Pas de probleme! French officials reckon Arc fans will cross Channel in droves

France Galop officials insist they are not worried about how falling attendances at British racecourses and the cost-of-living crisis may affect fans travelling for this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, as they aim to restore the number of visiting spectators from the UK and Ireland to pre-pandemic levels.

The cost-of-living crisis has coincided with worrying racegoer numbers in Britain after Coral-Eclipse day at Sandown attracted 4,000 fewer spectators than it did in 2019 and five of the six racecourses in action on last weekend’s 'Super Saturday' suffered falls in attendance.

An estimated 2,691 fans travelled from Britain and Ireland for Arc weekend last year, compared with 7,554 in 2018 and 7,351 in 2019, but France Galop project they can once again attract more than 7,000 back to Longchamp for Europe's richest Flat race on October 2.

Delphine Violette, commercial and marketing director at France Galop, said: “At the moment we are not worried because advance figures are very good compared to 2019. I’m not saying we are confident, but they are good for now and the crucial period will be the next few weeks.

"In France, 60 per cent of sales are in the last month, but that’s not the same case in England and Ireland. For now, it’s okay but July and August are the key months, so let’s see where we are at the end of August."

Olivier Delloye: 'They add so much to the atmosphere of the raceday'Credit: Aprh

Attendance at last year’s Arc was partly affected by lingering Covid travel restrictions, but free of such worries this year, France Galop chief executive Olivier Delloye is confident crowds will return in numbers and says the atmosphere created by British and Irish fans is "very important" to the Arc's prestige.

Delloye said: "They add so much to the atmosphere of the raceday and that is very important to us. They account for nearly 20 per cent of attendance but make 90 per cent of the noise!

"Arc weekend wouldn’t be so important and such a dream to be involved in for owners and trainers and jockeys if we didn’t have these racing fans in the stands."

France Galop plans to launch a ticketing charm offensive to lure back racegoers for its biggest weekend of the year, with general admission to the Arc Gardens enclosure reduced to €10, from €20 last year.

In a bid to increase pre-bookings, British and Irish fans will also have exclusive access to a special weekend offer, available from July 20 to August 20, for the Winning Post Enclosure.

A two-day pass for the Saturday card - which will be headlined by the Group 1 Prix du Cadran, won last year by Trueshan - and Arc day on Sunday can be bought for €60 (compared with €80 normally). Tickets can be bought on the France Galop website here.

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