CHIC OUTFITS AND LARGE PICNIC FOR THE 174th PRIX DE DIANE

The 174th edition of the Prix de Diane Longine was held in Chantilly on Sunday June 18, 2023. As every year, it is an opportunity to bring together 3-year-old fillies.

The day of the Prix d Diane offers many distractions in a glamorous atmosphere: showcase, giant picnic, hat contest gather around the race.

Procedure

From 11 a.m., the Village of Diane opened its doors to welcome visitors and register for the Mademoiselle Diane par Longines elegance competition. An equestrian show of about thirty minutes was presented before the festivities launched in music with the singer Adé in concert then the picnic at noon. The young people were able to take advantage of the entertainment at the « Folies de Diane », to the sound of DJ sets.

This day was also an opportunity to attend the Concours d’Élégance, the highlight of this glamorous event which sees nearly 400 women parade in hats with a lot of imagination. The former Miss-France, Sophie Thalmann chaired the jury which designated the winner, Miss Diane Longines who received a watch from the brand.

This year, a new attraction appeared in Chantilly for the Prix de Diane, a toboggan lighthouse unique in France, 15 meters high in the middle of a labyrinth of colored canvases.

A richly endowed race

Among the 10 races of the day, the start of the legendary gallop race was given around 4 p.m. This is the most endowed race of the day with 1 million euros in allowances including 571,400 euros for the entourage of the winner, this year number 14 Blue Rose Cen, trained by Christopher Head. Last year the race was won for the first time in 180 years, by a woman, British jokey Hollie Doyle.

Inaugurated on May 18, 1843, the Prix de Diane is a group 1 race for 3-year-old fillies, which is run over an intermediate distance of 2,100 meters. at the Chantilly racecourse (60). It marks the progression between the Poule d’Essai for fillies, which is 1,600 meters long, and the Prix Vermeille and the Arc de Triomphe, which are run over 2,400 meters. Its particularity: it is associated with a contest of elegance highlighting original dresses and hats.

Contested 2 weeks after the Prix du Jockey Club, this derby is a must on the international racing calendar. The first edition was won by the filly Nativa, trained by Henry Jennings and ridden by his brother Tom. There are certain anecdotes concerning her, such as in 1874 and 1875 when 2 fillies crossed the finishing post at the same time. We had to resort to racing to decide between them. The wars of the 20th century prevented the Prix de Diane from being contested, but in 1946, there was a record number of participants with 27 fillies, some of whom were foreigners for the first time. Since the pioneer Sweet Mimosa in 1970, we have seen 11 foreign contenders claim victory. In 1974, the filly of Queen Elizabeth II won the event, trained by Dyck Hern and ridden by Joe Mercer.

174th edition

Over the past 20 years, 12 fillies have appeared undefeated before winning the Prix de Diane. Among the French fillies noticed during the preparatory stages, Jannah Rose was one of the favorites, she had won the Saint-Alary prize by dominating her rivals by 3/4 lengths.

For her part, Blue Rose Cen, trained by Christopher Head, won the Poule d’Essai of the fillies. She was ridden by Aurélien Lemaître who knows her perfectly.

Among the foreigners, the British Nashwa had won the Prix de Diane last year thanks to her jockey Hollie Doyle. She was noted for several competitors such as Romina Power, winner in Baden-Baden on May 20 and Running Lion who remains on 4 successes consecutive across the Channel. and could thus be formidable. Never Ending Story edited by Ryan Moore remained another possibility.

Finally, the classification of the 174th edition was won by a French filly:

1 – Blue Rose Cen (A. Lemaitre / Ch. Head)
2 – Never Ending Story (RL. Moore / AP. O’Brien)
3 – Tasmania (T. Marquand / FH. Graffard)
4 – Wise Girl (E. Hardouin / Ch. Head)
5 – Elusive Princess (M. Barzalona / J.Ph. Dubois)

Copyright ©2023 IMPACT EUROPEAN

Copyright ©2023 IMPACT EUROPEAN. All rights reserved.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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