Greffulhe History: Between Epsom and Chantilly

May, Saint-Cloud

Prix Greffulhe

Group 2, 3yos, 2,100m/10.5f, €130,000

Created in 1882

Last winner: Gold Trip (c3, by Outstrip ex Sarvana, by Dubai Destination), owned by Écurie Jean-Louis Bouchard, bred by Michel Monfort, trained by Fabrice Chappet, ridden by Stéphane Pasquier.

Record-rime: 2’10’’60 by Ragmar in 1996 (Longchamp).

The race will be run in 2021 for the 135th time

The 2020 edition

Saturday, June 6, 2020, Lyon-Parilly. – The favourite Gold Trip (Outstrip) easily prevailed in the Prix Greffulhe (Gr2) after taking over the front-running Mkfancy (Makfi) one out. Owned by Jean-Louis Bouchard, the winner finished one length ahead of Influx (Golden Horn), who closed in, and In Swoop (Adlerflug), who didn’t have the most fluent trip behind the fading leader.

Trained by Fabrice Chappet, Gold Trip was still a maiden before the race after three outings, two of which ended with a second place. First for his debut in October in Deauville, beating Salesman (like In Swoop in another race), then when second to Port Guillaume for his return at Saint-Cloud.

He is entered in the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, Gr1) and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1).

Purchased € 60,000 as a yearling at the Arqana sales in Deauville, where he was consigned by the Haras de Grandcamp for his breeder Michel Monfort, the winner is out of Sarvana (Dubai Destination), who ran once at Wissembourg, but has already foaled Got Wind (Olympic Glory), Listed-placed at 2 and 3 years …

History

This race was created in 1882 to honour the memory of one of French horse racing’s most prominent administrators. It was one of the five « poules des produits », an explanation of which is given under the Prix Noailles (see the race of that name: restricted « to the produce of mares born and bred in France »).

The Prix Greffulhe did not take place from 1915 to 1919 due to the war. Run at Longchamp over 1 mile 2 ½ furlongs, it was switched to Le Tremblay for the same reason for the 3 years from 1943 to 1945), where its distance was raised to 1 mile 2 ¾ furlongs. Since 2005, on account of the restructuring of the classic race card for 3 year-olds, it has been held at Saint-Cloud. In 2020, however, it was moved to Lyon-Parilly as Saint-Cloud was still locked down because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Henri Greffulhe (1815-1879).

Henri Greffulhe has been described as « a man of the world, clubs, sport and pleasure, whose vast fortune allowed him to satisfy his diverse tastes without fear of financial ruin. »

From a French family that emigrated at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the son of a rich banker from the Netherlands, his father (also called Henri) rendered great services to Louis XVIII in 1814. As a result, he was granted French citizenship in 1816, before being made a French peer and given the title of count in 1816.

Admitted on 1 May 1835 – at the same time as Frédéric de Lagrange – to the Jockey Club of which he was for a long time one of the most influential members, Henri Greffulhe was made a deputy member of the board of the Société d’Encouragement in 1850, and then an executive member in 1860. He also served as a race steward from 1858 to 1879 and played a key role during the period of development of the Société d’Encouragement, particularly in the negotiations with the City of Paris concerning the creation of Longchamp Racecourse, which opened in 1857.

His nephew, Henri-Emmanuel Greffulhe (1848-1932), elected MP for Melun in 1889, was one of the founders of the Société de Sport de France and served as its first chairman for fifty years, from 1882 to 1932.

The Prix Greffulhe and the Derbies

The winner of the Prix Greffulhe has also won the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, Gr1) on 23 occasions. The horses concerned are: Gospodar (1894), Palmiste (1897), Belfonds (1925), Tourbillon (1931), Cillas (1938), Le Pacha (1941), Ardan (1944), Prince Chevalier (1946), Scratch (1950), Sicambre (1951), Amber (1957), Herbager (1959), Rheffic (1971), Roi Lear (1973), Youth (1976), Darshaan (1984), Mouktar (1985), Suave Dancer (1991), Ragmar (1996), Peintre Célèbre (1997), Montjeu (1999), Dalakhani (2003) and Study of Man (2018). Also worth noting are Pour Moi’s victories in the Greffulhe and the Epsom Derby in 2011, 46 years after the same double realized by Sea Bird.

Owners

Rothschild family (8 wins): Edouard avec Flowershop (1920), Tacite (1921), Veloucrème (1930), Bacchus (1939), Guy avec Marly Knowe (1953), Free Ride (1964), Mariacci (1975), Bois de Grâce (1982).
Marcel Boussac (7 wins): Astérus (1926), Tourbillon (1931), Cillas (1938), Ardan (1944), Ambiorix (1949), Scratch (1950), Dankaro (1974) ; au prince Karim Aga Khan : Hafiz (1955), Naasiri (1978), Darshaan (1984), Mouktar (1985), Dalakhani (2003), Visindar (2006), Kesampour (2012).
Aga Khan (6 wins): Hafiz (1955), Naasiri (1978), Darshaan (1984), Mouktar (1985), Dalakhani (2003), Visindar (2006).
Henri Delamarre (4 wins): Clio (1882), Palamède (1885), Montreuil (1896), Tapis Vert (1899).
Daniel Wildenstein (4 wins): Persifleur (1987), Along All (1989), Epervier Bleu (1990), Peintre Célèbre (1997).

Trainers

André Fabre (13 wins): Along All (1989), Apple Tree (1992), Hunting Hawk (1993), Diamond Mix (1995), Peintre Célèbre (1997), Visindar (2006), Quest for Honor (2007), Prospect Wells (2008), Cutlass Bay (2099), Pour Moi (2011), Ocovango (2013), Cloth of Stars (2016), Roman Candle (2019) ;
John Cunnington (5 wins): Le Pacha (1941), Pensbury (1943), Chesterfield (1947), Major (1954), Whippoorwill (1962) ;
Etienne Pollet (5 wins): Silnet (1952), Le Mesnil (1963), Sea Bird (1965), Roi Dagobert (1967), Prince Régent (1969).
Alain de Royer-Dupré (3 wins): Darshaan (1984), Mouktar (1985), Dalakhani (2003) ;
Pascal Bary (4 wins): Ragmar (1996), Croco Rouge (1998), Ice Blue (2010), Study of Man (2018) ;
Jean-Claude Rouget (3 wins): Rhenium (2000), Maille Pistol (2001), Prince Gibraltar (2014).

Riders

Roger Poincelet (5 wins): Mistral (1945), Ambiorix (1949), Silnet (1952), Hafiz (1955), Le Mesnil (1963) ;
Yves Saint-Martin (5 wins): Roi Dagobert (1967), Val d’Aoste (1968), Dom Pasquini (1983), Darshaan (1984), Mouktar (1985) ;
Cash Asmussen (5 wins): Arokar (1986), Along All (1989), Suave Dancer (1991), Tikkanen (1994), Montjeu (1999) ;
George Stern (4 wins): Maximum (1902), Génial (1905), Kenilworth (1908), Union (1909).
Thierry Jarnet (4 wins): Apple Tree (1992), Hunting Hawk (1993), Diamond Mix (1995), Rhenium (2000) ;
Christophe Soumillon (4 wins): Dalakhani (2003), Visindar (2006), Quest for Honor (2007), Prince Gibraltar (2014) ;
Stéphane Pasquier (4 wins): Vatori (2005), Ice Blue (2010), Study of Man (2018), Gold Trip (2020) ;
Charles Semblat (3 wins): Belfonds (1925), Ivanoé (1928), Mansur (1935) ;
Charles Bouillon (3 wins): Veloucrème (1930), Bacchus (1939), Prince Chevalier (1946) ;
Jacques Doyasbère (3 wins): Ardan (1944), Chesterfield (1947), Major (1954) ;
Paul Blanc (3 wins): Rigolo (1948), Sicambre (1951), Marly Knowe (1953) ;
Jean Deforge (3 wins): Amber (1957), Free Ride (1964), Prince Régent (1969) ;
Léon Flavien (3 wins): Hautain (1970), Hauban (1966), Magic Hope (1970) ;
Philippe Paquet (3 wins): Rex Magna (1977), Le Marmot (1979), Providential (1980) ;
Olivier Peslier (3 wins): Peintre Célèbre (1997), Prospect Wells (2008), Recoletos (2017) ;
Mickaël Barzalona (3 wins): Pour Moi (2011), Cloth of Stars (2016), Roman Candle (2019).