Daryz won the Arc last year as a three-year-old and comes back to defend it, but no horse has won back-to-back Arcs since Treve in 2013 and 2014, and Daryz has already tasted defeat this season, so the race is far from a coronation.

For Australian punters it lands in the small hours, just after the clocks have jumped forward, which makes the timing worth getting straight before Sunday night rolls into Monday.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe: The Details

Race: Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Group 1

Venue: ParisLongchamp, Paris Distance: 2400m (1m4f)

Conditions: three-year-olds and up, colts, fillies and mares

Date: Sunday 4 October 2026 in France, early Monday 5 October in eastern Australia

Post time: 4:05pm Paris time, which is 1:05am AEDT Monday 5 October

Broadcast: Sky Racing, plus live streaming via Sportsbet

This is the 105th running, and the meeting runs across the whole weekend.

The Saturday card at ParisLongchamp carries several black-type races, but the Arc itself is the Sunday feature, the last big middle-distance prize of the European season and the one every stayer-turned-superstar wants on the CV.

As one of the great international prizes, it sits comfortably among the richest horse races in the world.

How to Watch the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Australia

Sky Racing carries the Arc in Australia as part of its international coverage. If you have Sky Racing through Foxtel or the Sky Racing app, the race and the build-up are there.

The other way in, and the simpler one for most punters, is streaming it on Sportsbet. You can watch the race live through the Sportsbet app or website, provided you have a funded account or a bet on the race.

That puts the vision and your markets in the one place, which matters for a race running at an hour when you are not going to be flicking channels.

Coverage of the French card tends to come on well before the Arc jumps, so you can get a look at the earlier races and the going before the main event.

If you are still weighing up your options, our guide on how to watch horse racing live runs through the ways to follow the action from home.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Start Times Across Australia

The catch this year is that Australia’s daylight saving starts on the morning of Sunday 4 October, the same day as the race. By the time the Arc runs, the eastern and southern states have already put their clocks forward, so work off these times.

AEDT (NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS): 1:05am Monday 5 October

ACDT (SA): 12:35am Monday 5 October

AEST (QLD): 12:05am Monday 5 October

ACST (NT): 11:35pm Sunday 4 October AWST (WA): 10:05pm Sunday 4 October

Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not move their clocks, which is why the eastern and southern states tip past midnight while Perth is still in prime time.

The race itself is over in a touch over two and a half minutes, so unlike a football match there is no leeway for a late start on the couch. Be locked in before post time.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2026 Contenders

Daryz heads the market.

Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and carrying the Aga Khan silks, he is the reigning champion stepping up from three to four, and he came into this year off two Group 1 wins in France before running into Ombudsman and Minnie Hauk at Royal Ascot, where he finished third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

That ended an unbeaten start to his four-year-old season, so the aura is not quite untouchable. For more on that meeting, take a look at our Royal Ascot betting guide.

The main threats have European form in the book.

Maltese Cross, from the William Haggas yard, ran second in the Derby, won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris and followed up in the Great Voltigeur at York.

Kalpana, the Andrew Balding mare, brings the strongest recent Group 1 form of the lot after landing the King George at Ascot.

Minnie Hauk, the Aidan O’Brien filly who chased home Daryz in last year’s Arc, lines up again from a stable that treats this race as a personal mission.

With names like Graffard, Haggas, Balding and O'Brien in the field, this is a chance to see some of the best horse trainers going head to head.

A large entry always thins out in the final days as connections weigh the ground and the draw, so the field that goes to post will be smaller than the entry list suggests.

Soft going at Longchamp, which the Arc often gets in early October, reshuffles chances every year and is the first thing to check on the morning of the race.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Betting Markets

For the latest Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe odds and markets, check out our dedicated racing odds page here at Sportsbet.

Win and each-way are where most of the money goes on a race like this, but a full-field Group 1 opens up plenty more.

Same-race multis, top-four finishing markets and the placings tend to draw interest when the favourite is short and punters are chasing a bit more out of the outsiders.

If those bet types are new to you, our guide on how to bet on horses breaks down win, each-way and the rest.

The three-year-olds get a weight allowance from their elders, which has long been one of the race’s defining features and a reason the Classic generation runs so well in it.

Ground is the great leveller here.

A few of the leading fancies want top-of-the-ground conditions and can be worth taking on if the rain comes, while proven soft-ground horses climb the market when it does.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe FAQ

How can I watch the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Australia?

It airs on Sky Racing as part of its international coverage, available through Foxtel and the Sky Racing app. You can also live-stream the race on the Sportsbet app or website with a funded account or a bet on the race.

What time is the Arc in Australia?

The race goes to post at 1:05am AEDT on Monday 5 October 2026. That is 12:35am Monday in Adelaide, 12:05am Monday in Brisbane, 11:35pm Sunday in Darwin and 10:05pm Sunday in Perth.

Where is the 2026 Arc run?

At ParisLongchamp in Paris, over 2400m, for three-year-olds and up.

Who won the Arc in 2025?

Daryz, ridden by Mickael Barzalona for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, won the 2025 Arc as a three-year-old. He returns to defend the title in 2026.

Has the daylight saving change affected the start time?

Yes. Australian daylight saving begins on the morning of Sunday 4 October, so the eastern and southern states are already in summer time by the time the Arc runs late that night.