Cygames Signs On for Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
A Deal Years in the Making
Cygames has become the first Japanese company to sign on as a Premium Partner of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, joining Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, which holds Major Partner status, for the race meeting at Paris Longchamp on 4 October 2026.
The Gr.1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, established in 1920, is run over 2,400 metres of turf and carries total prize money of €5,000,000 (US$5,450,000), the largest purse of any race in Europe. The race is open to colts and fillies aged three years and above, and forms the centrepiece of a two-day meeting at Paris Longchamp on 3 and 4 October 2026 that includes several other Group One contests.
Guillaume de Saint-Seine, France Galop president, welcomed the new arrangement. "We are delighted to welcome Cygames, a video game developer and publisher, as a Premium Partner of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe," he said. "Having been the title sponsor of the Cygames Grand Prix de Paris for the past two years, Cygames is now further strengthening its commitment to French racing through this new partnership."
De Saint-Seine framed the tie-up as evidence of the sport's reach beyond its usual audience. "I am particularly pleased to see our collaboration expand, helping to showcase the excellence and image of French racing to new audiences," he said. "This commitment also demonstrates our ability to attract partners from sectors far beyond the horse racing industry."
Cygames Widens Its Racing Footprint
The Grand Prix de Paris sponsorship, now in its second consecutive year, sits alongside this new Premium Partner status, giving Cygames a presence across two of the most prominent fixtures on the French racing calendar. For France Galop, the arrangement is also framed as a marker of the sport's ability to draw in partners with no prior connection to racing, an audience the governing body appears keen to keep cultivating.
The Arc partnership extends a pattern of expansion into international racing for Cygames, the Tokyo-based publisher behind the Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise, which turns real-life Japanese racehorses into characters. The company has sponsored the Grand Prix de Paris, run as the Cygames Grand Prix de Paris, for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026.
Cygames has also moved into American racing, presenting the Unbridled Sidney Stakes on Kentucky Oaks Day during the 151st Kentucky Derby meeting in 2025 and announcing sponsorship of the Pleasant Colony Stakes for the 152nd Kentucky Derby in 2026. Taken together, the French and American commitments show a company steadily building a footprint across some of the sport's most-watched fixtures outside Japan.
Koichi Watanabe, Cygames president, commented on the sponsorship. "For generations, Japanese horses have pursued the dream of winning the Arc, and their stories have transcended the world of horse racing, inspiring people around the globe through the dreams and passion that this iconic race continues to embody," he said.
Orfevre and Gold Ship on Display
Watanabe said the company's own output aimed to carry a similar spirit. "At Cygames, we strive to share these same dreams and passion with audiences worldwide by delivering the very best in entertainment," he said. "We are proud to support the Arc and hope that as many people as possible will be able to experience and enjoy this exceptional event and its world-class festivities."
As part of the activation, life-sized figures of the Umamusume: Pretty Derby characters based on Orfevre and Gold Ship will be displayed at the Paris Longchamp meeting, alongside the Cygames logo on race programs and trackside signage.
Orfevre, winner of the Japanese Triple Crown and Japanese Horse of the Year in 2011, finished runner-up in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in both 2012 and 2013 — the closest a Japanese-trained horse has come to winning it. Gold Ship contested the race in 2014, finishing 14th behind the winner, Treve.
No Japanese-trained horse has won the Arc since Speed Symboli became the first Japanese runner in the race in 1969, a gap now stretching beyond 50 years of attempts. The Umamusume tie-in leans on that history rather than any confirmed runner from Japan in the 2026 field.