ARC Trials Day at ParisLongchamp has become something of a strange mixture over the past couple of years and last Sunday’s renewal was no different.

Thanks to its Group 1 status, the Qatar Prix Vermeille is the only one of the three trials virtually guaranteed to be a proper race with a deep field, yet since Treve used it as a springboard to the big one in three consecutive years up to 2015, its relevance to the Arc has been minimal.