Alpinista's Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victory provides Newmarket trainer Sir Mark Prescott with his best day in racing

“It’s the best day of my racing life” – that is quite the statement from Sir Mark Prescott, who you would assume in his 53 years of training had seen all there was to see.

But then again, there is something very special about winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Prescott, who is Newmarket’s longest-serving trainer having pitched up at Heath House Stables in 1970, has enjoyed his fair share of memorable top level victories down the years. Yet none will top Alpinista and the way she performed to land Europe’s richest race in a sodden Paris on Sunday.

Vadeni and last year’s shock winner Torquator Tasso may have made up ground late on to make the winning margin a mere half a length, but this race was all but decided when the Kirsten Rausing-owned mare sauntered into the lead a furlong and a half out with jockey Luke Morris motionless in the saddle.

“It’s the best day of my racing life,” a beaming Prescott told reporters in the Longchamp winners’ enclosure.

“I always thought when I rode a winner on my first ride, aged 16 – a horse with no chance of winning, and it won – that things couldn’t get better.

“I had a girlfriend with me that day, we walked down the track afterwards. There was a chap filling in the divots who asked ‘what won the first?’ And I was able to say ‘I did’. I didn’t think I’d ever better that!

“I think she’s improved with every single run in the last two years and she’s had to improve each time. Whether she can go on more, I don’t know, but she’s been faultless for two years, and the jockey’s been faultless for two years.

“This is her best race but every single one of the last seven has been better than the one before, so it’s been a marvellous journey.”

For owner Rausing, meanwhile, she is currently riding the crest of a racing wave.

It was just three weeks ago that the colt she bred – Eldar Eldarov – triumphed in the Cazoo St Leger for Roger Varian.

“I’m delighted and extremely grateful,” said the Lanwades Stud owner.

“Alpinista is my sixth-generation homebred and none of it would be possible without the home team, the master trainer Sir Mark Prescott, and Luke, who has ridden her to all her Group 1 wins.”

As for Morris, it was the ninth Group 1 victory of his career.

Yet, he described this as his biggest so far and confessed to be emotional after getting the job done.

He said: “This is the pinnacle of my career and an unbelievably special day. There are not many times when I get teary-eyed but I was having to hold back the tears today.

“Things all went to plan. They’ve gone a good strong gallop up front and it was just all nice and smooth.

“Whatever the ground, she’s so versatile and so tough.

“I couldn’t believe how well she was going coming into the straight, I was taking her back two furlongs out. When I needed her, she dug in deep for me.

“She’s very special and has never put a foot wrong.”

Alpinista will be retired to Lanwades at the end of the season, but before that she could feature in either the Breeders’ Cup in the USA or at the Japan Cup, with connections set to make a decision in the near future.