She's the shortest priced of the trio in the betting, but is Diamond Necklace really Aidan O'Brien's best chance in Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?
We asked our Racing Podcast Panel...
Billy Nash: “The market is intriguing because there has been plenty of money around for Diamond Necklace which I think tells us a couple of things. First of all they’re very happy with her and it has been mooted through the year that they were going to step her up to a mile-and-a-half. She hasn’t tried this trip before and if she hadn’t lost her unbeaten record in the Prix Jean Romanet last time, then she’d be even shorter than she is now.
“Looking at her pedigree, there’s no reason she won’t get the trip and she’s a classy filly, she’s a dual Classic winner after all in France. She won at the meeting last year too so has loads in her favour. But the other thing this tells us is that maybe Ballydoyle aren’t overly-confident about their other two, Benvenuto Cellini and Minnie Hauk."
Listen to the Sporting Life Arc Preview Podcast
“You can back at Benvenuto Cellini at 20/1 and Aidan seemed to hint he was one of the horses in the yard who was under a cloud when he got beaten in the trial last time, but he’s had a bit of an up and down year. If he reproduces his King George run from earlier in the year then he has a squeak but clearly the vibes aren’t great about him and the same can be said of Minnie Hauk.
“I see in an interview recently that Aidan said she’s been suffering with corns in her feet this year and she just hasn’t hit the heights of 2025. She has one good run in the middle of the year at Ascot, that form would put her in here with a big chance, but she ran to a Timeform rating of 126 in this (the Arc) last year and has been struggling into the low-120s this time around so is at least a few pounds below her best.
“You have to say looking at the market, the vibes aren’t that confident about her. Aidan seems to think she might bounce back but I wouldn’t be confident and would be inclined to let her run. And just returning to Diamond Necklace, listening to that Aidan interview, he isn’t entirely convinced she’s going to stay a mile-and-a-half. She’s good enough to win it – but won’t be carrying my money."
David Johnson: “I’ll be honest, Diamond Necklace is already carrying my money. I backed her for the Arc straight after the Nassau. I was really taken with her that day and just didn’t feel Aidan had a better Arc candidate at the time. It hasn’t quite gone to plan since then because she was beaten at Deauville and it’s hard to say why. She had every chance and just underperformed.
“Aventure who beat her finished second in the Arc as a three-year-old and it doesn’t look bad on that line of form but Timeforshowcasing was only a head back in third and Diamond Necklace has clearly underperformed. The fact she’s coming there suggests whatever the problem was that day is behind her, they could easily go for a much more straightforward race like the Opera which wouldn’t take as much winning and she’d have a favourite’s chance in.
“It’s clearly a positive that she’s being pointed here and if she can be back to the filly she looked to be at Goodwood then she’d have a good chance. But you look at the price and wonder is it big enough to take that risk? I’m already locked in so can’t do much about it. I do think she has the ability to win an Arc though."
Graham Cunningham: “I’m lukewarm on all three if I’m honest, wherever they’re drawn.
"I don’t think Minnie Hauk is the same filly who ran a stormer for a clear second last year, I was very underwhelmed by Benvenuto Cellini’s performance in his Arc trial, he has to come a long way in a relatively short time from that and I expected a good bit more from Diamond Necklace at Deauville.
"I was going to produce a hot take and ask when was the last time a horse won an Arc having never run at the trip before? Then I remembered Daryz and then I remembered Ace Impact and I cancelled that!"
More on the 2026 Arc de Triomphe
- David Ord on Kalpana and the Juddmonte ties
- Ben Linfoot tackles the big Longchamp questions
- John Ingles backing title holder to double up
- Matt Brocklebank on the Longchamp undercard
- Simon Holt on why Maltese Cross is such an important runner
- For or against hot favourite Daryz?
- Who is the best bet in this year’s race?
- Tom Marquand feeling positive
- Colin Keane expects star mare to shine
- Arc de Triomphe preview podcast
- Arc odds from Sky Bet and Paddy Power
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