Zarkava, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, has won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. The pre-race favourite produced a storming finish to take victory in miserable conditions.

Alain de Royer-Dupre's filly had to overcome being drawn in stall one and a tricky passage through the field, but she sprinted clear inside the final furlong to maintain her unbeaten record in brilliant style.

Zarkava became the first filly to win the big race since Urban Sea in 1993, while Mick Channon's Youmzain ran another game race to finish runner-up for the second year in a row. The stewards ruled that It's Gino and Soldier of Fortune shared third place in a photo finish.

Zarkava, who went into the race on the back of six straight wins, was a major doubt because of earlier concerns over the soft going at Longchamp, but only one millimetre of rain fell overnight and her participation was confirmed just before the start.

"She's beautiful, it was perfect," Alain de Royer-Dupre, Zarkava's trainer, said. "She's the best horse I've had. When I saw the filly in the paddock and in the parade I was sure she was OK today. I know she has great acceleration.

"She handled the situation very well. I was not worried, you don't get horses like this every day. She had a very easy race. It's great to train a filly like that."