[2] With the outstanding French colt Sea-Bird engaged in The Derby Reliance started the 1/2 favourite for the Prix du Jockey Club over 2400m at Chantilly Racecourse in June.
Reliance won[3] by three-quarters of a length from Diatome, a colt who went on to win the Washington, D.C. International Stakes later that year,[4] with Carvin third.
[2] After a two-month break, Reliance prepared for a meeting with Sea-Bird by running in the 3,100m Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp in September.
He took his unbeaten record to five by beating the Irish-trained Ragazzo, the winner of the Great Voltigeur Stakes on his previous start.
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe attracted a strong international field, with the usual strong challenges from Britain, Italy, and Ireland augmented by the presence of Tom Rolfe from the United States and Anilin from the Soviet Union.