QATAR Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe day at Longchamp may have begun with a false start, but Zarkava proved that predictions of her success were to be no false dawn.

The opening Group One of yesterday afternoon, the Prix de l’Abbaye had to be re-run later – and was won by favourite Marchand D’Or – after one of the stalls, housing Jeremy Noseda’s Fleeting Spirit, failed to open and a false start was called.

And while the Aga Khan’s Zarkava was not herself, as predicted, slow out of the stalls she did stumble slightly and was settled at the rear after not running in a straight line in the first furlong.

But the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained filly, whose run of victories in Group races first began on Arc day 12 months ago, flew home under Christophe Soumillon down the outside to score by two lengths from the similarly fast-finishing Youmzain, filling the runner-up berth for the second season running, with It’s Dino and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Soldier Of Fortune dead-heating for third.

Sent off the 13-8 favourite, the unbeaten daughter of Zamindar become the first filly to claim Europe’s middle distance championship contest for 15 years since Urban Sea’s triumph in 1993 and the first three-year-old female division to triumph since Akiyda gave the Aga Khan his first success in the Longchamp showpiece in 1982.

Zarkava is as low as 2-1 with VCbet for next season’s Arc and she may be likely to bid to become the first horse since Alleged in 1977-78 to win it back-to-back.

But for now Zarkava has confirmed her pre-eminence among Europe’s middle distance performers adding the Arc to wins over a mile, a mile and quarter and a mile and a half in the French 1,000 Guineas and Oaks and the Prix Vermeille.

Royer-Dupre, who also won the Arc for the Aga Khan with Dalakhani’s success in 2003, said: “My reaction is that it is so great to train a filly who has so much talent and is so good.

“It is marvellous and I was very confident during all of the race, except for the start where she didn’t go straight but after that it was okay.

“Every day you are anxious in case she has a problem or if something goes wrong. She is a filly who can be a little bit nervous sometimes, but I have a very good assistant who looks after her well.

“From the beginning of the week I felt she would go well but you are always afraid of a last-minute accident.

“When I saw the filly in the parade I was very confident as she was very strong and I was thinking everything is okay.”

Soumillon, similarly winning the Arc for a second time having ridden Dalakhani, added: “Journalists often try and find a weakness in champions but this filly has no weakness. She has a temper but you need a temper to be a champion.

“She gave me a similar feeling to Dalakhani and I think he is the only horse who might have defeated her. She is an outstanding filly and will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. I was not worried about her making a mistake and she didn’t jump slowly today. It was the greatest moment of my life when she came into the straight going so easily, just like Dalakhani. They are two champions who will be in my life forever.”

The Aga Khan was winning the race for a fourth time and his Highness said: “After nearly 90 years of breeding in the family this is a remarkable occasion.

“There have been other important moments in my life as I am not just a racehorse owner and breeder, but in the racing world what I have done I feel is one of the most important times we have lived through.

“The decision about her future has not been taken yet. She won’t race again this year and I will discuss next year with my team.”

TODAY’S NAP: Aven Mac (2.10pm Pontefract).