Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: Europe's richest race is punters' paradise

Once a year, I enjoy French horse racing the way a connoisseur tastes French wine, with the appreciation and gusto of a true enthusiast.

Opportunities overseas - even while you sleep

If you are focused on UK racing, it is easy to forget that, at this time of year, opportunities to bet or trade on horse racing extend well beyond our borders.

Friday brings the 'evening' racing at Moonee Valley in Australia and in the early hours of Saturday you often get some high-quality group racing.

If you don't wish to get up in the early hours, there is no need to worry as Bet Angel can bet and trade for you using its advanced automation. Tell it what you want it to do, and it will work away for you, even if you are asleep.

Of course, on Sunday, we have a highlight of the racing calendar taking place a little closer to home shores.

All eyes on Longchamp this Sunday

I don't tend to trade on Sundays, or on French racing, but the richest race in Europe always draws my attention as it, along with the companion races, nearly always present an opportunity.

This weekend we see the two-day meeting at Longchamp.

From a Betfair trading perspective, the Saturday is intermingled with some quality in the UK. Therefore, they don't tend to yield that much. But on Sunday, we have the big stuff, which tends to trade reasonably well.

The racing card surrounding the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will benefit from heightened interest, but most attention will be focused on the big race which always a major event in the betting markets.

For last year's Arc matched betting turnover reached £2.6m on the Betfair Exchange.

That is slightly more than 10 times what you would expect to see on the average race in the UK during the week. Therefore, this race is worthy of your attention, even if you don't usually look at French racing.

The shorter the price of the favourite the more interest there is in the market. With Baaeed absent, Luxemborg is looking to go off at similar price to last year's favourite.

But the big story from last year, was Torquator Tasso, who was matched on the Betfair exchange at odds up to 150.0149/1. Dutching the back of the field would have been a great strategy last year.

No exchanges in France means market stability

If you want some tips as to how the race will trade, it's important to note there are no exchanges in France. The state-owned PMU is typically the choice of French gamblers.

Therefore, the market tends to behave in a more stable manner and often follows the PMU. It will trade slightly differently to what you see in the UK, but it's perfectly possible using the same 'big race' betfair trading strategies you would deploy in the UK.

Last year, I managed to achieve fully cashed out profit of just over £300 before the race had started. That demonstrates what the opportunity is with this race.

So, I will be there on Sunday once again, to see what I can achieve on the richest race in Europe. I recommend you do the same too.