The Prix du Palais-Royal is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early June.
The event is named after the Palais-Royal, a palace and an associated garden located in Paris. The race was established in 1968, and with four exceptions — the 1996 and 2016 runnings at Deauville, the 2017 running at Maisons-Laffitte and the 2020 running at Clairefontaine — it has always taken place at Longchamp. Its distance has remained at 1,400 metres since its creation.
For several years before its launch there was an event titled the Prix Palais Royal at Saint-Cloud. This was named after a racehorse called Palais Royal, the winner of the Cambridgeshire Handicap and runner-up in the St Leger in 1928.
Records Most successful horse (2 wins): Garnica – 2007, 2008
Leading jockey (5 wins): Freddy Head – Regent Street (1969), Prince Mab (1981), Honeyland (1983), Funambule (1990), Robin des Pins (1992) Cash Asmussen – Bon Vent (1988), Polish Precedent (1989), Polski Boy (1991), Voleris (1993), Cherokee Rose (1995)
Leading trainer (6 wins): André Fabre – Bon Vent (1988), Polish Precedent (1989), Lunasalt (2001), Art Master (2005), Inns of Court (2017), Egot (2022)
Leading owner (4 wins): Daniel Wildenstein – African Sky (1973), Gravelines (1976), Bon Vent (1988), Blu Air Force (2000)
Winners since 1980 Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Time 1980 Baptism 4 Pat Eddery Jeremy Tree John Hay Whitney 1:25.6 1981 Prince Mab 3 Freddy Head Alec Head Jacques Wertheimer 1982 Indian King 4 Greville Starkey Guy Harwood J. Levy 1983 Honeyland 4 Freddy Head Alec Head Jacques Wertheimer 1984 Harlow 4 George Duffield Sir Mark Prescott John E. Anthony 1985 Spectacular Joke 3 Maurice Philipperon John Cunnington Jr. Paul de Moussac 1986 Comrade in Arms 4 Gérard Dubroeucq Philippe Lallié D. W. Molins 1987 Turkish Ruler 4 Jorge Velásquez Georges Mikhalidès Mahmoud Fustok 1988 Bon Vent 3 Cash Asmussen André Fabre Daniel Wildenstein 1:22.0 1989 Polish Precedent 3 Cash Asmussen André Fabre Sheikh Mohammed 1:22.3 1990 Funambule 3 Freddy Head Criquette Head Etti Plesch 1:23.2 1991 Polski Boy 3 Cash Asmussen Robert Collet René Aubert 1:22.7 1992 Robin des Pins 4 Freddy Head François Boutin Stavros Niarchos 1:22.7 1993 Voleris 4 Cash Asmussen John Hammond David Thompson 1:21.4 1994 Young Ern 4 Richard Quinn Simon Dow Mike Kentish 1:23.9 1995 Cherokee Rose 4 Cash Asmussen John Hammond Sheikh Mohammed 1:25.9 1996 Mistle Cat 6 Wendyll Woods Sean Woods Peter Chu 1:27.5 1997 Nombre Premier 3 Gérald Mossé Alain de Royer-Dupré Marquesa de Moratalla 1:19.3 1998 Hidden Meadow 4 Olivier Peslier Ian Balding George Strawbridge 1:20.2 1999 Russian Revival 6 Ray Cochrane John Gosden Maktoum Al Maktoum 1:17.9 2000 Blu Air Force 3 Olivier Peslier Bruno Grizzetti Daniel Wildenstein 1:20.4 2001 Lunasalt 3 Olivier Peslier André Fabre Jean-Luc Lagardère 1:20.2 2002 Frenchmans Bay 4 Steve Drowne Roger Charlton Michael Pescod 1:21.7 2003 Saratan 6 Stéphane Pasquier Mikel Delzangles Marquesa de Moratalla 1:21.6 2004 Puppeteer 4 Christophe Soumillon Alain de Royer-Dupré 6C Racing Ltd 1:19.8 2005 Art Master 4 Christophe Soumillon André Fabre Khalid Abdullah 1:18.6 2006 Satri 4 Olivier Peslier Jean-Marie Béguigné Enrico Ciampi 1:20.1 2007 Garnica 4 Christophe Lemaire Jean-Claude Rouget Edmund A. Gann 1:25.6 2008 Garnica 5 Stéphane Pasquier David Nicholls O'Reilly / Maher 1:21.0 2009 Dunkerque 4 Dominique Boeuf Criquette Head-Maarek Alec Head 1:19.4 2010 Dalghar 4 Christophe Lemaire Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 1:17.4 2011 Sahpresa 6 Grégory Benoist Rod Collet Teruya Yoshida 1:19.2 2012 Moonlight Cloud 4 Thierry Jarnet Freddy Head George Strawbridge 1:19.31 2013 Pearl Flute 3 Umberto Rispoli Francis-Henri Graffard Qatar Racing Ltd 1:24.36 2014 American Devil 5 Pierre-Charles Boudot Eric Libaud Ecurie Haras de Quetieville 1:22.53 2015 Rosso Corsa 4 Aurelien Lemaitre Georges Mikhalidès Mubarak Al Naemi 1:19.18 2016 Attendu 3 Maxime Guyon Carlos Laffon-Parias Wertheimer et Frère 1:26.65 2017 Inns of Court 3 Mickael Barzalona André Fabre Godolphin 1:25.43 2018 Polydream 3 Maxime Guyon Freddy Head Wertheimer et Frère 1:21.85 2019 Hey Gaman 4 P. J. McDonald James Tate Sultan Ali 1:18.60 2020 Spinning Memories 5 Christophe Soumillon Pascal Bary Sutong Pan Racing Bloodst 1:22.70 2021 Marianafoot 6 Mickael Barzalona Jerome Reynier Jean-Claude Seroul 1:19.06 2022 Egot 4 Mickael Barzalona André Fabre Godolphin 1:19.72 2023 Fort Payne 5 Maxime Guyon Nicolas Caullery Alain Jathiere, Mme Philippe Demercastel & Nicolas Caullery 1:19.17 2024 Exxtra 4 Alexis Pouchin Carlos and Yann Lerner Mme Anja Wilde 1:20.66 2025 Topgear 6 Stéphane Pasquier Christopher Head Hisaaki Saito 1:19.31 2026 Lazzat 5 Mickael Barzalona Jerome Reynier Wathnan Racing 1:19:12
Earlier winners
1968: Holy Smoke 1969: Regent Street 1970: Yellow God 1971: Assouan 1972: Hadrianus 1973: African Sky 1974: Sincerely 1975: Dandy Lute 1976: Gravelines 1977: Diligo 1978: Pas de Deux 1979: By the Sea
See also List of French flat horse races
References France Galop / Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
france-galop.com – A Brief History: Prix du Palais Royal. galopp-sieger.de – Prix du Palais Royal. horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Prix du Palais-Royal (2016). pedigreequery.com – Prix du Palais Royal – Longchamp.