Prix du Muguet

Prix du Muguet

Group 2 race
Northjet, oil on canvas Painting by Bob Demuyser (1920-2003)
Location	Saint-Cloud Racecourse Saint-Cloud, France
Inaugurated	1967
Race type	Flat / Thoroughbred
Website	france-galop.com
Race information
Distance	1,600 metres (1 mile)
Surface	Turf
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	Four-years-old and up
Weight	56 kg Allowances 1½ kg for fillies and mares Penalties 3 kg for Group 1 winners * 1½ kg for Group 2 winners * * since January 1 last year
Purse	€130,000 (2013) 1st: €74,100

The Prix du Muguet is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Saint-Cloud in early May.

History

The event is traditionally held at Saint-Cloud on May 1, the French public holiday of Fête du Travail and Fête du Muguet. It is named after Muguet, the French word for the spring-flowering plant Lily of the Valley.

The Prix du Muguet was formerly a 2,000-metre race restricted to three-year-olds. The present version, a 1,600-metre race for older horses, was introduced in 1967. It was contested over 2,000 metres at Longchamp in 1968.

The race was not run in 1971, and it resumed with Group 3 status in 1972. It was absent again in 1974, and for a period thereafter it was sometimes staged at Longchamp (1976–77, 1982–83 and 1985).

The Prix du Muguet was promoted to Group 2 level in 1995.

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins):

• Martillo – 2004, 2005

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Leading jockey (4 wins):

• Freddy Head – Ellora (1976), Northjet (1981), Pink (1985), Exit to Nowhere (1992)
• Olivier Peslier – Zabar (1994), Vetheuil (1996), Keltos (2002), Dandoun (2003)

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Leading trainer (6 wins):

• Criquette Head-Maarek – Pink (1985), Val des Bois (1990), Hatoof (1993), Green Tune (1995), Marathon (1998), Gold Away (1999)

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Leading owner (3 wins):

• Stavros Niarchos – Redmead (1984), Exit to Nowhere (1992), Spinning World (1997)
• Jacques Wertheimer – Pink (1985), Val des Bois (1990), Green Tune (1995)

Winners since 1979

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1979	Tarek	4	Henri Samani	Mitri Saliba	Mahmoud Fustok
1980	American Prince	4	Christy Roche	Stuart Murless	Burt Bacharach
1981	Northjet	4	Freddy Head	Olivier Douieb	Serge Fradkoff
1982	Schwepperusschian	5	Serge Gorli	Pierre Biancone	Georges Laporte
1983	Prospero	6	Claude Ramonet	C. Hervé	Mrs Sylvain Aknin
1984	Redmead	4	Cash Asmussen	François Boutin	Stavros Niarchos
1985	Pink	4	Freddy Head	Criquette Head	Jacques Wertheimer
1986	Apeldoorn	4	Maurice Philipperon	Philippe Barbe	Philippe Barbe
1987	Art Francais	4	Tony Cruz	Patrick Biancone	Daniel Wildenstein
1988	Pitchounet	4	Dominique Lawniczak	Albert Hosselet	Noël Pelat
1989	Gabina	4	Eric Legrix	J. C. Cunnington	Countess Batthyany	1:44.30
1990	Val des Bois	4	Guy Guignard	Criquette Head	Jacques Wertheimer	1:39.50
1991	Colour Chart	4	Steve Cauthen	André Fabre	Sheikh Mohammed	1:45.30
1992	Exit to Nowhere	4	Freddy Head	François Boutin	Stavros Niarchos	1:45.80
1993	Hatoof	4	Walter Swinburn	Criquette Head	Maktoum Al Maktoum	1:43.60
1994	Zabar	6	Olivier Peslier	Jonathan Pease	Gerald Leigh	1:42.10
1995	Green Tune	4	Olivier Doleuze	Criquette Head	Jacques Wertheimer	1:48.10
1996	Vetheuil	4	Olivier Peslier	André Fabre	Daniel Wildenstein	1:40.40
1997	Spinning World	4	Cash Asmussen	Jonathan Pease	Niarchos Family	1:43.80
1998	Marathon	4	Olivier Doleuze	Criquette Head	Alec Head	1:45.10
1999	Gold Away	4	Gérald Mossé	Criquette Head	Wertheimer et Frère	1:49.60
2000	Dansili	4	Christophe Soumillon	André Fabre	Khalid Abdullah	1:47.00
2001	Proudwings	5	Yutaka Take	Ralf Suerland	Hyperion Breeding	1:48.20
2002	Keltos	4	Olivier Peslier	Carlos Laffon-Parias	Tanaka / Marinopoulos	1:39.90
2003	Dandoun	5	Olivier Peslier	John Dunlop	Prince A. A. Faisal	1:42.70
2004	Martillo	4	William Mongil	Ralf Suerland	Gestüt Höny-Hof	1:36.40
2005	Martillo	5	Stéphane Pasquier	Ralf Suerland	Gestüt Höny-Hof	1:37.50
2006	Krataios	6	Miguel Blancpain	Carlos Laffon-Parias	Leonidas Marinopoulos	1:41.50
2007	Racinger	4	Frankie Dettori	Freddy Head	Pierre Goral	1:39.10
2008	Gris de Gris	4	Thierry Thulliez	Jean-Marc Capitte	Jean-Claude Seroul	1:40.60
2009	Vertigineux	5	Philippe Sogorb	Carole Dufrèche	C. & P. Dufrèche	1:37.90
2010	Byword	4	Maxime Guyon	André Fabre	Khalid Abdullah	1:39.50
2011	Rajsaman	4	Thierry Jarnet	Freddy Head	Saeed Al Romaithi	1:38.30
2012	Zinabaa	7	Yannick Letondeur	Michel Macé	Ecurie Victoria Dreams	1:39.80
2013	Don Bosco	6	Gregory Benoist	David Smaga	Omar El Sharif	1:39.00
2014	Sommerabend	7	Gérald Mossé	Mirek Rulec	Stall Am Alten	1:42.67
2015	Bawina	4	Maxime Guyon	Carlos Laffon-Parias	Wertheimer et Frère	1:40.86
2016	Vadamos	5	Pierre-Charles Boudot	André Fabre	Scea Haras De Saint Pair	1:36.93

Earlier winners

• 1967: Agy
• 1968: Frontal
• 1969: Prince Jet
• 1970: Regent Street

• 1971: no race
• 1972: Blinis
• 1973: Jan Ekels
• 1974: no race

• 1975: Brinkmanship
• 1976: Ellora
• 1977: Mittainvilliers
• 1978: Faraway Times

See also

• List of French flat horse races

References

• France Galop / Racing Post:
  • 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
  • 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
  • 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• galop.courses-france.com:
  • 1967–1979, 1980–present

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• france-galop.com – A Brief History: Prix du Muguet.
• galopp-sieger.de – Prix du Muguet.
• horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Prix du Muguet (2016).
• pedigreequery.com – Prix du Muguet – Saint-Cloud.