Moulin de Longchamp History: The French milers' Finale

September, ParisLongchamp

PRIX DU MOULIN DE LONGCHAMP

Group 1 – 3-year-olds and up - 1,600m - €450,000

Created in 1957

Last winner: Tribalist (h5, GB by Farhh ex Fair Daughter, par Nathaniel), appartenant à Godolphin, élevé par Car Colston Hall Stud, entraîné par André Fabre, monté par Mickaël Barzalona.

Record-time: 1’35’’2, Sendawar (1999)

The race is run in 2025 for the 69^th time.

The 2024 edition
 

ParisLongchamp Racecourse, Sunday, September 8th, 2024 – As the seven contenders for the €450,000 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr1) set off over the mile course, all eyes were on a potential duel between two British raiders: the 4-year-old Charyn (Dark Angel), fresh from his impressive victory in the "Marois," and the 3-year-old Notable Speech (Dubawi), winner of the 2,000 Guineas (Gr1) and the Sussex Stakes (Gr1).

However, in the unpredictable world of horse racing, a third runner, the unheralded 20/1 shot Tribalist (Farhh), crossed the finish line first. The French representative for Godolphin employed front-running tactics, seizing the lead from the outset and setting a steady pace with Caramelito (Zarak), the Irish raider Henry Longfellow (Dubawi), and then Charyn in pursuit.

As they entered the straight, Tribalist had established a clear advantage and showed no signs of tiring. Charyn, launching his pursuit, took time to find his rhythm, and although he finished with a flourish, he had conceded too much ground (1.5 seconds at the half-mile marker) on the soft going and without his near fore iron to catch the frontrunner. Tribalist maintained a comfortable length lead at the finish. Henry Longfellow finished third, closing strongly to finish three lengths behind the winner, less than a length ahead of the valiant Caramelito.

This victory marked Tribalist's return to form after a semi-comeback over six furlongs in early July, two months after his second consecutive success in the Prix du Muguet (Gr2) on soft ground. Two months had passed since that sprint outing.

Bred by Car Colston Hall Stud, Tribalist was sold for £130,000 at Tattersalls to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. His dam, Fair Daughter (Nathaniel), was unraced. Tribalist is her first runner. Her younger sister, Mer Lunaire (Sea the Stars), born in 2020, was sold as a maiden for €35,000 to Atlas Bloodstock last December.

The second dam, Wiener Wald (Woodman), directly produced five black-type performers, including the Racing Post Trophy (Gr1) winner Crowded House (Rainbow Quest).

This family also includes the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Gr1) winner Brando (Pivotal), Ticker Tape (Royal Applause), winner of the American Oaks Invitational and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (Gr1), and Reckless Abandon (Exchange Rate), unbeaten in five starts as a 2-year-old, including the Prix Morny and the Middle Park Stakes (Gr1).

History
 

First run in 1957, the Prix du Moulin has taken place on the main course at Longchamp since 1987.

The centenary of Longchamp racecourse in 1957 gave rise to the creation of two major new races on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day: the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, and while the former is still around on Arc day, the Prix du Moulin has since been moved twice. From 1974 to 1979, it was brought forward a week and made the biggest race on the last Sunday in September. In 1980, it was brought forward to the first Sunday in September as part of a move to realign the European Milers' racing calendar. The aim was to avoid a clash of dates between the Sussex Stakes and the Prix Jacques Le Marois, as well as between the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. As a result, the Jacques Le Marois was put back to mid-August, and the Prix du Moulin was brought forward to the first Sunday in September instead of the Prix du Rond Point. As a result, the same horse could now realistically strive to win all four races – something no horse managed during the 20^th century.

The Moulin (Mill)
 

The mill at the racecourse was originally part of a monastery located opposite the bac de Suresnes, whose foundation stone was laid by King Saint-Louis on 12 June 1256. The mill was destroyed along with the abbey during the Revolution and was only reconstructed, from its foundations up, when the racecourse was built in 1856. The mill was hit in the Allied bombings of 4 April 1943, losing a wing and its roof, but was restored as a fake in 1949.

Sponsorship
 

The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp first won sponsorship in 1986 from the Fustok stables. After three years with Fustok, the race failed to find a sponsor in 1989 before "The Emirates" (United Arab Emirates) took up the sponsorship for the next decade. A new sponsor was founded in 2002 as NetJets, an American company specialising in fractional aircraft ownership services. From 2007 to 2018, the race was sponsored by Qatar, which resulted in the prize money rising from €300,000 to €400,000. It has been temporarily reduced in 2020 due to the Covid-19 effects on betting revenue and prizemoney.

The Prix Jacques Le Marois and the Prix du Moulin
 

Over the past 63 years, the Prix Jacques Le Marois and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp have been won by the same horse 11 times: Hula Dancer (1963), Gravelines (1976), Irish River (1979), North Jet (1981), Luth Enchantée (1983), Miesque (1987), Polish Precedent (1989), Priolo (1990-1991), Spinning World (1997), Librettist (2006) and Ribchester (2016). They all won as 3-year-olds, except Gravelines and North Jet. Spinning World and Librettist won at age 4, and Priolo and Ribchester won as a 3-year-old at Deauville and a 4-year-old at Longchamp.

Foreign runners
 

As early as its second running, the Prix du Moulin was attracting foreign interest, with the German horse Orsini going close, only to be held off by French filly Lilya, who won by half a length. The first foreign winner came in 1962, with English horse Romulus recording the first of 22 wins by foreign horses. Irish mare Red Slipper (1965) became the first of 4 foreign horses to win in 5 years. Habitat (1969), Gold Rod (1970), Sallust (1972) and Sparkler (1973) followed. French horses then held their own for a decade until 1985. It's now a very international meeting point with the foreign victories of Roussillon (1985), Sonic Lady (1986), Distant Relative (1990), All at Sea (1992), Ridgewood Pearl (1995), Desert Prince (1998), Indian Lodge (2000), Slickly (2001), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Starcraft (2005), Librettist (2006), Aqlaam (2009), Excelebration (2011), Ribchester (2017), Circus Maximus (2019), Baeed (2021), Dreamloper (2022).

Owners
 

• Aga Khan (7 wins): Rose Royale (1957), Ginetta (1959), Silver Shark (1966), Ashkalani (1996), Sendawar (1999) & Ervedya (2015).
• Mohammed Al Maktoum & Godolphin (7 wins): Sonic Lady (1986), Soviet Star (1988), Polish Precedent (1989), Librettist (2006), Ribchester (2017), Persian King (2020), Tribalist (2024).
• Famille Niarchos (6 wins): Miesque (1987), Kingmambo (1993), Mendez (1984), Spinning World (1997) & Maxios (2013), and then Circus Maximus (2019) in partnership with Smith, Tabor & Magnier.
• Daniel Wildenstein (3 wins): Faraway Son (1971), Mount Hagen (1974) & Gravelines (1976).
• Serge Fradkoff (3 wins): Sanedtki (1978), Kilijaro (1980) & North Jet (1981).
• Khalid Abdullah (3 wins): Roussillon (1985), All At Sea (1992) & Nebraska Tornado (2003).

Trainers
 

• André Fabre (8 wins): Soviet Star (1988), Polish Precedent (1989), Ski Paradise (1994), Nebraska Tornado (2003), Grey Lilas (2004), Vadamos (2016), Persian King (2020), Tribalist (2024).
• François Boutin (5 wins): Delmora (1975), Mendez (1984), Miesque (1987), Priolo (1991) & Kingmambo (1993).
• François Mathet (4 wins): Lilya (1958), Mirna (1964), Silver Shark (1966) & Pola Bella (1968).

Riders
 

• Cash Asmussen (6 victoires): Mendez (1984), Soviet Star (1988), Polish Precedent (1989), Kingmambo (1993), Spinning World (1997) & Indian Lodge (2000).
• Yves Saint-Martin (4 wins): Silver Shark (1966), Pola Bella (1968), Faraway Son (1971) & Gravelines (1976).
• Lester Piggott (3 wins): Habitat (1969), Gold Rod (1966), Sparkler (1973).
• Maurice Philipperon (3 wins): Pharly (1977), Irish River (1979), Luth Enchantée (1983).
• Freddy Head (3 wins): Kilijaro (1980), North Jet (1981), Miesque (1987).
• Gérald Mossé (3 wins): Priolo (1991), Ashkalani (1996), Sendawar (1999).
• Olivier Peslier (3 wins): Desert Prince (1998), Goldikova (2008), Recoletos (2018).