4 May 2017
(France Galop press release) Boulogne-Billancourt, 4th May 2017. - France Galop is delighted to announce that QIPCO has signed an agreement to partner with the Prix du Jockey Club from 2017 onwards. QIPCO is already a major investor in European racing and is further extending its sponsorship portfolio by supporting for the first time a major event in France.
The 2017 QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club will be run on 4 June at Chantilly racecourse and is one of the highlights of the French and the international racing calendar. It is also the third race in the Epiqe Series, which starts on the Abu Dhabi Poules d’Essai des Poulains and Pouliches weekend and continues with the Prix de Diane Longines.
The QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club, with a distance of 2100 meters, is not only the most prestigious prize for a three-year-olds in France, it is also a stepping stone to major events in the international calendar. Almanzor, who was a convincing winner of the 2016 Prix du Jockey Club, went on to win the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and the Champion Stakes at Ascot (both sponsored by QIPCO). At the end of the season Almanzor was the highest rated horse trained in Europe.
With prize-money of 1.5 Million Euros (857.000 Euros to the winner), the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club is the second richest race in France, after the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. If the winner is bred in France or is an assimilated French bred, the total prize-money for the winner will reach 1.4 Million Euros, making the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club the richest “Derby” in Europe.
The Prix du Jockey Club (first run in 1834) is a race that shapes the breed: in modern times the likes of Darshaan (winner in 1984), Peintre Célèbre (1997), Montjeu (1999), Dalakhani (2003), Shamardal (2005), Le Havre (2009) and Lope de Vega (2010), have all become sought-after stallions, each making a lasting impression in the Stud Book.
A festival for racing fans
With this partnership, QIPCO strengthens the marketing initiatives put in place for this event to ensure better communication and improve the visitor experience. France Galop and QIPCO are planning on turning this day into a true festival for racing fans. In sporting terms, France Galop is organising an exciting race card that will include four other group races: The Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham, the Group 2 Prix du Gros Chêne and the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont. France Galop and its new partner QIPCO are aiming to welcome many spectators for a sporting, festive and friendly day at the races. Breeders, owners, trainers, stud and racing staff, in short all those who are involved in the making of champions, as well as the racing public, will be part of a new chapter in the history of the Prix du Jockey Club at the sumptuous Chantilly racecourse.
Edouard de Rothschild, President of France Galop, declared: “This partnership with QIPCO, which is a major partner of the best races in Europe, recognises the importance of the French racing programme and of the Prix du Jockey Club. It is in QIPCO’s and France Galop’s DNA to improve the breed and to develop sport excellence. It is my wish that this partnership will boost the attractiveness of this sporting event with the best three-year-old French horses and more international competitors so that the Prix du Jockey Club becomes the Derby that produces tomorrow’s stallions.”
Sheikh Fahad, Director of QIPCO and President of Qatar Racing and Qatar Bloodstock, said: “We are delighted to be the title partner of the Prix du Jockey Club. It is one of the most important races in Europe with an amazing history and an impressive record of winners, including the likes of Montjeu and Shamardal, who have been a major influence on the breed. Among the benefits of our partnership with France Galop is the opportunity to increase the international profile of QIPCO through an association with such a prestigious and renowned event, also it provides a platform from which to advertise the stallions owned by Qatar Bloodstock, which is part of QIPCO, and finally, we consider European racing to be the best in the world and we want to help promote the popularity and prosperity of racing here because Europe is the base for our bloodstock interests.”
Further announcements of initiatives as a result of the QIPCO and France Galop partnership will be made soon.
About France Galop
France Galop is the association that runs and controls the racing sector in France.
France Galop plays an essential role in the planning of more than 7,000 flat and jump races in France each year. It also manages six prestigious racecourses (Auteuil, Longchamp, Saint-Cloud, Maisons-Laffitte, Chantilly and Deauville) and three of the most renowned training centres in the world (Chantilly, Maisons-Laffitte and Deauville).
France Galop is also the key organiser of major international events such as the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Prix de Diane Longines, the Prix du Jockey-Club and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.
About QIPCO
QIPCO Holding is one of the leading private investment companies in Qatar. Based in Doha, QIPCO has a diverse range of interests, including real estate, construction, oil and gas, trading and services, finance and health.
In recent years QIPCO has made a significant investment in horseracing, not only as sponsors but also as owners and breeders through Qatar Racing and Qatar Bloodstock.
Qatar Bloodstock was established in 2010 with the purchase of Makfi and the operation’s list of current stallions is headed by Charm Spirit, who will stand in France in 2018, Harbour Watch, Havana Gold and Hot Streak, who stand in Britain, and Zoustar, who stands in Australia.
Along with the Prix du Jockey Club, QIPCO’s sponsorship portfolio includes that of title sponsor of British Champions Day, the first official partner at Royal Ascot and sponsor of the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
QIPCO is owned by six brothers who are members of the Royal Family of Qatar, the Chief Executive of QIPCO is Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani.