Prix Eugène Adam History: Between Spring and Summer

July, Saint-Cloud

PRIX EUGÈNE ADAM

Group 2, 3-year-olds, 2,000 meters/1m2f, €130,000

Established in 1893 (Prix Monarque)

Race record: 2'00"30, Heshem in 2016

Last winner: Bright Picture (g3, FRA by Intello, ex Lucy the Painter, by Excellent Art), owned by Wertheimer & Frère, bred by JP Carrington, trained by André Fabre, ridden by Maxime Guyon.

In 2025, the Prix Eugène Adam will be held for the 128th time.

2024 Edition

Sunday, 30 June 2024, Saint-Cloud Racecourse (Hauts-de-Seine). – The hot favourite for the €130,000 Prix Eugène Adam (Gr2), Bright Picture (Intello), took advantage of an ideal trip behind his stablemate and pacemaker, Hamawi (Dubawi), to secure his fourth victory in five starts. The Wertheimer & Frère representative held off Wootton Verni (Wootton Bassett), who had raced mid-field and settled for second, a length behind. Wahdan (Siyouni), a non-runner in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), struggled in the turn but managed to snatch third place at the end of the 1m2f for 3yos contest, ahead of a brave Hamawi.

The 3-year-old gelding Bright Picture was purchased for €72,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale in 2022. He is out of Lucy the Painter (Excellent Art), a Group-placed mare in the UK. Her yearling by Cloth of Stars was sold for €47,000 to Broadhurst (Laurent Benoît) at the Arqana Yearling Sales last October.

The second dam, Royal Bounty, was bred by Ballymacoll Stud, the heirs of Michael Sobell.

History

The Prix Eugène Adam was established in 1893 at Maisons-Laffitte, on the straight course, under Prix Monarque (named after the famous sire and father of the champion Gladiateur). The first winner was Saint Ferjeux, owned by Edmond Veil-Picard. In 1903, the race was renamed Prix du Président de la République, returned to Prix Monarque in 1904, and finally became Prix Eugène Adam in 1911.

From 1905 and 1911 onwards, the race was not run on a straight course but right-handed basis. The Prix Eugène Adam was not held from 1915 to 1918 and in 1940 due to the war. In 1944, it was run at Auteuil over 2,100 meters. From 1946 to 1997, it was held at Saint-Cloud, left-handed. With a brief period at Deauville (2000, 2001), it returned to Maisons-Laffitte, initially right-handed (1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2004), then back to the original straight course between 2005 and 2007. After another right-handed stint in 2008, it was again run on the straight course from 2009 to 2012 before returning right-handed in 2013. In 2018, it was run left-handed and over 2,100 meters due to reconfiguration of the right-handed turn. Since 2019, it has been held at Saint-Cloud over 2,000 meters. In an attempt to elevate it to Group 1 status, and following the reform of the French classic system with the Prix du Jockey Club over 2,100 meters, the prize money for the Prix Eugène Adam was increased to €400,000 until 2011, when it became clear that the desired promotion remained unattainable.

Initially reserved for 3-year-olds, the Prix Eugène Adam required champions and even half-champions to confirm their superiority under challenging weight conditions against their contemporaries they had previously beaten at level weights. Thus, based on the importance of their previous prize money won, penalties of up to fourteen pounds were imposed. Today, the penalties are reduced to four and six pounds. Before World War I, four horses managed to win while carrying the maximum penalty: Gouvernant (1904), Val d'Or (1905), Maintenon (1906), and Sardanapale (1914). Between the wars, no classic winners appeared on the winners' list. It was not until 1947 that another Prix du Jockey Club winner, Sandjar, claimed the title, followed by Mât de Cocagne (Prix Lupin) in 1951, Beau Prince II (Grand Critérium) in 1955, and Crow (St Leger) in 1976. During this period, some notable horses had to settle for second place: Soltikoff, future Arc de Triomphe winner in 1962, and Caro, Poule d'Essai winner in 1970. Over the last 25 years, five horses have dominated the winners' list: Gay Mecene (Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud) in 1978; Arcangues (Breeders' Cup Classic) in 1991; Carnegie (future Arc de Triomphe winner) in 1994; Dubai Millennium on the way to the Prix Jacques Le Marois, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and Emirates Dubai World Cup in 1999; Valixir, future Prix Ganay and Queen Anne Stakes winner at Royal Ascot in 2004; and Twice Over, Eclipse Stakes (Gr1) winner in 2008.

Eugène Adam (1840-1904)

On 25 May 1887, he established a limited company with a capital of 15,000 francs, the "Société Sportive d'Encouragement." He presided over it until his death and skillfully managed it, achieving prosperity at his three racecourses: Maisons-Laffitte, Enghien, and Saint-Ouen. Neither a brilliant rider nor a member of the Jockey Club or the Nouveau Cercle, he was a businessman of his time, captivated by the flourishing sport of horse racing, to which he demonstrated his commitment by maintaining a jumping stable that stood out in 1889 with Vanille's victory in the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil. His racing colours were a maroon jacket, pink sleeves, and cap.

The three founding members and subscribers to the share capital (15 shares of 1,000 francs each) of the Société Sportive d'Encouragement were Eugène Adam, Alfred de Rollepot, and Robert Papin. Originally headquartered in Paris at 37 Rue La Fayette, it soon moved to 3 Rue des Mathurins, and in 1899, it relocated to 4 Rue Halévy until purchasing a private mansion at 133 Faubourg Saint-Honoré on 2 July 1912 for 550,000 francs.

Fillies

Fillies have been victorious seven times. They are Marsa (1910), Guerrière II (1921), Queen Iseult (1927), Vignes du Seigneur (1935), Patoche (1938), Cordova (1954), and Highest Hopes (1970).

Foreign Competitors

The first foreign winner was the German Hitchcock (1969), immediately followed by the English filly Highest Hopes (1970). The third foreigner came from Italy, Mannsfeld (1974). Sixteen years later, the next victorious visitor was the British-trained Dashing Blade (1990) by Ian Balding. Since then, foreign competitors have been very active, winning once every two years on average. These visitors from England include Pollen Count (trained by John Gosden, 1992), Revelation (Richard Hannon, 1993), Royal Solo (Peter Chapple-Hyam, 1995), Dr Fong (Henry Cecil, 1998), Dubai Millennium (Saeed bin Suroor, 1999), Burning Sun (Henry Cecil, 2002), Harland (Michael-A. Jarvis, 2007), Twice Over (Henry Cecil, 2008), Debussy (John Gosden, 2009), Pisco Sour (Hughie Morrison, 2011), Western Hymn (John Gosden, 2014), and Headman (Roger Charlton, 2019). Additionally, a winner from Germany, Flashing Numbers (Mario Hofer, 2006), and Mr Prospero won for William Haggas in 2022.

Owners

• Marcel Boussac (7 victories): Banstar (1926), Negundo (1933), Micipsa (1943), Goyama (1946), Sandjar (1947), Cordova (1954), and Anaram (1960).
• Mohammed Al Maktoum (6 victories): Sarhoob (1988), River Warden (1989), Pollen Count (1992), Carnegie (1994), Sobieski (2000), and Harland (2007).
• Jefferson Davis Cohn (5 victories): Guerrière II (1921), Checkmate (1923), Ptolemy (1925), Queen Iseult (1927), and Potiphar (1930).
• Karim Aga Khan (5 victories): Jour et Nuit III (1964), Silver Shark (1966), Shimraan (2010), Bayrir (2012), and Dariyan (2015).
• Khaled Abdullah (5 victories): Radevore (1996), Kirkwall (1997), Burning Sun (2002), Twice Over (2008), and Finche (2016).

Also notable:

• Wildenstein family (5 victories): Georges with Beau Prince II (1955) and Balbo (1957), then Daniel with Quiludi (1971), Crow (1976), and Arcangues (1991).
• Rothschild family (5 victories): Edouard with Vignes du Seigneur (1935) and Téléférique (1937), Guy with Ilex (1931) and Courtroom (1985), then Édouard with Archange d'Or (2005).

Trainers

• André Fabre (17 victories): Mourjane (1983), Cariellor (1984), Courtroom (1985), Un Desperado (1986), Sarhoob (1988), River Warden (1989), Arcangues (1991), Carnegie (1994), Radevore (1996), Kirkwall (1997), Sobieski (2000), Valixir (2004), Archange d’Or (2005), Triple Threat (2013), Finche (2017), Gyllen (2018), Bright Picture (2024).
• Robert Denman (8 victories): Fourire (1899), Gouvernant (1904), Val d'Or (1905), Marsa (1910), Guerrière II (1921), Checkmate (1923), Ptolemy (1925), Banstar (1926).
• Alec Head (4 victories): Trictrac (1965), Saint Léonard (1967), Rose Laurel (1973), and Gay Mecene (1978).
• John Gosden (3 victories): Pollen Count (1992), Debussy (2009), and Western Hymn (2014).
• Alain de Royer Dupré (3 victories): Shimraan (2010), Bayrir (2012), and Dariyan (2015).

Riders

• Yves Saint-Martin (5 victories): Jour et Nuit III (1964), Silver Shark (1966), Quiludi (1971), Citheron (1972), and Crow (1976).
• George Stern (4 victories): Gouvernant (1904), Val d'Or (1905), Marsa (1910), and Sardanapale (1914).
• Roger Poincelet (4 victories): Good Admiral (1942), Coadjuteur (1944), Sandjar (1947), and Anaram (1960).
• Freddy Head (4 victories): Rose Laurel (1973), Gay Mecene (1978), Bellman (1981), and What a Guest (1982).
• Thierry Jarnet (3 victories): Arcangues (1991), Carnegie (1994), and Radevore (1996).
• Christophe Soumillon (3 victories): Archange d'Or (2005), Dariyan (2015), and Pretty Tiger (2021).