EUROPE’S RICHEST RACE FEATURES PRETTY GOOD HATS

The Curragh Racecourse in Ireland

Now look, we aren’t about to cede the title of Best Horseracing Hats to anybody who isn’t right here in the good old U.S. of A. out at Great Meadow the third Saturday in October or the first one in May.

Any arguments from the folks in Louisville, KY notwithstanding, we will reluctantly claim the title while paying homage to our friends in Europe who are willing to glam up and go racing literally at the drop of their hat.

While they are happy to doll up for a regular meet, they also have skills when it comes to the “majors” with just such an event occurring last Sunday at Longchamp racecourse near Paris.

As always, hats played a major role in the ladies dress code.

There was an elegant party as one might expect and an important horse race. Is this starting to sound familiar?

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Lonchamp Racecourse near Paris

At some point in a very fun day, Epsom Derby (that’s the English version of the Kentucky Derby) winner Workforce upset favorite Behkabad to the feature race – the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. “The Arc”, as we horseracing aficionados like to call it, is Europe's richest horse race with a purse of $5.5 million. Which last time we looked, was a bunch of coin.

The three-year-old colt, ridden by Ryan Moore, held off a strong challenge from Nakayama Festa on the home stretch.

"He was back to his best today and we got a nice run through,'' Moore said. "There was half a gap there and he was very brave and really quickened into it well.''

Say what? Those European jockeys have a rather odd way of saying things. What he meant was.

"My horse was at his best today, he didn't get tired and finished strong.  There was a tight space for me to go through to get to the lead, and my horse wasn't shy about going through this small space, and, once through it, he ran on very well from there to the finish."

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Lonchamp Racecourse near Paris

Jeez, speak English, will ya?
Workforce gave trainer Sir Michael Stoute and his double talking jockey thier first wins in The Arc.
 
Stout also was wearing a hat.
 
Sources near Paris tell us a party ensued and lasted well into the night. 
 
No doubt, hats were lost.