Racing Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe report: John Oxx greeted Dalakhani's success in yesterday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a nod of approval that says much of what needs to be said about the latest Arc champion.

As the trainer of the outstanding Sinndar, winner three years ago, and of Alamshar, the only horse to beat Dalakhani, few could understand better what the huge crowd had just seen.

The French Derby winner overcame a series of problems which the bookies had totted up would be too much to overcome and a field that represented the very best Europe had to offer.

That mix of class and guts which saw Dalakhani overcome Mubtaker, and put five long lengths back to a proven champion like High Chaparral, is rare, and possibly only a man who has worked with such a beast can fully appreciate it.

"Very impressive," the Curragh trainer summed up. "To travel the way he did and pick up was a big effort."

It also proved how good a horse Alamshar must be, but yesterday was about the home heroes coming good.

Christophe Soumillon has yet to convince everyone about his abilities but yesterday he delivered when it counted most. As with many French riders, brute strength is not an obvious attribute, but with champions subtlety is often more valuable and what Dalakhani needed most of all yesterday was a cool man at the wheel.

"It's unbelievable, the greatest day of my life," the jockey said. "I can't believe I have got the chance to ride a horse like this at 22. He is a champion and I love him."

Michael Kinane, in contrast, had a much less straight-forward task as High Chaparral indicated a preference for racing any way but the Longchamp way.

"If you look back his best races have been when racing left-handed. Even when he won the Irish Derby he laboured," said a determinedly upbeat Aidan O'Brien. "Maybe it is his old problems with the shoulder but he has run the same sort of race as last year, backing off a bit coming down the hill."

Nevertheless Paddy Power greeted High Chaparral's performance by pushing his price out to 9 to 2 for a repeat performance in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

More action overseas is also on the agenda for Vinnie Roe, who ran a typically brave race to finish fifth.

"The others just had that bit of toe on him early in the straight and got a couple of lengths, but he kept them to those couple of lengths," said rider Pat Smullen.

The connections of Vinnie Roe had to endure serious travel problems on their way to Longchamp. Trainer Dermot Weld and Smullen were on the 7.10 Aer Lingus morning flight to Paris from Dublin but had to switch planes due to hydraulic problems. Remarkably, the replacement aircraft the passengers were switched to was then found to have the same problems.

At Longchamp, Richard Hughes was put on standby to ride Vinnie Roe if Smullen couldn't make it, but a full four-and-a-half hours later the party eventually flew out.

Vinnie Roe was put into quarantine last night to keep the Melbourne Cup option open.

"We will make up our minds in two weeks time about Melbourne, but alternatively he could come back here for a fifth Leger in the Prix Royal, and there is also the option of the Canadian International," said Weld.

Mubtaker's trainer, Marcus Tregonning, had a "what might have been" air, but conceded: "The winner was really good and we are thrilled really because we were very worried about the ground."

Kieren Fallon endured a troubled race on Kris Kin and was also in trouble with the stewards after the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere, getting a four-day ban for his ride on Acropolis.

That Group One fell to Richard Hughes's mount American Post, with Newton best of the O'Brien trio in third. But the big Ballydoyle hope in the Prix Marcel Boussac, Necklace, was a big disappointment behind Denebola.

The impeccably bred winner is the new 8 to 1 favourite with Ladbrokes for the 1,000 Guineas.

At the top of the straight in the Prix de l'Opera the eyes might have been drawn to the front but the action was at the rear.

The Kinane-ridden Yesterday and Zee Zee Top cannoned into each other with Kieren Fallon's mount emerging in better shape than the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner.

Kinane extricated Yesterday to the outside and the filly powered steadily down the outside but her old rival was on her inner and held on by a head.

Zee Zee Top's trainer Michael Stoute pointed to the ground as the major reason for her victory, and added: "We were quite confident because her dam won the Irish Oaks on similar going but at the end I think they were all running on empty."

British raiders dominated the Prix de l'Abbaye with the Bunbury Cup hero Patavellian graduating to Group One level in style from The Tatling.