Prix de la Nonette History: The way to the Vermeille

August, Deauville

PRIX ALEC HEAD (ex-Prix de la Nonette)

Group 2, 3-year-old Fillies, 2,000m, €130,000

Created in 1952

Last winner: FRIENDLY SOUL (f3, GB by Kingman and In Clover, by Inchinor), owned by George Strawbridge, bred by George Strawbridge, trained by John&Thady Gosden, ridden by Kevin Shoemark.

Record-time: 2'5''9, Sobestu (2017)

The race is run in 2025 for the 74th time

The 2024 edition
 

Deauville, Sunday, August 18th, 2024 – The €130,000 Sumbe Prix Alec Head (Prix de la Nonette, Gr2), a 3-year-old fillies' race contested over ten furlongs, saw Friendly Soul (Kingman) justify favouritism. Bolstered by her victory three weeks prior in the Longines Valiant Stakes (Gr3) over a mile, and her spring triumph in the Pretty Polly Stakes (L) over ten furlongs at Newmarket, the George Strawbridge homebred filly was the punters' choice. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Friendly Soul immediately went to the front, followed by Rose Jaipur (Doctor Dino) and Kitty Rose (Invincible Army). She maintained a strong pace into the straight and was never truly threatened by her pursuers. The most notable challenge came from Birthe (Study of Man), winner of the St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Saint-Alary (Gr2), who finished strongly, a length behind, after a two-month layoff.

Candala (Frankel) briefly looked a contender for second place but couldn't sustain her effort in the final stages, finishing a good length behind the runner-up in third. This was despite her recent third-place finish over a mile and a half in the Prix de Malleret (Gr2).

Friendly Soul is out of the prolific mare In Clover (Inchinor), winner of the Prix de Flore (Gr3), the Prix de Lieurey (L) (which has just seen another edition contested), and the Prix de Liancourt (), a race also won by Morny-winner Whistlejacket's dam. In Clover was trained by Freddy Head and has subsequently enjoyed extraordinary success as a broodmare, producing three Group 1 winners: We Are (Dansili), winner of the Prix de l'Opéra (Gr1); Call the Wind (Frankel), winner of the Prix du Cadran (Gr1); and With You (Dansili), winner of the Prix Rothschild (Gr1). To date, she has produced an impressive seven stakes winners.

History
 

Although never held at the Condé’s racecourse, this race owes its name to a small river which crosses the Chantilly estate and village.

The race was created in 1952 in order to serve as a trial for the Prix Vermeille, which was run two weeks later at the time. The Prix de la Nonette was organised at Longchamp from 1952 to 1979, in 1984 and 1985 and from 1989 to 1991. It was switched to Deauville between 1980 and 1983 and from 1986 to 1988, before taking up a permanent base there in 1992.

The race’s distance has undergone several changes: 1 mile 3 furlongs from 1952 to 1958, 12 furlongs in 1959 and 1960, 1 mile 2 ½ furlongs from 1961 to 1979, and 10 furlongs since 1980.

As of 2006, the race was sponsored by "Darley ", but in 2011 the Prix de la Nonette was elevated to Group 2 status and got a new sponsor, Shadwell – the name of Sheik Hamdan Al Maktoum’s stud farm and since 2023, Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe brand took over the sponsorship

The Prix de la Nonette’s role as a trial for the Prix Vermeille has been fulfilled many times. Twenty-three winners of the Prix de la Nonette have finished among the first three in the Prix Vermeille. Eight times in 1st place: Lezghinka (1960), Pistol Packer (1971), Paulista (1974), Ivanjica (1975), Kamicia (1977), Sharaya (1983), Northern Trick (1984) and Pearly Shells (2002); eight times 2nd: Yasmin (1956), Denisy (1957), Bubunia (1966), Pola Bella (1968), Leandra (1981), Fitnah (1985), Sierra Roberta (1989) and Diamilina (2001); six times 3rd: Djelouba (1958), La Bergerette (1961), Pitasia (1979), Detroit (1980), Grease (1982), Zainta (1998) and Tasaday (2013). Although she did not take part in the Prix Vermeille, the winner of the Prix de la Nonette in 2010, Lily of the Valley, went on to win the Prix de l’Opéra (Gr1) and finished the year undefeated. More recently, Tasaday (2013) and Jazzi Top (2015) both finished 3rd in the Opéra after winning the Nonette.

Owners
 

• Mohammed Al Maktoum, Darley and Godolphin (5 wins): Color Chart (1990), Grafin (1994), Tashelka (2007), Tasaday (2013), Sobetsu (2017).
• Aga Khan IV (3 wins): Sharaya (1983), Shemaka (1993), Zainta (1998).
• Jean-Luc Lagardère (3 wins): Karmiska (1987), Luna Wells (1996), Diamilina (2001).
• Antonio Caro (3 wins): Viane Rose (2005), Avenir Certain (2014), La Cressonnière (2016).

Trainers
 

• André Fabre (7 wins): Sierra Roberta (1989), Color Chart (1990), Luna Wells (1996), Diamilina (2001), Grey Lilas (2004), Tashelka (2007), Romantica (2012), Tasaday (2013) .
• Jean-Claude Rouget (7 wins): Star of Akkar (1999), Viane Rose (2005), Germance (2006), Lily of the Valley (2010), Avenir Certain (2014), La Cressonnière (2016), Tawkeel (2020).
• John Gosden (4 wins): Charity Belle (2009), Jazzi Top (2015), Terebellum (2019), Friendly Soul (2024, with his son Thady).
• Etienne Pollet (3 wins): Harbor Grace (1952), Salinas (1962), Silver Cloud (1967).
• François Mathet (3 wins): La Bergerette (1961), Bubunia (1966), Pola Bella (1968).
• François Boutin (3 wins): Grease (1982), Northern Trick (1984), Grafin (1994).
• Alain de Royer-Dupré (3 wins): Sharaya (1983), Shemaka (1993), Zainta (1998).
• Christiane Head (3 wins): Fitnah (1985), Animatrice (1988), Matiara (1995).
• Carlos Laffon-Parias (3 wins): Castellar (2018), Rumi (2021), Jannah Rose (2023).

Riders
 

• Freddy Head (6 wins): Hecuba (1969), Pistol Packer (1971), Detroit (1980), Fitnah (1985), Grafin (1994), Matiara (1995).
• Gérald Mossé (6 wins): Karmiska (1987), River Nymph (1992), Shemaka (1993), Zainta (1998), Dream Peace (2011), Rumi (2021).
• Yves Saint-Martin (5 wins): Bubunia (1966), Pola Bella (1968), Rescousse (1972), Paulista (1974), Sharaya (1983).
• Louis Heurteur (3 wins): Chimère Fabuleuse (1954), Djelouba (1958), Lezghinka (1960).
• Gary Moore (3 wins): Ivanjica (1975), Grease (1982), Animatrice (1988).
• Cash Asmussen (3 wins): Northern Trick (1984), Sierra Roberta (1989), Color Chart (1990).
• Christophe Soumillon (3 wins): Pearly Shells (2002), Lily of the Valley (2010), Jannah Rose (2023).