Spotlight on the Champions!

Spotlight on the Champions!

This Sunday, ParisLongchamp Racecourse will host the first Group 1 of the season in Europe. Group 1? That’s the highest level of racing, recognized across every country where Thoroughbred racing is run. To put it into perspective: out of the 5,000 races held each year in France, only 28 on the Flat and 9 over Jumps carry the Group 1 label!

The first Group 1 of the year is the Prix Ganay (scheduled for 4:25 PM). It’s open to “older” horses – meaning four-year-olds and up. Among the six runners, three stand out: Map of Stars (Sea The Stars) and Horizon Doré (Dabirsim), who recently finished first and second in the Prix d’Harcourt, the traditional prep race leading into the Ganay, and Sosie (Sea The Stars), who will be making his seasonal debut after a long winter break, a decision made by his owner, the Wertheimer & Frère stable. As their racing manager, Pierre-Yves Bureau, explained: "He hasn’t raced in seven months and spent the winter resting at the stud. On Sunday, he’ll be facing horses who are already race-fit, unlike him. But he’ll be up against the Harcourt form line, which is very interesting. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be competitive!"

Their challengers come from across the Channel, including Royal Rhyme (Lope de Vega), who finished third in last year’s Champion Stakes (Group 1) in England, and Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett) from Ireland, a previous winner at Group 1 level.

Go Fillies! Time for the Prix Allez France!

Other top-class races will frame the Prix Ganay. The day kicks off strongly with the Prix de l’Avre at 1:58 PM, a key stepping stone for the best three-year-olds over 2,400 meters, targeting the Grand Prix de Paris here at ParisLongchamp on July 14.

We move on to the Prix de Barbeville at 2:33 PM, run over 3,000 meters: this one is for horses affectionately called the "marathoners" of racing, as they specialize in long-distance events (over 2,800 meters).

At 3:50 PM, the other major highlight of the day takes place: the Prix Allez France, which could be described as the Prix Ganay for fillies and mares. The distance is the same (2,000 meters), the age category is identical (four-year-olds and up), with only the Group status being slightly lower (Group 3 instead of Group 1).
As in the Prix Ganay, one of the standout contenders carries the famous Wertheimer & Frère silks: Aventure (Sea The Stars) is a real star, and her trainer, Christophe Ferland, was delighted after her public training gallop at Saint-Cloud Racecourse: "I felt that this piece of work would really bring her forward. Her jockey, Maxime Guyon, was thrilled, and so was I. I think she's going to improve further. We saw her take the lead very easily, and then she just floated… but she knows her job inside out. I’m happy — she finished her work breathing well, which was essential."