| Location: | Longchamp Racecourse |
| Previous: | 1980 |
| Next: | 1982 |
The 1981 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was a horse race held at Longchamp on Sunday 4 October 1981. It was the 60th running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
The winner was Gold River, a four-year-old filly trained in France by Alec Head and ridden by Gary Moore. The filly won by three quarters of a length and a nose from Bikala and April Run in a time of 2:35.2.[1]
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| Pos. | Marg. | Horse | Age | Jockey | Trainer (Country) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold River | 4 | Gary Moore | Alec Head (FR) | ||
| 2 | ¾ | Bikala | 3 | Serge Gorli | Patrick Biancone (FR) | |
| 3 | ns | April Run | 3 | Philippe Paquet | François Boutin (FR) | |
| 4 | 2 | Perrault | 4 | Henri Samani | Pierre Pelat (FR) | |
| 5 | 2 | Ardross | 5 | Lester Piggott | Henry Cecil (GB) | |
| 6 | 1½ | Argument | 4 | Philip Waldron | Maurice Zilber (FR) | |
| 7 | ¾ | Akarad | 3 | Yves Saint-Martin | François Mathet (FR) | |
| 8 | 3 | Tootens | 3 | Georges Doleuze | E Bartholomew (FR) | |
| 9 | hd | Leandra | 3 | Gerard Dubroeucq | Pierre Pelat (FR) | |
| 10 | snk | Snow Day | 3 | Alfred Gibert | François Boutin (FR) | |
| 11 | snk | Kings Lake | 3 | Pat Eddery | Vincent O'Brien (IRE) | |
| 12 | 5 | Lancastrian | 4 | Maurice Philipperon | David Smaga (FR) | |
| 13 | 1½ | Prince Bee | 4 | Joe Mercer | Dick Hern (GB) | |
| 14 | hd | Cut Above | 3 | Brian Taylor | Dick Hern (GB) | |
| 15 | nk | Blue Wind | 3 | Wally Swinburn | Dermot Weld (IRE) | |
| 16 | 2 | Gap of Dunloe | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Patrick Biancone (FR) | |
| 17 | 1½ | Pelerin | 4 | Edward Hide | Harry Wragg (GB) | |
| 18 | 2½ | Condessa | 3 | Declan Gillespie | Jim Bolger (IRE) | |
| 19 | shd | Rahotep | 3 | J-L Kessas | Bernard Secly (FR) | |
| 20 | 3 | Detroit | 4 | Freddy Head | Olivier Douieb (FR) | |
| 21 | Ring the Bell | 4 | N Tiley | H Westbrook | ||
| 22 | Gilded Vanity | 4 | Gabriel Curran | P Russell (IRE) | ||
| 23 | Beldale Flutter | 3 | Tony Murray | Michael Jarvis (GB) | ||
| 24 | Action Man | 6 | O Larsen | (DEN) |
Further details of the winner, Detroit.