Prix Marcel Boussac Explained

Class:	Group 1
Horse Race:	Prix Marcel Boussac Critérium des Pouliches
Location:	Longchamp Racecourse Paris, France
Inaugurated:	1969
Race Type:	Flat / Thoroughbred
Sponsor:	Qatar
Website:	france-galop.com
Distance:	1,600 metres (1 mile)^[1]
Surface:	Turf
Track:	Right-handed
Qualification:	Two-year-old fillies
Weight:	56 kg
Purse:	€400,000 (2021) 1st: €228,560

|}The Prix Marcel Boussac is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.

It is France's only Group 1 event exclusively for juvenile fillies. The leading participants usually become major contenders for the following year's fillies' Classics.

History

The event was established in 1969, and it was originally called the Critérium des Pouliches. The best two-year-old fillies had previously competed against male horses in the Grand Critérium.

The race was given its present title in 1980, in memory of Marcel Boussac (1889–1980). Boussac was a highly successful owner/breeder, and he served as chairman of the sport's former governing body in France, the Société d'Encouragement.

The Prix Marcel Boussac took place on Longchamp's middle course (moyenne piste) until 1986. It was switched to the main course (grande piste) in 1987.

The race is held on the same day as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. The fixture is usually staged on the first Sunday in October.

Records

Leading jockey (3 wins):

• Lester Piggott – Vela (1969), Play It Safe (1981), Midway Lady (1985)
• Yves Saint-Martin – Allez France (1972), Theia (1975), Aryenne (1979)
• Alain Lequeux – Tropicaro (1980), Triptych (1984), Mary Linoa (1988)
• Willie Carson – Ashayer (1987), Salsabil (1989), Shadayid (1990)
• Olivier Peslier – Miss Tahiti (1995), Lady Of Chad (1999), Silasol (2012)

Leading trainer (5 wins):

• Pascal Bary – Sierra Madre (1993), Amonita (2000), Six Perfections (2002), Denebola (2003), Divine Proportions (2004)
• Criquette Head-Maarek – Gold Splash (1992), Macoumba (1994), Loving Claim (1997), Juvenia (1998), Proportional (2008)
• Aidan O'Brien – Rumplestiltskin (2005), Misty for Me (2010), Found (2014), Ballydoyle (2015), Opera Singer (2023)

Leading owner (4 wins): (includes part ownership)

• Niarchos Family – Six Perfections (2002), Denebola (2003), Divine Proportions (2004), Rumplestiltskin (2005)
• Michael Tabor - Rumplestiltskin (2005), Misty For Me (2010), Found (2014), Ballydoyle (2015)
• Susan Magnier – Rumplestiltskin (2005), Misty For Me (2010), Found (2014), Ballydoyle (2015)

Winners

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Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1969	width=133px	Vela	width=152px	Lester Piggott	width=159px	Richard Carver, Jr.	width=164px	S. Sokolov	1:40.30
1970	Two to Paris	Jean-Claude Desaint	John Cunnington, Jr.	L. P. Doherty	1:42.10
1971	Dark Baby	Georges Doleuze	Jean Laumain	Maurice Fournier	1:39.50
1972	Allez France	Yves Saint-Martin	Albert Klimscha	Daniel Wildenstein	1:38.00
1973	Hippodamia	Bill Pyers	Maurice Zilber	Nelson Bunker Hunt	1:43.00
1974	Oak Hill	Y. Josse	Georges Bridgland	Mrs Serge Houyvet	1:47.80
1975	Theia	Yves Saint-Martin	Raymond Touflan	S. de Lopez-Tarragoya	1:44.30
1976	Kamicia	F. Flachi	Jean Laumain	Mrs Henri Rabatel	1:49.70
1977	Tarona	Philippe Paquet	François Boutin	Gerry Oldham	1:41.90
1978	Pitasia	Alfred Gibert	Aage Paus	Sir Douglas Clague	1:48.30
1979	Aryenne	Yves Saint-Martin	John Fellows	D. G. Volkert	1:41.30
1980	Tropicaro	Alain Lequeux	Maurice Zilber	Benjamin Coates	1:43.40
1981	Play It Safe	Lester Piggott	François Boutin	Diana Firestone	1:46.90
1982	Goodbye Shelley	John Lowe	Steve Norton	Mrs S. R. Brook	1:47.40
1983	Almeira	Dominique Vincent	J. C. Cunnington	Countess Batthyany	1:38.80
1984	Triptych	Alain Lequeux	David Smaga	Alan Clore	1:46.70
1985	Midway Lady	Lester Piggott	Ben Hanbury	Harry Ranier	1:37.90
1986	Miesque	Freddy Head	François Boutin	Stavros Niarchos	1:37.50
1987	Ashayer	Willie Carson	John Dunlop	Hamdan Al Maktoum	1:37.40
1988	Mary Linoa	Alain Lequeux	David Smaga	David Smaga	1:41.20
1989	Salsabil	Willie Carson	John Dunlop	Hamdan Al Maktoum	1:40.30
1990	Shadayid	Willie Carson	John Dunlop	Hamdan Al Maktoum	1:40.70
1991	Culture Vulture	Richard Quinn	Paul Cole	Chris Wright	1:40.60
1992	Gold Splash	Gérald Mossé	Criquette Head	Jacques Wertheimer	1:44.90
1993	Sierra Madre	Gérald Mossé	Pascal Bary	Jean-Louis Bouchard	1:45.40
1994	Macoumba	Freddy Head	Criquette Head	Haras d'Etreham	1:43.80
1995	Miss Tahiti	Olivier Peslier	André Fabre	Daniel Wildenstein	1:40.20
1996	Ryafan	Frankie Dettori	John Gosden	Khalid Abdullah	1:39.80
1997	Loving Claim	Olivier Doleuze	Criquette Head	Maktoum Al Maktoum	1:37.60
1998	Juvenia	Olivier Doleuze	Criquette Head	Wertheimer et Frère	1:43.00
1999	Lady of Chad	Olivier Peslier	Richard Gibson	John Martin	1:44.90
2000	Amonita	Thierry Jarnet	Pascal Bary	Mrs Paul de Moussac	1:36.30
2001	Sulk	Frankie Dettori	John Gosden	James Wigan	1:43.00
2002	Six Perfections	Thierry Thulliez	Pascal Bary	Niarchos Family	1:37.90
2003	Denebola	Christophe Lemaire	Pascal Bary	Niarchos Family	1:40.90
2004	Divine Proportions	Christophe Lemaire	Pascal Bary	Niarchos Family	1:36.70
2005	Rumplestiltskin	Kieren Fallon	Aidan O'Brien	Magnier / Tabor et al.	1:37.30
2006	Finsceal Beo	Kevin Manning	Jim Bolger	Michael Ryan	1:34.90
2007	Zarkava	Christophe Soumillon	Alain de Royer-Dupré	HH Aga Khan IV	1:37.00
2008	Proportional	Stéphane Pasquier	Criquette Head-Maarek	Khalid Abdullah	1:36.00
2009	Rosanara	Christophe Soumillon	Alain de Royer-Dupré	HH Aga Khan IV	1:37.20
2010	Misty for Me	Johnny Murtagh	Aidan O'Brien	Tabor / Smith / Magnier	1:42.50
2011	Elusive Kate	William Buick	John Gosden	Magnolia Racing / Hood	1:38.10
2012	Silasol	Olivier Peslier	Carlos Laffon-Parias	Wertheimer et Frère	1:44.62
2013	Indonesienne	Flavien Prat	Christophe Ferland	Wertheimer et Frère	1:38.74
2014	Found	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Tabor / Smith / Magnier	1:37.45
2015	Ballydoyle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Tabor / Smith / Magnier	1:35.44
2016	Wuheida	William Buick	Charlie Appleby	Godolphin	1:35.85
2017	Wild Illusion	James Doyle	Charlie Appleby	Godolphin	1:37.47
2018	Lily's Candle	Pierre-Charles Boudot	Fabrice Vermeulen	Martin S Schwartz Racing	1:38.98
2019	Albigna	Shane Foley	Jessica Harrington	Niarchos family	1:41.26
2020	Tiger Tanaka	Jessica Marcialis	Charley Rossi	Miguel Castro Megias	1:43.13
2021	Zellie	Oisin Murphy	André Fabre	Al Wasmiyah Farm	1:42.67
2022	Blue Rose Cen	Aurelien Lemaitre	Christopher Head	Yeguada Centurion SL	1:40.45
2023	Opera Singer	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	Tabor / Smith / Magnier / Westerberg	1:36.40

See also

• List of French flat horse races
• Recurring sporting events established in 1969 – this race is included under its original title, Critérium des Pouliches.

References

• France Galop / Racing Post:
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• galop.courses-france.com:
  • 1969–1979, 1980–present

• france-galop.com – A Brief History: Prix Marcel Boussac.
• galopp-sieger.de – Prix Marcel Boussac (ex Critérium des Pouliches).
• horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Prix Marcel Boussac (2018).
• pedigreequery.com – Prix Marcel Boussac – Longchamp.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Prix Marcel Boussac . The French Black Type . 7 October 2018.