• Form: won the Takarazuka Kinen, Japan's summer Grand Prix where fans vote for the runners, in both 2025 and June 2026. He also ran second in the Osaka Hai in April. He's a natural front-runner who likes to set the pace.
• Rider: Yutaka Take, the 57-year-old legend of Japanese racing, who rode in his 12th Arc.

Their draws

Admire Terra drew stall 12 and Meisho Tabaru stall 13, both on the outer half of the 16-runner field. Thoroughbred Daily News, which called both horses outsiders, noted that their bid for an upset "already looked slim before stalls were allotted." Take wasn't bothered at the time: "I have had better results in the Arc with outside draws so I am pleased," he told AFP.

British and Irish bookmakers weren't convinced by either horse, and the result bore that out. In Japan the interest was still huge: the race went off at 11:05 p.m. local time, and a Nikkan Sports reporter had posted a photo set of Meisho Tabaru settling in in France on September 23.

Why Japan wants the Arc so badly

Japan first sent a horse to the Arc in 1969, when Speed Symboli made the trip. By Idol Horse's count, 38 Japanese runners tried through 2025, and the two in 2026 make 40, with none winning.

What makes it painful is how close they've come:

• 1999, El Condor Pasa: led by three lengths in the straight and was caught by Montjeu near the line, losing by half a length.
• 2006, Deep Impact: Japan's biggest star crossed the line third, then was disqualified after a banned-substance positive.
• 2010, Nakayama Festa: beaten a head by Workforce.
• 2012 and 2013, Orfevre: looked the winner in 2012 before veering toward the rail and losing by a neck to Solemia, then finished second again behind Treve a year later.

For Japanese racing, the Arc is the overseas prize that matters most. Japanese breeders have spent decades building top horses for 1½ miles, and beating Europe at its own championship would be the ultimate proof that it worked. When the 2025 Arc aired at 11:05 p.m. local time, about 7,900 fans came back to Tokyo Racecourse after dark to watch it on the big screen, waving flags for the Japanese runners.

Why the ground mattered this year

Japanese horses race mostly on fast, firm turf at home, while Paris in October is often soft. In 2025, rain turned Longchamp "very soft," and the Japanese runners never fired. Byzantine Dream was the best of them in fifth.

This year's build-up looked different. On September 22, Longchamp's clerk said it was the driest Arc build-up of his time there. Some rain arrived midweek, but the ground was expected to stay no worse than good.

With dry weather forecast, Racing Post said on Oct. 1 that the Arc was set to be run on ground no slower than good, and perhaps good to firm. We did not confirm the official going on race day, and faster ground did not help the Japanese pair this time.

Arc de Triomphe 2026 race times and how it was shown

The race was scheduled for 4:05 p.m. in Paris on Sunday. Here's what that was where you live, handy if you're hunting for the replay:

TV deals change from year to year, so check broadcasters' sites for replays:

• United States: FS1 showed the 2025 Arc live through a FOX Sports and NYRA partnership.
• Australia: Channel 7 said this year's Arc would be live and free.
• Everywhere else: France Galop says the Arc is broadcast in more than 60 countries, so check your local sports channels and racing apps.

Going in person next year

The details below were the 2026 arrangements; check France Galop for 2027.

• Arc weekend 2026: Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4. On Sunday, gates opened at 11 a.m., the Parade of Nations started at 12:50 p.m., the first race was the Prix Marcel Boussac (won by Green Empress) and the Arc went at 4:05 p.m.
• Tickets: general entry from €20; the Arc Village, open to all ages, from €15 (Sunday only). Strollers are welcome.
• Getting there: Metro Line 10 (Porte d'Auteuil) or Line 1 (Porte Maillot), then a free shuttle that runs about every 15 minutes.
• With kids: keep little ones back from the rail and the walking ring. Racehorses on race day are fit, fresh and easily startled. Our safety guide covers the basics.

What to watch next

1. Daryz's future: Princess Zahra suggested he will likely retire to stud rather than race at five. Any official retirement announcement is still to come.
2. Champion Stakes, Oct. 17: Pearled Majesty was redirected there from the Arc, one of the races where Arc runners may reappear.
3. After Paris: the spotlight moves to the Breeders' Cup, held this year at Keeneland. Japan has already won big at the Breeders' Cup: Forever Young took the Classic in 2025.
4. Japan's next try: the country's wait for a first Arc goes into 2027.
5. 2027: geldings run in the Arc for the first time.

Arc cheat sheet

• Winner: Daryz, back-to-back in 2025 and 2026, the first colt to do it since Alleged.
• Placings: Bay City Roller second, Diamond Necklace third.
• Daryz carries the Aga Khan family's famous green and red colors.
• Japan: Admire Terra 11th, Meisho Tabaru 14th.
• Browse more horse trends.