Prix du Lys
| Group 3 race | |
| Location | Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly, France |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1922 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Website | france-galop.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2,400 metres (1½ miles) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-old colts and geldings excluding Group 1 winners |
| Weight | 56 kg Penalties 2½ kg for Group 2 winners * 1½ kg for Group 3 winners * * since January 1 |
| Purse | €80,000 (2015) 1st: €40,000 |
The Prix du Lys is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
History
The event is named after Le Lys, a small forest close to Chantilly on the left bank of the Oise river. It was established in 1922, and was originally open to colts and fillies, but not geldings. Its distance was 2,400 metres. It was initially restricted to horses not entered for the Prix du Jockey Club or the Prix de Diane.
The Prix du Lys was cancelled in 1940, and was held at Longchamp in 1941 and 1942. It was run at Le Tremblay over 2,300 metres in 1943 and 1944, and at Longchamp again for three years thereafter.
The exclusion of Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de Diane entrants ended in 1970. The race was closed to fillies and opened to geldings in 1986.
The Prix du Lys was contested over 2,800 metres at Saint-Cloud from 1993 to 1996. In the following years it was run over 2,600 metres at Maisons-Laffitte (1997–98) and Chantilly (1999–2000).
The race's original distance was restored in 2001, and from this point it was staged at Longchamp. It returned to Chantilly in 2009. It is currently held on the same day as the Prix de Diane.
Records
Leading jockey (6 wins):
- Roger Poincelet – Djelal (1947), Mistralor (1954), Jithaka (1956), Rugby (1962), Nasram (1963), Steady (1967)
- Freddy Head – Mazarin (1969), Azorello (1973), Ercolano (1977), Fabulous Dancer (1979), Bellman (1981), Iris Noir (1984)
Leading trainer (15 wins):
- André Fabre – Iris Noir (1984), Luth Dancer (1987), Northern Spur (1994), Swain (1995), Vertical Speed (1997), Epistolaire (1998), Morozov (2002), Doyen (2003), Desideratum (2005), Rail Link (2006), Airmail Special (2007), Claremont (2009), Goldwaki (2010), Kreem (2011), Flintshire (2013)
Leading owner (6 wins):
- Sheikh Mohammed – Swain (1995), Morozov (2002), Doyen (2003), Desideratum (2005), Airmail Special (2007), Claremont (2009)
Winners since 1979
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Fabulous Dancer | Freddy Head | Criquette Head | Ghislaine Head | 2:32.70 |
| 1980 | Lancastrian | Alain Lequeux | David Smaga | Sir Michael Sobell | |
| 1981 | Bellman | Freddy Head | Criquette Head | Ecurie Aland | |
| 1982 | Coquelin | Cash Asmussen | François Boutin | Stavros Niarchos | |
| 1983 | Solford | Pat Eddery | Vincent O'Brien | Robert Sangster | |
| 1984 | Iris Noir | Freddy Head | André Fabre | Guy de Rothschild | |
| 1985 | Iades | Cash Asmussen | François Boutin | Niccolò Incisa Rocchetta | |
| 1986 | Chercheur d'Or | Gary W. Moore | Criquette Head | Jacques Wertheimer | |
| 1987 | Luth Dancer | Pat Eddery | André Fabre | Paul de Moussac | |
| 1988 | Frankly Perfect | Pat Eddery | Jonathan Pease | Bruce McNall | 2:28.00 |
| 1989 | Harvest Time | Joel Boisnard | Henri-Alex Pantall | Paul de Moussac | 2:33.90 |
| 1990 | Comte du Bourg | Dominique Boeuf | Raymond Touflan | Adolf Bader | 2:31.20 |
| 1991 | Strike Oil [a] | Alain Lequeux | John Cunnington, Jr. | Lord Weinstock | 2:33.40 |
| 1992 | Songlines | Olivier Benoist | Edouard Bartholomew | Sir Robin McAlpine | 2:33.60 |
| 1993 | Epaphos | Eric Legrix | Pascal Bary | Egon Wanke | 2:59.30 |
| 1994 | Northern Spur | Thierry Jarnet | André Fabre | Tomohiro Wada | 3:04.20 |
| 1995 | Swain | Thierry Jarnet | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 3:01.20 |
| 1996 | Cachet Noir | Frédéric Grenet | Pascal Bary | Juan Garcia-Roady | 3:11.80 |
| 1997 | Vertical Speed | Thierry Jarnet | André Fabre | Daniel Wildenstein | 2:55.00 |
| 1998 | Epistolaire | Thierry Gillet | André Fabre | Edouard de Rothschild | 2:53.50 |
| 1999 | Spendent | Thierry Thulliez | Pascal Bary | Khalid Abdullah | 2:45.60 |
| 2000 | Lycitus | Gérald Mossé | François Doumen | John Martin | 2:48.60 |
| 2001 | Sharbayan | Gérald Mossé | Alain de Royer-Dupré | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:31.40 |
| 2002 | Morozov | Olivier Peslier | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:35.20 |
| 2003 | Doyen | Frankie Dettori | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:31.20 |
| 2004 | Prospect Park | Olivier Peslier | Carlos Laffon-Parias | Wertheimer et Frère | 2:29.20 |
| 2005 | Desideratum | Christophe Soumillon | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:34.00 |
| 2006 | Rail Link | Christophe Soumillon | André Fabre | Khalid Abdullah | 2:32.20 |
| 2007 | Airmail Special | Stéphane Pasquier | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:38.10 |
| 2008 | Montmartre | Christophe Soumillon | Alain de Royer-Dupré | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:28.90 |
| 2009 | Claremont | Maxime Guyon | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:28.62 |
| 2010 | Goldwaki | Olivier Peslier | André Fabre | Wertheimer et Frère | 2:31.40 |
| 2011 | Kreem | Maxime Guyon | André Fabre | Muteb bin Abdullah | 2:28.71 |
| 2012 | Remus de la Tour | Davy Bonilla | Keven Borgel | Barthélémy Vives | 2:37.27 |
| 2013 | Flintshire | Maxime Guyon | André Fabre | Khalid Abdullah | 2:28.03 |
| 2014 | Guardini | Christophe Soumillon | Jean-Pierre Carvalho | Stall Ullmann | 2:30.45 |
| 2015 | Erupt | Stéphane Pasquier | Francis-Henri Graffard | Niarchos Family | 2:30.07 |
a Glity finished first in 1991, but he was relegated to fourth place following a stewards' inquiry.
Earlier winners
- 1922: Mazeppa
- 1923: Grand Guignol
- 1924: Scaramouche
- 1925: Chubasco
- 1926: Felton
- 1927: Sachet
- 1928: Bachelier
- 1929: Double Dutch
- 1930: Menthol
- 1931: Triberg
- 1932: Satrap
- 1933: Magnus
- 1934: Verset
- 1935: Will of the Wisp
- 1936: Fantastic
- 1937: Khasnadar
- 1938: Molitor
- 1939: Shrift
- 1940: no race
- 1941: Nepenthe
- 1942:
- 1943: Bambou
- 1944: Orsava
- 1945: Kerlor
- 1946: Eclair
- 1947: Djelal
- 1948: Espace Vital
- 1949: Urfe
- 1950: Alizier
- 1951: Pharas
- 1952: Orfeo
- 1953: Sunny Dream
- 1954: Mistralor
- 1955: Fauchelevent
- 1956: Jithaka
- 1957: Mehdi
- 1958: Upstart
- 1959: Memorandum
- 1960: Tehuelche
- 1961: Le Bois Sacre
- 1962: Rugby
- 1963: Nasram
- 1964: Trade Mark
- 1965:
- 1966: Danseur
- 1967: Steady
- 1968: Vaguely Noble
- 1969: Mazarin
- 1970: High Game
- 1971: Music Man
- 1972: Hair Do
- 1973: Azorello
- 1974: Blue Diamond
- 1975: Corby
- 1976: Exceller
- 1977: Ercolano
- 1978: Nizon
See also
References
- france-galop.com – A Brief History: Prix du Lys.
- galop.courses-france.com – Prix du Lys – Palmarès depuis 1980.
- galopp-sieger.de – Prix du Lys.
- horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Prix du Lys (2015).
- pedigreequery.com – Prix du Lys.
