Marienbard, ridden by Frankie Dettori, won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday.

The five-year-old upset the more fancied runners to land the �557,000 first prize in the 81st running of Europe's richest middle-distance event.

Marienbard was returned at 10-1 by British bookmakers but was an even longer shot on the Paris Mutuel at about 16-1.

It was the second year running that the race has been won by the Godolphin team, with Dettori and trainer Saeed bin Suroor successful with Sakhee last year.

I never saw Sulamani until the finishing line but by then it was too late for him Frankie Dettori

French Derby winner Sulamani was second with English and Irish Derby winner High Chaparral third.

As expected, Aidan O'Brien's second string Black Sam Bellamy was the pacemaker and led the field into the final furlong.

He had been tracked by Islington but the filly could not find anything in the latter stages.

Pre-race favourites Sulamani and High Chaparral were both in contention but it was Marienbard who came through to take up the running.

Sulamani found a second wind but Dettori drove Marienbard home for a famous victory, the 11th British-trained winner of the Arc.

It was Dettori's third Arc triumph and the crowd was treated to his traditional Group One flying dismount in the winner's enclosure.

"I love you all, I love you France - I'm the daddy now!" shouted the exuberant jockey before the presentation ceremony.

Dettori said the race had opened up ideally for Marienbard.

"He is a big horse and a bit of a slow starter, who takes time to get going in the first couple of furlongs - he looks like an elephant," said the Italian.

Dettori celebrates his third Arc win

"But just when I needed them to, High Chaparral and Aquarelliste kicked forwards and I got an air pocket.

"When Mick (Kinane) asked High Chaparral to quicken he didn't seem to find much and suddenly my horse came good at the turn into the straight.

"I thought 'If we get a gap we might just win the Arc again'.

"In the Arc when you see a gap 99 times out of 100 it closes off but this time it didn't and when we got through I just had to hope we could hold on.

"I never saw Sulamani until the finishing line but by then it was too late for him!"

Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said it was only now that Marienbard was being run over the right distance.

"We had so many good horses over a mile and a half that we were campaigning him wrongly - we wanted to turn him into a stayer.

"He's really been peaking in the last six weeks and we came here knowing we had a good chance," he added.

Marienbard will now be run in either the Japan Cup or the Breeders' Cup Turf, depending on the ground conditions.

If Godolphin opt for the US, Marienbard could renew battle with Arc second and third Sulamani and High Chaparral.

The latter's trainer, Aidan O'Brien, was pleased with the Longchamp performance as the English and Irish Derby winner had not run since June.

"Three months is a long time to be off and for a horse who was as sick as he was he ran a real good race," O'Brien said.

"I am very happy with him. He may run again this year, we'll see how he is.

"It's possible he might stay in training next year," added the Irishman.