2006 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Irish Wells and Deep Impact set the early pace while Shirocco stalked them in third and Hurricane Run sat in mid-pack fourth over the "good" turf course. At the top of the stretch, the pace quickened and the real running began, as Deep Impact took over the lead from the tiring pacesetter and Shirocco put in his challenge. The pair looked like they would complete the exacta, but they were both tiring badly while the late closers were just hitting their best strides. 24-1 shot Rail Link, who raced in 6th early, came out wide under jockey Stephane Pasquier and was closing well while Hurricane Run was boxed in on the rail and could find no running room. Rail Link took over the lead from the tiring Deep Impact inside the 1/8 pole and held off the mare Pride in the final 1/16 to win by a neck in 2:31.70. Deep Impact was 1/2 a length back in third, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of the traffic-plagued Hurricane Run while Shirocco stopped badly late to finish last.