Prix du Jockey Club

Europe's Derby circuit heads from Epsom to Chantilly in the space of 24 hours, with Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club offering a different type of test to its English counterpart without compromising on the degree of challenge. Run right-handed over 10 1/2 furlongs, with the draw all-important heading straight to the first turn, the €1.5 million prize is on its own as a unique "Derby" experience. Since the distance was shortened--controversially to some--from the traditional mile and a half in 2005, a trio of colts have completed a...

France Galop has agreed a two-year deal with the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) to sponsor the Prix du Jockey Club, which this year takes place on Sunday, June 6 at Chantilly. The Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, which was first run in 1834, is worth a total of €1.5 million. It was won last year by Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), who went on to win this year's Saudi Cup and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. "We are delighted to be the partner of the Prix du Jockey Club,"...

By 3.35pm on Sunday, the Derby and Oaks will already be old news and the dust will be settling after Chantilly's early-afternoon prestige races. As if all the Classics that played out over the longest weekend were mere support acts, Juddmonte's sovereign Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is back to take up most of the headline inches in a renewal of Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse which rates as one of the finest in its recent history. No horse in training has the same draw as the 6-year-old and although the Classic generation...

Trainer Freddy Head will prepare George Strawbridge's Another Sky (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) for the Prix du Jockey Club after the colt made an impressive debut at Chantilly to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star.' The half-brother to 2016 G1 French Derby and G1 Champion S. winner Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) delighted the trainer, as he made most of the running and coasted home by 4 1/2 lengths, despite being eased down in the closing stages of the 1800-metre event over the all-weather track at Chantilly. Head revealed it...

Back in 2006, when the first two flashed past the winning post in the G1 Dewhurst S., they also earned themselves first and second places on the European Two-Year-Old Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. Galileo's unbeaten son Teofilo topped the table by 1lb from Danehill's dual Group 1-winning son Holy Roman Emperor, who had also been beaten into second place by Teofilo in the G1 National S. Holy Roman Emperor, for his part, had won four of his remaining five starts, notably taking the G1 Phoenix S. and the G1 Prix Jean-Luc...

In the space of a fortnight, Shadai Stallion Station lost its two flagship stallions, Deep Impact (Jpn) on July 30, and King Kamehameha (Jpn) on Aug.10. The pair won back-to-back runnings of the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in 2004 and 2005. A year older than Deep Impact at 18, King Kamehameha had been pensioned earlier this year and his legacy at stud was outlined by Kelsey Riley in Saturday's TDN. Losing two such heavyweights in the same year is doubtless a blow to Shadai but in Japan's stallion table for...

Natagora (Fr) (Divine Light {Jpn}-Reinamixa {Fr}, by Linamix {Fr}), winner of the 2008 G1 1000 Guineas for owner Stefan Friborg and trainer Pascal Bary, has died at Shadwell Stud aged 14, according to Racing Post. A €30,000 Arqana October yearling purchase by Patrick Barbe, Natagora was never worse than second in seven starts at two and posted five wins, including the G1 Cheveley Park S., G2 Prix Robert Papin and G3 Prix du Bois. She won the 1000 Guineas by a half-length under Christophe Lemaire and while she wouldn't visit...