PRIX DE DIANE LONGINES
The Irish filly Joan of Arc, ridden by the Basque jockey Ioritz Mendizabal and trained by AidanO'Brien, came up trumps in the Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly on Sunday. It was a scenarioreminiscent of the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club, which was run at the same course on 6 June.
Aidan O'Brien, based in Ireland, is one of the most successful trainers in Europe...
However,incredibly, he had never won either the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club or the Prix de DianeLongines prior to this season: and Ioritz Mendizabal, entrusted with the task of piloting bothSt Mark's Basilica and Joan of Arc, has subsequently enabled him to achieve this particularHoly Grail.
Joan of Arc is owned by Coolmore: one of the mega-powers of the thoroughbredindustry. She is a daughter of the greatest stallion currently in activity, Galileo.Ioritz Mendizabal, 47, was one of the most experienced jockeys in the classic.
He boasts threewins in the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club, but this marked his first victory in the Prix de DianeLongines. He also numbers four Cravache d'Or titles: the accolade which goes to the jockeywhich has won most races in a calendar year.
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The Prix de Diane Longines has Group 1 status, the highest standard of horse race, and is reserved for the new generation of 3-year-old fillies.
The filly that demonstrates the most talent and wins the race is in with a good chance of lining up at the start of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which is held a few months later at ParisLongchamp racecourse.
This historic race will be watched in 60 countries!
Ever since this event was created, its renown has constantly increased in both France and abroad, and it is now one of the most eagerly-awaited dates in the racing calendar.
This race is also famous thanks to its stunning backdrop: the Chantilly course sits beside the magnificent Princes de Condé stables and the Château de Chantilly.
This event’s reputation goes way beyond the realms on the racing world, and it is always associated with a chic picnic in the grounds of the château, the sound of a concert by a popular artist, and the customary parade of elegant “demoiselles”.
We’ll see you in 2022 for the next edition of the event!
THE BEAUTIFUL STORY OF THE PRIX DE DIANE LONGINES
The extraordinary exploit of Samuel de Barros, owner of the filly Channel
Samuel de Barros will never forget Sunday 16th June 2019!
On that day, this new owner presented his one and only racehorse, a filly called Channel, as a starter in the Prix de Diane Longines.
He went on to have one of the best days of his life!
This magnificent filly defied all odds to win the Prix de Diane Longines.
In his Diane debut, Samuel de Barros sealed a victory that some wait years to achieve.
Just after the race, this delighted owner explained that he bought Channel to share his wife’s passion for horse racing and in memory of his father, with whom he watched racing as a child.
The filly Channel now lives at the couple’s stud farm, which is located in the Orne. Channel has given birth to her first foal, a filly that is “pretty as a picture”, said Samuel de Barros.
Like her dam, she too may go on to compete in the Prix de Diane Longines one day… Channel also made the dreams of her young trainer, Francis-Henri Graffard from Chantilly, come true as it was his first win in the Prix de Diane Longines.
KEY FIGURES FOR THE PRIX DE DIANE LONGINES
173nd edition
In 2022, the Prix de Diane Longines will celebrate its 173rd edition.
The world’s greatest race for fillies is held in the historic setting of Chantilly, whose course sits beside the stunning Princes de Condé stables and the Château de Chantilly!
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1 mile 2 ½ furlongs
The distance of the race run on the Chantilly course. The finish line is slightly uphill, which demonstrates the outstanding physical attributes of the fillies entered in this grand prix.
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124 seconds
The record time (2’03’’77 to be precise), which is an average speed of 61km/hr and was set in 2013 by Trêve, trained at Chantilly by Christiane Head.
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3
The age of all of the fillies running in the Prix de Diane Longines. They are the new generation of rising stars and only have one shot at being crowned queen of the Diane!
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6 double champions
The number of winners of the Prix de Diane Longines who went on to win the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the world’s most important race for thoroughbreds: Pearl Cap (1931), Nikellora (1945), La Sorellina (1953), Allez France (1973), Zarkava (2008) and Trêve (2013), who actually won the Arc twice!
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1974
The year that Highclere won the race. This filly belonged to Queen Elizabeth, who travelled to Chantilly to watch her filly in action.
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7 French fillies
French-trained fillies tend to do well in the Prix de Diane Longines and have won 7 of the last 10 editions. The nationality of the winning horse is decided by the country in which it is trained.
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1874 and 1875
In these two editions, two fillies were declared joint winners after passing the winning post at exactly the same time (dead heat). The owners decided to rerun the race to decide the final winner!
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5,000 spectators
For the 2021 Prix de Diane Longines event, Chantilly racecourse was only able to welcome a maximum 5,000 spectators due to the health situation.
The event was adapted, but the vast lawns on the edge of the course were open for the traditional chic picnic!
