IT wasn’t just the Arc in which prominent racers appeared to be favoured at Chantilly. The other four winners on the round course on the day - Wuheida, National Defense, Speedy Boarding and Limato - all raced on or near the pace, all no more than one horse-width off the rail, while the placed horses generally also raced handily.

There were horses who did well against this apparent bias, like Suedois, who was wider than ideal in the Foret, and Attendu, who came from the rear in the Foret, and Kontrastat, who was ridden patiently in the Jean-Luc Lagardere, and So Mi Dar, who had to check on the home turn and made ground late, and Toulifaut, who was badly hampered in the Marcel Boussac when trying to make her ground from the rear.