Unbeaten filly Treve was simply magnificent in a five-length Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe victory.

Treve winning in tremendous fashion

Ridden by Thierry Jarnet, who took over from Frankie Dettori after his heartbreak ankle break, the Criquette Head-Maarek-trained three-year-old was in a different class even to second Orfevre and third Intello. The veteran jockey Jarnet scored a Group I race double as he later steered Moonlight Cloud to an amazing win.

Moonlight Cloud was at her brilliant best as she showed her potent turn of foot swooping from last to first in scintillating style in the Qatar Prix de la Foret (Group 1) 7f, 3yo+. The daughter of Invincible Spirit was given a patient ride by Thierry Jarnet, who partnered Treve in the Arc earlier in the day. The jockey held the six-time Group 1-winning mare at the back of the field before going for home inside the final three furlongs to win comfortably.
The Freddie Head-trained five-year-old looked to have been given a lot to do by her jockey but she simply breezed by her rivals in the closing stages. Dr Cyrus Poonawalla owned Gordon Lord Byron who appeared to have stolen the race inside the final furlong held on clinch the runner up berth.



Treve broke slowly and was rooted in the last four through the opening stages of the Arc, while at the front Penglai Pavilion, Joshua Tree and Intello all showed early speed.

Yet by the first turn Treve was already making eyecatching progress, picking off runners with a breezy nonchalance to move up menacingly on the outside.

The sheer extent of her dominance began to reveal itself as the turn to the straight approached.

Within 20 extraordinary seconds Treve went from near the rear to right on the shoulder of the leaders, without ever giving the slightest indication that the feat had required any effort at all.

It was, therefore, almost inevitable what happened when Jarnet asked his superstar filly to strike out for home and glory. She immediately shot clear of the pack, establishing a two-length lead in the blink of an eye.

Moments later she was followed from the pack by Intello, the French Derby winner, and Orfevre, Japan`s most famous racehorse, but there was an air of desperation about their pursuit when compared to the controlled fury of Treve`s acceleration.

They could not land a blow. Treve continued to draw clear all the way to the line, crossing into history with an astonishing five-length victory over one of the most talented Arc fields in years.

"The way she has won is absolutely brilliant," said Head-Maarek.

"She didn`t have the best of luck in running. She never got any cover but no matter what numbers [she faces] and no matter the ground, it makes no difference.

"She is part of the family now and is like a sister to me."

Head-Maarek also paid tribute to Dettori, who had ridden Treve to victory in the Prix Vermeille last month.

"I`d like to thank Frankie Dettori. I told him to give her an easy ride in her last race and to use no whip," she said.

Dettori is retained rider to the winning owner Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, one of several Qatari royals who have experienced an extraordinary rise to the pinnacle of the racing world in just three years.

Asked how he felt to have won Europe`s most prestigious race, Al Thani said: "I don`t have any words to describe it."

Orfevre had suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the Arc last year and Japanese fans had again flocked to Paris in their thousands, hoping that he would be the one to break their nation`s Arc hoodoo at last.

He had all the qualifications of an Arc winner, but his bad fortune was to come up against a filly of unassailable brilliance.

Orfevre`s rider Christophe Soumillon said: "When [Treve] took off at the 350 metre mark she just left me behind and I knew it would be difficult to catch her. I just concentrated then on riding for second place."

Al Kazeem, the Coral-Eclipse winner, ran a fine race to finish sixth on what trainer Roger Charlton said would be his final racecourse appearance.

"James [Doyle] said the lack of pace didn`t help him but he stayed on well and ran a great race. James was delighted with him and there aren`t really any excuses," Charlton added.

Aidan O`Brien, trainer of seventh Ruler Of The World and 12th Leading Light, said it was a "messy race" and that both were running on at the death.

However, there were precious few hard-luck stories in the race, a testament to how impressive Treve was. She is 4-1 with Paddy Power and bet365 for next year`s Arc, but as short as 2-1 with William Hill, who call her "unstoppable".