Prix de l'Arc Favorite Wins, Long Odds for `Quarte+' Punters

Gloom of TV A2 Weather Forecast Absent for Fine Day at Paris Races

Most people who made their way to Longchamp today probably looked no higher than their racing papers, or the TV's near the betting booths, or the giant TV screens in the 'pelouse' facing the tribune. That's right - go to the track to watch the races on TV. The sense of it is; Longchamp, as its name implies, is a big track, and TV helps you see what you can't from where you are. The third race, for example, was only a thousand metres long, but it may as well of happened on the moon; it was so far away.

Paris Turf covered the Prix of course, but they were not alone.

The big race, the 'Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe,' is a long one: 2400 metres. It starts near the windmill, to the northeast looking from the tribune; disappears in the region of Auteuil, and returns to finish in front of everybody in the tribune. The last straight before the wire is about 500 meters alone, and these horses, these three-year olds today, came around the last turn down south, soundlessly at first, and then as fast as a TGV, as an estimated 40,000 voices urged their favorites on.

And their favorite, Lammtarra, won. If you had bet on this colt, son of Nijinsky, to win for 10 francs you would have got 58 back. That is not too shabby; there are still one or two things you can buy in Paris for that amount.

What a green and pleasant place to part from your green and pleasant place to pick some up after a race.

Better would have been if you had a combo bet on the winner plus Freedom Cry, second at 33 to 1 before the race, Swain, third at 34 to 1, and the German horse, Lando, fourth at 19 to 1. But this is dream stuff; if, if you pulled it off you wouldn't be reading this, you would be consulting a team of financial advisors in some tax-free bolt-hole full of waving palms (trees).

The Cup

Besides the 'Arc,' there were three others before it, and three after. Although the clouds sort of unionized about the time of the 'Arc' and wet things were - not falling exactly, more like drifting about - it cleared for the end of the day and even if things had turned out black in the economic area and you had to take the free bus back to the metro instead of the anticipated chauffeured stretch Mercedes, it was a pretty good Sunday to be in Paris and outside all day.

Atmosphere douce, atmosphere decontractee:

Supposing you merely did your duty and placed a ten franc bet in every race on number six, because your real purpose was to be here, outside at Longchamp? What would you have seen?

For a reason unknown to me, quite a lot of people attending this race meeting, seemed to have thought they were at some sort of costume ball - maybe Halloween, but that is at Toussaint, at the end of the month. Just like Lammtarra, a lot of people here came from the Derby, the King George VI, and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. These events require hats, so hats it is in Paris. Since Parisians from certain quarters have about the same stuff as what is under the other hats, these Parisians have hats too. The ladies have these 18th Century caribbean pirate sprawlers or WWI 'disco' lids, all made, I guess in either Paris or London. Gents from UK, or is GB more correct now, now that the KGB isn't up to peeking through the 'vasistas' anymore? Er, these gents have these - really perfect - bowlers. These very fine pieces of headgear are seemingly not available in Paris or hors-de-prix; so the French gents have 'Samaritaine' trilbys, known locally as 'chapeau mou.' Oh, how low the hat has fallen. To the French a bowler is a 'melon' and I know they appreciate them a lot and have genuine respect for the nerve of people who dare wear them, but to pass off their own unself-consciousness with a 'trilby' is beyond belief. Samaritaine does have real hats, if you ask for them.

Meanwhile, most ordinary people are hatless. Perhaps it is better to be hatless than to adopt the world's new standard headgear, the 'fake' baseball cap. For one reason or another, not too many visitors - if any - to the 'Arc' wear baseball caps.

Notizas Economicos

In years past the 'suits' with the 'melons' used to leave really huge piles of empty champagne bottles lying about like cordwood around the trees behind the tribune, near the betting booths. Today there were a only few, mixed with beer cans. London's 'Big Bang,' much touted several years ago, was a decided dud, so economies are in order. Wear the suit - without the chalk-stripes - put on the bowler, and bet carefully. It must be really galling; after leaving the old Jag parked over on the 'pelouse,' to have to walk past the 'rabble' picnicing there - surrounded by mountains of empty champagne bottles, right next to their big, shiny, new, luxo Rovers; an old 'melon' company now controlled by BMW; after those other early-risers, the Honda boys, failed to make a go of it.

While the striped'suits' behind the tribune drank whisky this year, the campers on the 'pelouse' celebrated with bubbly.

Notice also, a German horse was fourth today at the 74th edition of the 'Arc.' Germans, though not much in physical evidence, were overheard in a 'welcome' booth on the 'pelouse,' being given lessons about the betting mysteries of the Tierce, Quarte+, Quinte+, Couples, and the 2sur4. Whatever they are.

Winners of the 4th race today at Longchamp in the ''Forte' Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe' race for 3 year olds, run over 2400 metres, were:

Place   No     Horse               Jockey         Odds
 1      12     Lammtarra (USA)     L. Dettori     5.8/1
 2       6     Freedom Cry (GB)    O. Peslier      33/1
 3      11     Swain (IRL)         M.-J. Kinane    34/1
 4       4     Lando (BRD)         M. Roberts      19/1

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Updated 09/95