The Aga Khan's brilliant unbeaten filly Zarkava (Zamindar - Zarkasha, by Kahyasi) won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over 2400m at Longchamp on Sunday, making her way through her rivals in the straight to win going away. The Mick Channon-trained Youmzain was second for the second year running and It's Gino and Soldier Of Fortune dead heated for third.

View BBC video of the race

Zarkava ducked right after leaving the stalls and missed a stride or two, a move that saw Christophe Soumillon do well to stay aboard, and which put the filly in last place. She made up ground to race on the rail but with only four runners behind her and, turning into the straight, a wall of horses in front of her.

She picked her way between her rivals and used her sensational turn of foot to sprint clear of the duelling It's Gino and Soldier Of Fortune in the final 200m, winning easily in the end. Youmzain ran on well for second, and it was tight for third between It's Gino and Soldier of Fortune, with the judge awarding a dead heat. Duke Of Marmalade never threatened.

Trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre, Zarkava won the French fillies' Triple Crown of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, the Prix de Diane and the Prix Vermeille this year before taking on colts for the firt time today. She remains unbeaten in seven starts, five of them at Group One level. She is the first filly since Urban Sea in 1993 to win the Arc.

The winning trainer said after the race: "She's beautiful, it's marvellous because she had a very easy race. It's perfect. 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. It's great to train a filly like that. She's the best I've had."