The 1986 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was a horse race held at Longchamp on Sunday 5 October 1986. It was the 65th running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The winner was Dancing Brave, a three-year-old colt trained in Great Britain by Guy Harwood. The winning jockey was Pat Eddery.

The winning time of 2m 27.7s set a new record for the race. The previous record of 2m 28.0s was achieved by Detroit in 1980.

The field is considered to be one of the strongest in the race's history. Major races won by the runners in 1986 included;

Dancing Brave – 2,000 Guineas Stakes, Eclipse Stakes, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Bering – Prix du Jockey Club Triptych – Champion Stakes Shahrastani – Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Shardari – International Stakes Darara – Prix Vermeille Acatenango – Aral-Pokal, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Grosser Preis von Berlin Saint Estephe – Coronation Cup

The strength of the field and Dancing Brave's performance led to the race coming first in a Racing Post readers' vote in 2022 to decide the "Greatest ever horse race".

Race details Sponsor: Trusthouse Forte Purse: 6,800,000 F; First prize: 4,000,000 F Going: Firm Distance: 2,400 metres Number of runners: 15 Winner's time: 2m 27.7s (new record)

Full result Pos. Marg. Horse Age Jockey Trainer (Country) 1 Dancing Brave 3 Pat Eddery Guy Harwood (GB) 2 1½ Bering 3 Gary W. Moore Criquette Head (FR) 3 ½ Triptych 4 Angel Cordero Patrick Biancone (FR) 4 shd Shahrastani 3 Walter Swinburn Michael Stoute (GB) 5 nk Shardari 4 Greville Starkey Michael Stoute (GB) 6 1½ Darara 3 Yves Saint-Martin Alain de Royer-Dupré (FR) 7 2 Acatenango 4 Steve Cauthen Heinz Jentzsch (GER) 8 nk Mersey 4 Freddy Head Patrick Biancone (FR) 9 1½ Saint Estephe 4 Cash Asmussen André Fabre (FR) 10 nk Dihistan 4 Tony Kimberley Michael Stoute (GB) 11 1 Iades 4 Alain Lequeux François Boutin (FR) 12 2 Baby Turk 4 Alfred Gibert Alain de Royer-Dupré (FR) 13 1½ Nemain 4 Christy Roche David O'Brien (IRE) 14 2 Sirius Symboli 4 Maurice Philipperon Freddie Palmer (FR) 15 1½ Maria Fumata 4 Fernando Diaz Juan Cavieres (CHI) Abbreviations: shd = short-head; nk = neck

Winner's details Further details of the winner, Dancing Brave. Sex: Colt Foaled: 11 May 1983 Country: United States Sire: Lyphard; Dam: Navajo Princess (Drone) Owner: Khalid Abdullah Breeder: Glen Oak Farm

References