La Coupe History: A glorious past

June, ParisLongchamp

La Coupe

Group 3, 4-year-olds an above, 2,000m/10f, €56,000

Created in 1865

Last winner: Telecaster (h4, GB by New Approach ex Shirocco Star, by Shirocco), owned by Castle Down Racing, bred by Meon Valley Stud, trained by Hughie Morrison, ridden by Christophe Soumillon..

Record time (since 1993 over 2,000m): 1’59’’4 par Robin of Navan (2017).

La Coupe will be run in 2021 for the 151^st time

The 2020 edition

Thursday, June 25th, 2020, ParisLongchamp. - The odds-on favourite Telecaster (New Approach) annihilated the field in La Coupe (Gr3), the opening race of a morning event at ParisLongchamp.

Trained in Berkshire by Hughie Morrison, the winner was the best)-rated in the race with a 112lbs tag. He travelled in third place in a race led by the runaway Diamond Vendôme (Style Vendôme), who faded in the last straight. Telecaster took over about two out and won by 4 lengths, beating Romancière (Dansili), who ran in 5th place throughout the race. Mr Satchmo (Mr Sidney) stayed on in 3rd after leading the field while Subway Dancer (Shamardal) finished 4th after trailing the field.

A Dante Stakes (Gr2) winner, Telecaster had beaten the champion 2yo Too Darn Hot in the Derby prep race but failed in both the Epsom classic and the Eclipse Stakes (Gr1). Out the whole season after that, he had just come back finishing 3rd less than 2 lengths behind Lord North, who won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Gr1) at Royal Ascot after that.

Telecaster was unsold £180,000 at the Tattersalls October sales in 2017, consigned by his breeder Meon Valley Stud. His dam Shirocco Star (Shirocco), also bred at Meon Valley, was placed in the Epsom and Irish Oaks, and also in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu (Gr2). Her last foal to date, Al Suhail (Dubawi), now 3, was sold £1.1m at Newmarket and is now in training by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin. He won at Yarmouth and was twice placed in Gr3 races and finished 13th in the Two Thousand Guineas lately. He's in the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1).

History

This race owes its name to the objet d’art with a value of 10,000 F awarded to the winner in addition to 6,000 F in cash when the race was first run in 1865. It is therefore one of the oldest French races and one that was particularly coveted because of the lovely trophy up for grabs – an honour bestowed on few events at the time. This objet d’art continued to be awarded until 1994. The first winner of La Coupe was the famous filly Fille de l’Air (winner of the Oaks in 1864). Aged 4 and carrying 63.5 kilos, she outstripped her only real rival, the 3-year-old Quaker carrying just 48 kilos, by two clear lengths.

La Coupe has remained loyal to its original racecourse, albeit with a few exceptions. Not run because of war in 1871 and from 1915 to 1919, it migrated to Tremblay in 1943, to Maisons-Laffitte in 1944 and 1945, to Chantilly in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986, to Saint-Cloud in 1994 and 1996 and to Evry in 1995. Originally open to 3-year-olds and their elders, La Coupe has been reserved for 4-year-olds and over since 1969.

For over a century, La Coupe was a long-distance event: 2 miles from 1865 to 1894, and 1 mile 7 furlongs from 1895 to 1968. Then came a middle distance period: 1 mile 5 furlongs from 1969 to 1979, and a mile and a half from 1980 to 1990. For more than fifteen years now, La Coupe was run over an intermediate distance, a mile 2 ½ furlongs in 1991 and 1992, and 10 furlongs since 1993.

After the illustrious Fille de l’Air (1865) and Gladiateur (1866) won the first two editions of La Coupe, many a fine horse has followed their example. La Coupe’s honours list consequently includes such names as Trocadéro (1869), Mortemer (1870), Nougat (1875, 1876), Le Destrier (1881), Fra Diavolo (1885), Elf (1897, 1898), Moulins la Marche (1907), Passebreul (1920), Bois Josselyn (1927), Feb (1929), Taxodium (1932), Bokbul (1935), Romantisme (1953), Birum (1959), Waldmeister (1964), Fantomas (1965), Park Top (1970), Guadanini (1978), Zalataia (1983), Garde Royale (1984), Romildo (1985), Triptych (1986), Marildo (1995), Slicky (2000), Equerry (2002) and Cirrus des Aigles (2011).

Owners

• Rothschild family (10 wins): Stracchino (1877), Brie (1879) for Alphonse, Passebreul (1920), Rusa (1924), Taxodium (1932), Bleu Horizon (1933), Bokbul (1935) for Édouard, Miel Rosa (1950), Saint Florent (1962), Timour (1967) for Guy.
• Frédéric de Lagrange (9 wins): Fille de l'Air (1865), Gladiateur (1866), Nelusko (1868), Trocadéro (1869), Mortemer (1870), Nougat (1875, 1876), Balagny (1878), Castillon (1880, dead-heat).
• Khalid Abdullah (5 wins): Lesotho (1987, 1988), French Glory (1990), Public Purse (1998), Crossharbour (2008).
• Paul Aumont (4 wins): Mademoiselle de Senlis (1883), Fra Diavolo (1885), Algiers (1887), Rembrandt (1899).
• Maurice Caillault (3 wins): Lutin (1894, 1895), Sans Profit (1903).
• Jacques de Brémond (3 wins): Elf (1897, 1898), Kakimono (1902).
• Jean Stern (3 wins): Binic (1922), Belphégor (1951), Pépin le Bref (1958).
• Guy de Rothschild (3 wins):
• Godolphin (3 wins): Slickly (2000), Equerry (2002), Stage Gift (2007).
• Wildenstein family (3 wins): Palei (1977), Art Bleu (1991) for Daniel, Royal Artist (2005) for the Wildenstein team.
   

Trainers

• Thomas Jennings (9 wins): Fille de l'Air (1865), Gladiateur (1866), Nelusko (1868), Trocadéro (1869), Mortemer (1870), Nougat (1875, 1876), Balagny (1878), Castillon ( 1880, dead-heat).
• André Fabre (8 wins): Zalataia (1983), Garde Royale (1984), French Glory (1990), Wiorno (1992), For Valor (1997), Public Purse (1998), Slew the Red (2001), Crossharbour ( 2008).
• John Cunnington (5 wins): Zeus II (1930), Cormery (1937), Marjolet (1941), Bye Bye (1949), Beau Buck (1976).
• Geoffroy Watson (5 wins): The Spy (1938), Miel Rosa (1950), Saint Florent (1962), Vleuten (1966), Timour (1967).
• Fred Carter (4 wins): Bariolet (1882), Mademoiselle de Senlis (1883), Fra Diavolo (1885), Algiers (1887).
• Max Bonaventure (4 wins): Belphégor (1951), Pépin le Bref (1958), Birum (1959), Galoubet (1961).
• François Boutin (4 wins): Prove It Baby (1980), Terreno (1982), Romildo (1985), D’Arros (1993).
• Tom Cunnington (3 wins): Le Destrier (1881), Prix Fixe (1890), Barberousse (1891).
• Richard Carter junior (3 wins): Lutin (1894, 1895), Sans Profit (1903).
• Richard Count (3 wins): Elf (1897, 1898), Kakimono (1902).
• Domingo Torterolo (3 wins): Feb (1929), Pons Legend (1934), Le Vizir (1936).
• Lucien Robert (3 wins): Taxodium (1932), Bleu Horizon (1933), Bokbul (1935).
• Christiane Head (3 wins): Lesotho (1987, 1988), Athyka (1989).
• Saeed Bin Suroor (3 wins): Slickly (2000), Equerry (2002), Stage Gift (2007).

Riders

• Christophe Soumillon (5 wins): Aubonne (2004), Stacelita (2010), Narniyn (2014), Air Pilot (2016), Telecaster (2020).
• Freddy Head (4 wins): High Game (1971), Balompie (1974), African Hope (1979), Zalataia (1983).
• Cash Asmussen (4 wins): Terreno (1982), Romildo (1985), French Glory (1990), D’Arros (1993).
• Alfred Carratt (3 wins): Normandy (1867), Balagny (1878), Le Destrier (1881).
• Edgar Rolfe (3 wins): Brie (1879), Bariolet (1882), Barberousse (1891).
• George Stern (3 wins): Rembrandt (1899), Marsan (1906), Chulo (1910).
• Léon Flavien (3 wins): Belphégor (1951), Pépin le Bref (1958), Birum (1959).
• Mathieu Giovanelli (3 wins): Jithaka (1956), Galoubet (1961), Saint Florent (1962).
• Yves Saint-Martin (3 wins): Palei (1977), Perrault (1981) Triptych (1986).
• Olivier Peslier (3 wins): Slew the Red (2001), Carnival Dancer (2003), Slow Pace (2013).