September 29, 1998. Copyright, 1998, Graphic News. All rights reserved

A GREAT DAY OUT IN PARIS
By Midge Todhunter

LONDON, September 29, Graphic News:  The Prix de LÕArc de Triomphe is EuropeÕs richest race and regularly produces flat racingÕs end-of-season showdown in the opulent surroundings of central Paris.
Longchamp racecourse, on the banks of the River Seine, sets the scene for a glorious dayÕs sport, where the worldÕs equine stars stage one of the great races of the year before a truly cosmopolitan crowd.
Whereas the Derby is the blue-riband classic for three-year-olds, the Arc is the premier weight-for-age classic. The trip is the same as Epsom Ð a mile and a half Ð but few horses complete the double, Sea Bird (1965), Mill Reef (1971) and most recently, Lammtara (1995) being the only three to do so in the last 50 years.
Always well contested, the Arc has also been won by horses at some remarkable prices Ð in 1975 Star Appeal came home at 119-1.
A notable absentee from the list of winners is the great Nijinsky who, had he been retired after the 1970 St Leger, would have gone to stud unbeaten, the winner of 11 races. But connections chose one more Ð the Arc.
Reportedly below par on the day, and given a highly-criticised ride by Lester Piggott, Nijinsky drifted to the left in the last half-furlong and lost this great race in the closing stages.
RacingÕs history books conclude that we are left with an insoluble problem. Did Sassafras win the race, or did Nijinsky swerve and lose it? Was Nijinsky below form, or was Sassafras just as good as Nijinsky on the day?
Or did Piggott give Nijinsky too much to do in a top European race at the end of a long hard season in which, by winning the 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and the St Leger, the horse had become the only Triple Crown winner since the war.
The secret to betting success with French races is the soft ground Ð much softer than in Britain Ð and their races always end with a sprint to the line. Look for that unique combination of limitless stamina coupled with a burst of finishing speed.