2011 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: Entries, Post Positions and Best Odds

This morning declarations were finalized for this Sunday's Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, with defending champion Workforce (GB) drawing post position eight.  Current ante post favorite Sarafina (FR), a troubled 3rd to Workforce in the 2010 Arc, drew post position 13. The 2011 Arc is scheduled to go to post at 8:30am Eastern/5:30am (damn, Longchamp keeps changing the lineup!) 10:15am Eastern/7:15am Pacific and can be viewed on both HRTV and TVG. The race prior to the Arc is the G1-Prix de la Foret, featuring three-time Breeders' Cup Mile champion Goldikova (IRE).

Take note in the chart below of the assigned weights for the Arc; I'll touch on this later in the full Arc preview, but the weight allowance for three-year-olds, especially three-year-old fillies, is significant.  We aren't talking about a 2 lb. difference between Havre de Grace and Blind Luck in the Delaware Oaks, but instead a 11 lb. difference between older males like Workforce and St Nicholas Abbey (IRE) and the three-year-old fillies like Galikova (FR).

According to a report in the Racing Post (UK), the connections of defending champion Workforce are concerned with the condition of the ground at Longchamp.  You might recall that Workforce shipped to Churchill Downs last fall to run in the Breeders' Cup Turf but scratched due to the firm ground.  Trainer Sir Michael Stoute described his feeling about Workforce and the current ground conditions:

"We took him to Sandown last week where he had a satisfactory workout. It would have brought him on a bit more but I'm more disappointed with the weather forecast.

"He's a big, heavy horse and we do like good ground for him. We will get someone to have a look at the ground for us and I am concerned about it at the moment."

The concerns over the ground are slightly baffling when you considering that Workforce unleashed his greatest performance, a dominating eight length win in the 2010 Epsom Derby, over ground rated "Good to Firm" at Epsom.  But despite his prior success over firmer ground, his connections have continued to try and spot Workforce in races with softer going.

Entries, post positions and odds below.

*Best Odds via Racing Post

Below is a look at the complete lineup of Group race at Longhcamp this weekend.  I'll have a full preview of the 2011 Arc later on.