Trempolino - 1987 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Trempolino's best performance at age two was a third-place finish in the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte. At three in 1987, he ran second in the Prix du Jockey Club and Prix Lupin, and was third in the Grand Prix de Paris and the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. His important wins that year all came at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris where he won a Listed race, the Prix de Courcelles, plus the prep for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the G2 Prix Niel. A few days before the Arc, Laura de Seroux, on behalf of Los Angeles, California businessman Bruce McNall, purchased a half interest in Trempolino.The eleven-horse field for that year's Arc was a strong one with top European runners such as Tony Bin, Triptych and Reference Point, the latter sent off as the betting favorite. Ridden by Pat Eddery, Trempolino capitalized on a fast pace and won in record time, beating the record set by Dancing Brave in 1986 by a full 1.3 seconds. Pat Eddery was aboard Trempolino again six weeks later in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Hollywood Park Racetrack in California in which he finished second to Theatrical.