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Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte History: Moving fast forward

9 October 2020

Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte History: Moving fast forward

Photo scoopdyga.com

October, Chantilly

Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte


Group 2, 2-year-olds, 1,200m/6f, €130,000

Created in 1867

Last winner: Plainchant (f2, FRA by Gregorian ex Nadinska, par Doyen), owned by Alain Jathière, Sauro-Andrea Fiordelli & Maurizio Guarnieri, bred by Élevage des Loges, trained by Maurizio Guarnieri, ridden by Valentin Séguy.

Record-time: 1’10’’0 at Maisons-Laffitte, by Hello Youmzain (2018). Course-record at Chantilly: 1’7’8.

The race is run in 2021 for the 122nd time

 

The 2020 edition

Saturday, October 10, 2020, Chantilly. - As expected despite a heavier going, the 2-year-old filly Plainchant (Gregorian) won the €130,000 Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte (Gr2), now contested on the Chantilly straight 6f trip. The filly, trained at La Teste by Maurizio Guarnieri for Alain Jathière, Sauro-Andrea Fiordelli and himself, succeeds amongst others Hello Youmzain, a sire who has just moved in at Etreham Stud, Penny’s Picnic and Pomellato.
The best-rated runner with a 110lbs (50kg) mark, she led the group of three juveniles who were in the middle of the course for a long time and increased her lead about two out to get out of Go Athletico (Goken)'s reach, as he failed by less than a length.
Kalahara (Frankel), who had led Go Athletico from the start, stayed on in third at seven lengths, eight lengths ahead of the other three runners.


Plainchant was bred in Normandy at Ian Hanamy and Katherine Aalen's Élevage des Loges. She was sold for €4,000 at the Deauville sales, where her sister by Reliable Man also goes for the next yearling sales in October.

 

History

The Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte was created on 23 September 1891, a few weeks after the formal announcement of the law of 2 June authorising racing bodies to organise the pari-mutuel betting system on their racecourses. The eleven starters represented the most famous silks of their day, and the honours went to Idalie in the colours of Vicomte Emmanuel d'Harcourt, who outstripped Maurice de Gheest’s Gesvres by a short head, with Auguste Lupin’s Fanfare half a length behind. The other starters were owned by Edmond Blanc, Maurice Ephrussi, Michel Ephrussi, Henri Delamarre, Comte Gustave de Juigné, Comte Jacques Le Marois, Henri Ridgway and Baron Alphonse de Rothschild.

Originally, the race conditions envisaged overweights, but these were scrapped in the 1960s. Held in mid-September, the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte served for a long time as a trial for the Grand Critérium, which was run on the second Sunday in October. Open initially to horses "from all countries " – like the majority of the big races created in those days by the Société Sportive d'Encouragement at its Maisons-Laffitte racecourse –, it figured among the main events reserved for 2 year-olds (see Prix Jean Luc Lagardère-Grand Critérium).

Before long, some of the race’s protagonists began to play prominent roles in the Classics. These included winners: Holocauste (1898, Lupin), Val d'Or (1904, Poule d'Essai), Prestige (1905, unbeaten, 16 victories), Northeast (1907, Grand Prix de Paris), Nuage (1909, Grand Prix de Paris), Listman (1913, Poule d'Essai), Ramus (1921, Jockey Club), Epinard (1922, a legendary horse), Apelle (1925, Derby Italiano), Indus (1930, Poule d'Essai), Pensbury (1942, Grand Prix de Paris), Sandjar (1946, Jockey Club), Djeddah (1947, Eclipse Stakes), Fort Napoléon (1949, Jacques Le Marois), Janiari (1955, Vermeille), Bella Paola (1957, Oaks), Sea Bird (1964, Epsom Derby), Gazala (1966, Poule d'Essai, Diane), Pola Bella (1967, Poule d'Essai), L'Emigrant (1982, Poule d'Essai), Whipper (2003, Jacques Le Marois); and also placed horses: Gospodar (3rd in 1893, Jockey Club), Sans Souci II (3rd in 1899, Grand Prix de Paris), Dagor (2nd in 1912, Jockey Club), Samos (2nd in 1934, Arc de Triomphe), Nikellora (3rd in 1944, Diane, Vermeille, Arc de Triomphe), Dictaway (3rd in 1954, Poule d'Essai), Relko (2nd in 1962, Derby d'Epsom), Blabla (2nd in 1964, Diane), Danseur (2nd in 1965, Grand Prix de Paris), Roi Dagobert (2nd in 1966, Lupin), Riverman (2nd in 1971, Poule d'Essai), Red Lord (3rd in 1975, Poule d'Essai), Trempolino (3rd in 1986, Arc de Triomphe), Restless Kara (3rd in 1967, Diane)

However, a strong dip in the quality of the participants has been observed since 1981, the year when the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte was moved from mid-September to late October. The sole exception was Whipper’s success in 2003.

The distance varied between 6 and 7 furlongs up until 2001. The race was not run from 1914 to 1919 or in 1939, 1940 and 1948. Held at Longchamp in 1941, 1942 and 1945, at Tremblay in 1944 (over 7 furlongs) and at Evry in 1995 and 1996 (over 6 ½ furlongs and under the name of the Critérium des 2 Ans), it has been moved from Maisons-Laffitte to Chantilly after the former was shut down in 2019.

It was awarded Group 2 status from the creation of the pattern races in 1971.

Foreign winners

Since 2001, the race was run 20 times. Nine winners came from either Britain or Ireland, two from Germany, one from Italy and three from Chantilly. The five others were won by horses trained in the Provinces.

 

Owners

  • Marcel Boussac (9 wins): Ramus (1921), Nosca (1941), Sandjar (1946), Djeddah (1947), Pharad (1951), Albanilla (1953), Janiari (1955), Floriana (1958), Perello (1976).
  • Edmond Blanc (5 wins): Commandeur (1892), Artisan (1897), French Fox (1903), Val d’Or (1904), Azalée (1908).
  • Stavros Niarchos (4 wins): Cresta Rider (1980), L’Emigrant (1982), Procida (1983), Titus Livius (1995).
  • Maktoum Al Maktoum (4 wins): Rapide Pied (1984), Lead on Time (1985), Bitooh (1987), Touch of the Blues (1999).
  • Emmanuel d’Harcourt (3 wins): Idalie (1891), L’Hérault (1893), Cherbourg (1894).
  • William K. Vanderbilt (3 wins): Prestige (1905), Northeast (1907), Montrose II (1911).


Trainers

  • François Boutin (9 wins): Speedy Dakota (1974), Crowned Music (1978), Viteric (1979), Cresta Rider (1980), Zino (1981), L’Emigrant (1982), Procida (1983), Corviglia (1988), Ganges (1990).
  • Christiane Head (5 wins): Rapide Pied (1984), Bitooh (1987), Septième Ciel (1989), Roi Gironde (1997), Moiava (1998).
  • William Duke (4 wins): Prestige (1905), Northeast (1907), Montrose II (1911), Cortland (1920).
  • Charles Semblat (4 wins): Nosca (1941), Sandjar (1946), Djeddah (1947), Pharad (1951).
  • James Cunnington (3 wins): Idalie (1891), L’Hérault (1893), Cherbourg (1894).
  • Robert Denman (3 wins): French Fox (1903), Val d’Or (1904), Azalée (1908).
  • Etienne Pollet (3 wins): Soleil Royal (1954), Lebon M L (1961), Sea Bird (1964).
  • François Mathet (3 wins): Achaz (1956), Bella Paola (1957), Pola Bella (1967).
  • André Fabre (3 wins): Signe Divin (1993), Amiwain (2000), Zinziberine (2002).
  • Kevin Ryan (3 wins): Balthazaar’s Gift (2005), Our Jonathan (2009), Hello Youmzain (2018).


Riders

  • Freddy Head (4 wins): Rimesault (1968), Rose Laurel (1972), Vallée des Fleurs (1977), Rapide Pied (1984).
  • Philippe Paquet (4 wins): Crowned Music (1978), Viteric (1979), Cresta Rider (1980), Zino (1981) ;
  • Christophe Soumillon (4 wins): Zinziberine (2002), Whipper (2003), Captain Marvelous (2006), Kiram (2013).
  • Edouard Watkins (3 wins): Champignol (1895), Holocauste (1898) & Butor (1900).
  • George Stern (3 wins): Val d’Or (1904), Azalée (1908) & Ramus (1921).
  • François Hervé (3 wins): Le Cacique (1932), Alejo (1935) & Tourmente (1945).
  • André Rabbe (3 wins): Boucan (1933), Turquoise II (1943), Sandjar (1946).
  • Roger Poincelet (3 wins): Djeddah (1947), Fort de France (1952), Lebon M L (1961).
  • Yves Saint-Martin (3 wins): Pola Bella (1967), Wittgenstein (1973) & Earth Spirit (1975).
  • Cash Asmussen (3 wins): L’Emigrant (1982), Procida (1983) & Titus Livius (1995).
  • Olivier Peslier (3 wins): Deadly Dudley (1996), Roi Gironde (1997) & Amiwain (2000).
  • Thierry Jarnet (3 wins): Signe Divin (1993) et Captain Rio (2001), Sans Équivoque (2016).