CHANTILLY // The 95th Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was always going to be unique as the first to be run here at the home of French racing, but Aidan O’Brien put his own stamp on Europe’s most valuable race when Found led home her stablemates Highland Reel and Order Of St George.
Ryan Moore pulled out of his box of tricks a ride that relied firstly on stealth, and then when Found produced her trademark burst of speed he coaxed her home to win by one and three-quarter lengths.
All three of O’Brien’s trio were sired by Galileo, the foundation stallion of Coolmore Stud’s breeding empire.
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s Postponed was never competitive and finished a distant fifth, while the Derby winners Harzand and Makahiki were ninth and 14th respectively.
This was Found’s eighth race of the season, but such is her constitution that she could well kick on to Santa Anita to defend her crown in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, a race in which she defeated Arc hero Golden Horn last year.
More horse racing:
• Geoffrey Riddle: Age just a number for California Chrome, Postponed and other star horses of the moment
• Qatar Arabian World Cup: Al Mourtajez 'the best Purebred Arabian horse you will see in the world'
Highland Reel is another battle-hardened campaigner, having started his season in Dubai in March, and it ranks as some achievement to keep these horses going all year at the top level.
O’Brien admitted that this latest success would probably be the highlight of his career.
“How can you see anything higher than this?,” he said. “It is a great feeling to saddle the first three home, there’s not much to beat it.
“I couldn’t dream this would happen. You know how difficult the Arc is.”
If there is any doubt about that, O’Brien has had an uneasy relationship with the €5 million (Dh20.6m) event, having run some of his best horses in the 2,400-metre contest with only Dylan Thomas in 2007 to show for his best efforts.
It was also a second success for Moore, having guided Workforce to the win in 2010. The English rider is not known for a genial outlook but as the four-year-old mare swept in to the winners’ enclosure the grin on his face told the story.
When asked to put O’Brien’s achievement in to context, Moore replied: “This is the hardest race in Europe to win every year and to do that is just unbelievable.”
Found faced 10 individual Group 1 winners and when the gates flew open, Frankie Dettori coaxed out Order Of St George from stall 16 and tried to replicate his ride on Golden Horn 12 months ago.
He was detached from the main pack, led by Harzand’s pacemaker Vedevani, but slowly edged across to take up a prominent position.
Postponed was placed behind the leaders by Andrea Atzeni, but Moore was happy to sit at the back and work his way across from the early left-hand bend to secure a rail position behind former Dubai Turf runner-up The Grey Gatsby when the field entered Chantilly’s sweeping right-hand curve.
With The Grey Gatsby and James Doyle and Order Of St George on the inside, Atzeni struggled for cover and was three-wide for the whole turn.
In the straight Moore angled for a run between Postponed and Order Of St George with 400 metres to go, and her turn of foot carried her to the front almost immediately and she quickly settled the issue.
Roger Varian, Postponed’s trainer, was beaten, but unbowed.
“That’s racing, we’ll take it on the chin,” he said. “Andrea [Atzeni, the jockey] said he broke well but was trapped wide early on.
“He said he went into the big bend on the bottom on the wrong lead and took a while to switch on to the right lead. He didn’t pick up the way he usually can in the straight.
“It’s a feeling of disappointment as we went in hoping we would win, but the main thing is we still have a horse to go to war with and we can take him home and see how he comes out of it.”
Al Mourtajez dominates Arabian World Cup
Al Mourtajez swept to his eighth Group 1 win when he produced yet another performance of total dominance in the Arabian World Cup.
Al Shaqab’s Purebred Arabian flag-bearer once again proved he is the best horse of his breed in the world by not having the run of the race but still pulled out victory by four and a half lengths under Julien Auge.
Mehdaaf Athbah and Tayf followed home the champion under Pierre-Charles Boudot and Olivier Peslier.
“They tried their best to give him a hard time, but he really is much the best Purebred Arabian in the world,” Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, French racing manager for Al Shaqab said.
“That is the only way he has ever been beaten but he just showed what a champion he is.”
Auge has a close relationship with Al Mourtajez, having ridden him in all of his starts and believes that the six year old has reached full maturity.
“He settled very quickly during his race despite being taken on for the lead — he is a different horse now,” he said.
Pritchard-Gordon did not rule out a tilt at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Jewel Crown next month but regaining the Emir’s Sword in Qatar in February, which he lost to Gazwan last year, remains the top priority.
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
