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

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)

Leading trainer (6 wins):

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

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

Earlier winners

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

• 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.