OpinionRichard Forristal
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Follow that, Ascot! Champions Day's shortcomings are laid bare by a glorious weekend in Paris

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Ireland editor
Daryz beats Minnie Hauk in the Arc
Championship crescendo: Daryz and Mickael Barzalona (far side) thwart Minnie Hauk and Christophe Soumillon in the ArcCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

If ever we need a comprehensive illustration of what a top-class, season-defining international Flat racing bill should resemble in Europe in the autumn, look no further than Longchamp last weekend. 

It was everything the Irish Champions Festival aspires to be, everything Britain's equivalent ought to be. Just dripping with class from every pore of its elegant Parisian expression. 

Last month's Irish version is the youngest iteration of all three initiatives, its marquee championship Group 1 but a pup in comparison to the Champion Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and the rebranded Irish Champions Festival likewise a recent incarnation since the calendar revisions began a decade and a half ago. 

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Published on inRichard Forristal

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