Jacques Le Marois History: The milers' Arc

August, Deauville

PRIX DU HARAS DE FRESNAY-LE-BUFFARD JACQUES LE MAROIS

Group 1, 3-year-olds and up, 1,600m/1m, €1,000,000

Created in 1921

Last winner: CHARYN (c4, IRE by Dark Angel ex Futoon, by Kodiac), owned by Nurlan Bizakov, bred by Grangemore Stud, trained by Roger Varian, ridden by Silvestre de Sousa.

Record-time: Moonlight Cloud (1' 33'' 40 in 2013)

The race will be run in 2025 for the 104th time.

The 2024 edition
 

Sunday, August 11, 2024, Deauville-La Touques Racecourse (Calvados). – The favourite for the €1m Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Prix, Jacques Le Marois (Gr1, 3-year-olds and up, 1m straight), the English visitor Charyn (Dark Angel), dominated the race. Owned by Nurlan Bizakov and trained at Newmarket by Roger Varian, Charyn was coming off a victory in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr1, 1m) at Ascot, following a second-place finish in the Lockinge Stakes (Gr1) at Newbury. Last year, he consistently placed in major UK classic events.

The race was led by Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr1) winner Metropolitan (Zarak), the only 3-year-old in the field after Haatem's late withdrawal. He was quickly overtaken by Big Rock (Rock of Gibraltar), with Charyn to the centre of the straight and Quddwah (Kingman) just behind, making his debut at this level. The double titleholder Inspiral (Frankel), who started poorly, travelled at the back of the field. Charyn soon made his move, taking control in the final furlong to win by three lengths over the tenacious Metropolitan, with Inspiral finishing strongly for third, a head ahead of Quddwah.

This marks the seventh consecutive British or Irish victory in the race and a first for breeder-owner Nurlan Bizakov, who also owns Haras du Mézeray under the Sumbe banner, a site with classic prestige comparable to the race sponsor, Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard of the Niarchos family.

Charyn was bred in Ireland by Grangemore Stud. He was purchased for £250,000 as a yearling at the Tattersalls sale by Sumbe. His full sister was also bought by Sumbe at last October’s sale for £850,000, and another full sister is listed in the upcoming sale. Their elder full brother, Wings of War, is now racing in Hong Kong, where he took some time to secure his first victory in the spring after winning at Group 2 level in England.

Their dam, Futoon, who has only been paired with Dark Angel since entering the stud, was sold for €100,000 after winning a maiden and a handicap.

History
 

This race was first run in 1921 in memory of Count Jacques Le Marois, President of the Société des Courses de Deauville, who died in December 1920. Up until 1952, it was only open to 3-year-olds. The race was not run in 1940; it occurred at Maisons-Laffitte in 1941, 1942, 1943, and 1945, and at Longchamp in 1944. The latter is the only year the race was not run on a straight course.

In 2001, Proudwings (trained in Germany and ridden by Christophe Soumillon) crossed the line first, only to be demoted for having hindered several opponents.

The Deauville races were founded in 1864 by the Duke of Morny and organised by an independent Group, la Société des courses de Deauville, until 1921. On the 11th of February of that year, the Group merged with the Société d'Encouragement following the death of the Group’s former president, Jacques Le Marois.

Jacques Le Marois (1865-1920)
 

Jacques Le Marois (1865-1920) was an influential owner-breeder*. His colours (green and red-spotted silks, red sleeves and cap) were first past the post for the first time in 1887. His first top horse was Chaland, who won the Prix de la Forêt in 1890. At the end of the following year, Le Marois acquired Lonray stud farm, founded 30 years earlier by Armand Donon. It was at Lonray in 1905 that the outstanding filly, Sauge Pourprée, was foaled, winner of the Omnium for 2-year-olds, the Grand Critérium, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, the Prix du Cadran, 2nd in the Prix de Diane and the Grand Prix de Paris. Other famous Count Le Marois horses were Orange Blossom (Prix Hocquart 1904), Princesse Lointaine (Poule d'Essai des Pouliches 1905), Phœnix (Prix Juigné, Furstenberg Memorial at Baden and 3rd in the Prix du Jockey Club 1905), Rabat Joie (Prix Gladiateur 1908), Uriel (Grand Critérium 1909), Wagram II (Prix de Mallerand, Prix de Flore, 2nd in the Grand Prix de Paris 1912). Other Lonray-bred horses sold as yearlings at Deauville include Justitia (Prix Morny 1898) and Maximum 2nd in the Grand Prix de Paris and Ascot Gold Cup hero in 1903.

Count Jacques Le Marois was a race steward at Deauville between 1905 and 1911 and then appointed President of the Société des Courses upon the death of Florian de Kergorlay. He had been a board member of the Société d'Encouragement since 1907, and the Société de Sport de France since 1889, where he had also been a steward since 1902, and along with Paul de Pourtalès founded Tremblay racecourse, which opened in 1906. Before his premature death, Jacques Le Marois’ colours were again seen on the racecourse after the 2nd World War when his son Jean-Léonor won a big race at Deauville in 1966 with Le Conquérant in the Prix Morny and finished second in the Prix Murat in 1972 with a jumper called Goémon.

*Not to be confused with his cousin Paul Le Marois, who died in 1889, who founded the Pépinvast stud (see Prix de Pépinvast in jump section) in the Manche region and whose widow is still breeding horses today.

Sponsorship

Fresnay-le-Buffard Stud Farm decided to partner with the race in 1986. The race was chosen because it is one of the most important on the European racing scene and because of Fresnay-le-Buffard’s link with Marcel Boussac, who won the race a record ten times and whose horses were practically all bred at Fresnay-le-Buffard which the famous owner bought in 1919. Marcel Boussac also holds the record for Prix du Jockey Club wins (12 between 1922 and 1978).

In 1980, Stavros Niarchos brought all his “European” horses to Fresnay-le-Buffard, situated in the Orne region in the Neuvy-au-Houlme commune a few kilometres from Falaise. This heralded a programme of modernisation at the farm. The newcomer proved to be just as successful as his illustrious predecessor with the famous Niarchos colours (blue silks, Saint Andrew’s cross, light blue striped sleeves and white cap) first past the post no less than nine times between 1987 and 2018 in the Prix Jacques Le Marois and four times (1993, 1998, 2002, 2018) in the Prix du Jockey Club. Also associated with the Niarchos Family is Whipper, the Prix Jacques Le Marois 2004 winner, bred by Flaxman Holding – the trade name of numerous horses from the family – and sold to them as a foal by Robert-C. Strauss.

Thanks to renewed support from the Niarchos Family, the race has been offering €1m since 2018.

Foreign winners
 

The Prix Jacques Le Marois has thrown up 19 foreign winners:

• 2 from Germany - Priamos (1970), Lirung (1986) both trained by Heinz Jentzch.
• 13 from England - Lear Fan (1984), Sayyedati (1993), Dubai Millennium (1999), Muhtathir (2000), Dubawi (2005), Librettist (2006), Kingman (2014), Ribchester (2016), Palace Pier (2020, 2021), Inspiral (2022, 2023), Charyn (2024).
• 3 from Ireland - Excelebration (2012), Alpha Centauri (2018), Romanised (2019).
• 1 from Japan - Taiki Shuttle (1998).

Owners
 

• Marcel Boussac (10 wins) : Zariba (1922), Xander (1928), Cillas (1938), Sémiramide (1939), Priam (1944), Coaraze (1945), Djelal (1947), Golestan (1948), Arbèle (1952), Canthare (1953).
• Niarchos family (9 wins): Miesque (1987 and 1988), Hector Protector (1991), Exit to Nowhere (1992), East of the Moon (1994), Spinning World (1996 and 1997), Six Perfections (2003), Alpha Centauri (2018).
• Famille Rothschild (7 wins) : Ivain (1924), Vitamine (1927), Aromate (1935) for Édouard, La Bamba (1964), Luthier (1968), Kenmare (1978) for Guy, and Esoterique (2015) for Édouard. 
• Godolphin (5 wins): Dubai Millenium (1999), Muhtathir (2000), Dubawi (2005), Librettist (2006), Ribchester (2016).
• Daniel Wildenstein (4 wins): Lianga (1975), Gravelines (1976), Flying Water (1977), Vin de France (1985). 

Trainers
 

• François Boutin (7 wins) : Nonoalco (1974), Miesque (1987 and 1988), Priolo (1990), Hector Protector (1991), Exit to Nowhere (1992), East of the Moon (1994).
• André Fabre (7 wins): Polish Precedent (1989), Miss Satamixa (1995), Vahorimix (2001), Banks Hill (2002), Manduro (2007), Esoterique (2015), Al Wukair (2017).
• Charles Semblat (6 wins) : Priam (1944), Coaraze (1945), Djelal (1947), Golestan (1948), Arbèle (1952), Canthare (1953).
• John Cunnington junior (5 wins) : Klairon (1955), Nand (1961), Gris Vitesse (1969), Irish River (1979), Luth Enchantée (1983). 
• John Gosden (5 wins) : Kingman (2014), Palace Pier (2020, 2021), Inspiral (2022, 2023), partnered since 2021 to his son Thady.

Riders
 

• Freddy Head (6 wins) : Carabella (1967), Lyphard (1972), Northjand (1981), Miesque (1987 and 1988), Hector Protector (1991). Il a en outre gagné trois fois la course comme entraîneur avec Tamayuz (2008), Goldikova (2009), Moonlight Cloud (2013).
• Lanfranco Dettori (7 wins) : Dubai Millennium (1999), Muhtathir (2000), Librettist (2006), Al Wukair (2017), Palace Pier (2020, 2021), Inspiral (2022).
• Roger Poinceland (5 wins) : Djelal (1947), Golestan (1948), Fort Napoléon (1950), Buisson Ardent (1956), Hula Dancer (1963).
• Jean Deforge (5 wins) : Klairon (1955), Nand (1961), La Bamba (1964), Astaria (1965), Luthier (1968).
• Cash Asmussen (5 wins): Polish Precedent (1989), Exit to Nowhere (1992), East of the Moon (1994), Spinning World (1996 and 1997).