1. Sea The Stars

Joined Turf legend with a sensational victory in Paris, his sixth win at the highest level in successive months. Had been no less impressive in earlier winning the 2,000 Guineas, the Derby, the Eclipse, the International and the Irish Champion Stakes, proving equally adept at distances ranging from a mile to a mile and a half. Beautifully bred, and with an unflappable temperament, he promises to be equally successful in his next career at stud.

2. Dancing Brave

It still seems an injustice that Dancing Brave didn’t go into the 1986 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as an unbeaten Derby winner. That he lost at Epsom by a narrow margin can be put down to the combination of a poorly judged ride by Greville Starkey and an inability to act on the track. Pat Eddery was in the saddle come October when Guy Harwood’s brilliant colt destroyed one of the best fields ever assembled for the Longchamp showpiece.

Times Archive, 1965: Sea Bird flies home by six lengths

Sea Bird II, the 11-10 favourite, won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe today in superlative style

• Ribot's final triumph, 1956

• Mill Reef shows sheer class, 1971

Related Links

• Amazing Sea The Stars runs off with the Arc

• Sea The Stars storms to historic Arc win

• Sea The Stars: the greatest of them all?

3. Sea-Bird II

In 1965 Sea-Bird II showed himself to be almost certainly the best horse to have raced in Europe since the mighty Ribot retired nine years earlier with a magnificent performance in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Having his last race before embarking on a stud career, Sea-Bird beat the hitherto unbeaten Reliance II by six lengths — the widest Arc margin since Ribot in 1956 — with a further five lengths back to third-placed Diatome.

4. Ribot

Whoosh — that was how one jockey described the explosive speed displayed by Ribot on his way to winning a second successive Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1956. The Italian colt was awesome as he signed off a stunning career in which he won all his 16 starts. Despite taking an unblemished record to Longchamp, a strong field of 19 rivals assembled to try and break Ribot — but it was hopeless as the favourite toyed with the opposition, winning by a long-looking six lengths.

5. Mill Reef

Ian Balding’s bonny little colt was a true middle-distance champion in 1971 when winning the Derby, Eclipse and King George before beating the talented filly Pistol Packer by three lengths in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He looked set to rule the following year but a broken leg sustained on the gallops ended his racing days. At stud, Mill Reef became champion stallion twice, siring the Derby winners Shirley Heights and Reference Point.

6. Brigadier Gerard

Winner of 17 of his 18 starts, Brigadier Gerard was dominant at distances ranging from a mile to a mile and a half. Dick Hern’s charge won a host of big races from 1970 to 1972, including the 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse, King George and the Champion Stakes twice. Timeform, the venerable British institution which ascribes horses a rating based on their performances, placed the Brigadier on a mark of 144, second only to Sea-Bird II in the company’s history.

7. Nijinsky

Great horses can be beaten in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as so agonisingly demonstrated by Nijinsky in 1970. Lester Piggott was criticised for his handling of the Triple Crown and King George hero, who was beaten a head by Sassafras. But the colt was not at his best after having ringworm in the summer and winning in the stamina-sapping St Leger the previous month. Remains the last to complete the British Triple Crown.