19 February 2020
Photo Sealiway: scoopdyga.com
864 entries in the six French classics were registered on Wednesday morning at France Galop. This figure is down 15% on that of last year, and this trend is found in comparable proportions in all the events, with the exception of the Grand Prix de Paris, where the number of candidates is only 5% lower than in 2020. It can be noted that compared to the overall entries received in 2018 and 2019, this represents a decrease of only 6%.
As usual, the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks, Gr1) is the most popular with European owners and trainers with 190 entries for the €1m race. It is followed by the 157 colts of the €1.5m Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, Gr1), then the €250,000 Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (Gr1) and his 148 fillies. The Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1) attracted 136 entries, just seven less than last year. The Emirates French Guineas lost an average of twenty candidates to 130 in the "Pouliches" (€ 500,000) and 103 in the "Poulains" (€ 600,000).
There is a certain disparity, from one race to another, in the representation of French stables. It is systematically in those which are restricted to fillies that these French entries are the most: 73% in the Saint-Alary, 67% in the Diane, and 55% in the French 1,000, whereas they are 44% trained in France in the "Poulains" ...
Besides, quantity is not everything. 10 of the 12 best 2-year-olds of 2020 according to Timeform are entered in at least one of the 2021 French classics, including the best colt, St Mark's Basilica, and the best filly, Pretty Gorgeous, both born in France and trained in Ireland!
Find more details of all these entries in our Group Races 1 section.