FLAT RACING - CHANGES TO PRIZE-MONEY IN 2025
Following the meeting of the European Pattern Committee on 7 February 2025 at France Galop's headquarters, and an exceptional meeting of the Board of Directors on Friday 14 February 2025, several changes to the Black Type programme were approved.
In order to strengthen the competitiveness of French Black Type races, there have been several changes to the amount of prize-money due to be paid out in 2025.
- The Prix du Palais-Royal (Group 3, 3-year-olds and older, 1400m) has seen its prize-money boosted from €80 000 to €150 000. This race is ideally situated in the European calendar, with no direct competition. Consequently, prize-money of the Prix Servanne (Listed, 4-year-olds and older, 1200m), a stepping stone to the Palais-Royal, has been increased from €55,000 to €70,000.
- Prize-money in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano (Group 2, 3-year-olds, 2000m) has been reduced from €400,000 to €200,000. The reduction is one of the measures used to increase prize-money in other Black Type races, as these funds will be redistributed to other races. Prize-money in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano had been increased to €400,000, which is well above the usual prize-money in a Group 2 race, in the hope that it would be promoted to Group 1 status one day. However, the European programme won’t allow the race to be upgraded as it would then be in direct competition with the Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1, 3-year-olds and older, 2000m) at York. The feasibility of running the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano earlier on during the Deauville Barrière Meeting in August to pursue this objective was considered but is not possible as it would then clash with the German Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen (Group 1, 3-year-olds and older, 2000m) at the end of July and also with the Grosser Preis Von Berlin (Group 1, 3-year-old and older, 2400m) on the 10th of August.
The majority of prize-money increases are financed by the Owner’s fund. As a reminder, in 2024, France Galop changed the entry conditions for Group 1 races by bringing entry dates forward and standardising the percentage of entry fees, which boosted the Owner’s fund. This policy – extended in 2025 to Group 2 and Group 3 races – was a success : by the end of the 2024 financial year, the Owner’s fund had stabilisted and was profitable. This has created a virtuous circle that supports and boosts certain group races.