Arc purse gets boost to $5.8M

The purse of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will be raised next year to $5.8 million as part of a sponsorship agreement with the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, the administrator of French racing announced Thursday.

The five-year deal will make the Arc's purse the the second-highest in the world for Thoroughbred racing, behind the $6 million for the Dubai World Cup. In 2007, the Arc purse was approximately $2.9 million.

As part of the deal, France-Galop, which runs racing in France, will write four new races for Arabian horses as part of its annual racing program. The richest of them, with a purse of approximately $500,000, will be on the Arc card.