Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe preview and tips

Baaeed's absence may strip the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe of some of its lustre, but it remains Europe’s most prestigious Flat race.

As precocity and speed have usurped stamina as the traits most coveted in racehorses by owners and breeders in much of the world, there’s an argument proffered that an autumn contest over a mile shouldn’t be regarded as the highlight in the calendar.

However, it’s still the ability to quicken – regardless of trip – that decides so many races on the level.

Longchamp’s topography generally puts an emphasis on that attribute, with quick closing sectionals the norm, even on testing ground.

A number of runners in each of the last two Arcs run on ground officially described as "heavy" managed to break 12 seconds over the penultimate furlong, while times under 11 seconds are commonplace for that 400m-200m closing sectional on good ground.

A decade ago, Frankel cemented his legacy as the greatest of all time without ever lining up in this race and headed to Ascot for the Champion Stakes.

Any suggestion that Baaeed could emulate him with victory at Ascot looks spurious and smacks of false equivalence, and there’s no doubt that he hasn’t captured the public’s imagination in the way Henry Cecil’s star did.

While part of Frankel’s appeal was the role he played in the renaissance of a master trainer who had languished in the doldrums in the latter stages of his career, all the while battling what proved to be terminal illness, it was the calibre of the opposition he faced and the manner of his victories that sealed his place in the record books.

Baaeed falls short of Frankel in both categories, while there’s reason to believe that his unbeaten record has acted as a millstone around his trainer's neck,