The Prix Minerve is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4½ furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.

History The event is named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom. It was established in 1925, and it was originally called the Prix de Minerve. It was initially staged at Le Tremblay with a distance of 2,000 metres.

The race was abandoned in 1940, and for a period thereafter it was contested over 2,100 metres at Maisons-Laffitte (1941–43) and Auteuil (1944). It returned to Le Tremblay in 1945, and its former distance was restored in 1946. It was held at Longchamp from 1948 to 1950, and on the last two occasions it was run over 2,100 metres.

Le Tremblay closed in 1967, and the Prix de Minerve began a five-year spell at Chantilly the following year. It was transferred to Évry in 1973, and extended to 2,400 metres in 1976. The present version of its title, without the "de", was introduced in 1987.

The Prix Minerve took place at Saint-Cloud in 1993, and for the next three years it continued at Évry. It moved to Deauville in 1997, and at this point it was increased to 2,500 metres. The race was sponsored by Shadwell from 2005 to 2010.

Records Leading jockey (7 wins): Yves Saint-Martin – Red Flame (1963), Flaming Heart (1966), Paulista (1974), Acoma (1976), Rajpoura (1983), Sharaniya (1986), Daralinsha (1987)

Leading trainer (10 wins): André Fabre – Colorado Dancer (1989), Wajd (1990), Bright Moon (1993), Isle de France (1998), Prairie Runner (1999), Oiseau Rare (2005), Synopsis (2007), Kalla (2009), Announce (2010), Tamniah (2019)

Leading owner (11 wins): HH Aga Khan IV – Flaming Heart (1966), Rajpoura (1983), Sharaniya (1986), Daralinsha (1987), Linnga (1992), Sharamana (1994), Kassana (1997), Oiseau Rare (2005), Shareta (2011), Zarshana (2014), Candarliya (2015)

Winners since 1979 Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Time 1979 Anifa Henri Samani Mitri Saliba Mahmoud Fustok 1980 Great Verdict Henri Samani Georges Bridgland Mrs Paul L. Hexter 1981 Anitra's Dance Freddy Head Alec Head Jacques Wertheimer 1982 Perlee Alfred Gibert Mitri Saliba Mahmoud Fustok 1983 Rajpoura Yves Saint-Martin Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:32.00 1984 Lady Tamara Henri Samani Jean-Marie Béguigné N. A. Souter 2:33.60 1985 Gamberta Guy Guignard Georges Mikhalidès Ibrahim Moubarak 2:32.60 1986 Sharaniya Yves Saint-Martin Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:32.90 1987 Daralinsha Yves Saint-Martin Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:33.43 1988 Mystery Rays Freddy Head François Boutin Stavros Niarchos 2:28.83 1989 Colorado Dancer Cash Asmussen André Fabre Sheikh Mohammed 2:29.95 1990 Wajd Cash Asmussen André Fabre Sheikh Mohammed 2:27.46 1991 Lady Blessington Dominique Boeuf J. M. de Choubersky Jeffrey Siegel 2:32.92 1992 Linnga Guy Guignard Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:30.72 1993 Bright Moon Thierry Jarnet André Fabre Daniel Wildenstein 2:35.60 1994 Sharamana Gérald Mossé Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:47.29 1995 Danefair Guy Guignard Maurice Zilber Khalid Abdullah 2:40.73 1996 L'Annee Folle Thierry Gillet François Doumen M. Somerset-Leeke 2:28.42 1997 Kassana Gérald Mossé Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:38.90 1998 Isle de France Alain Junk André Fabre Michael Tabor 2:42.90 1999 Prairie Runner Olivier Peslier André Fabre Daniel Wildenstein 2:42.00 2000 Folie Danse Davy Bonilla Yves de Nicolay Christian Thulliez 2:46.50 2001 Lime Gardens Eddie Ahern Michael Grassick Jim Higgins 2:46.40 2002 Tigertail Thierry Gillet Rod Collet Georges Coude 2:42.60 2003 Whortleberry Thierry Jarnet François Rohaut Jacques Berès 2:43.20 2004 Silverskaya Ioritz Mendizabal Jean-Claude Rouget Earl Champ Gignoux 2:55.90 2005 Oiseau Rare Christophe Soumillon André Fabre HH Aga Khan IV 2:50.60 2006 Maroussies Wings Olivier Peslier Patrick Haslam Renata Jacobs 2:50.00 2007 Synopsis Stéphane Pasquier André Fabre Sheikh Mohammed 2:41.40 2008 Dar Re Mi Olivier Peslier John Gosden Lord Lloyd-Webber 2:50.20 2009 Kalla Maxime Guyon André Fabre Karin von Ullmann 2:43.30 2010 Announce Maxime Guyon André Fabre Khalid Abdullah 2:46.80 2011 Shareta Christophe Lemaire Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:41.73 2012 Forces of Darkness Grégory Benoist Fabrice Vermeulen G. Augustin-Normand 2:40.70 2013 Pomology William Buick John Gosden Princess Haya of Jordan 2:41.80 2014 Zarshana Christophe Soumillon Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:49.23 2015 Candarliya Alexis Badel Alain de Royer-Dupré HH Aga Khan IV 2:45.79 2016 Golden Valentine Aurelien Lemaitre Freddy Head LNJ Foxwoods 2:44.70 2017 God Given Jamie Spencer Luca Cumani St Albans Bloodstock 2:43.67 2018 Worth Waiting Stéphane Pasquier David Lanigan Saif Ali 2:43.51 2019 Tamniah Mickael Barzalona André Fabre Prince A. A. Faisal 2:46.94 2020 Wonderful Tonight Tony Piccone David Menuisier Chris Wright 2:54.11 2021 Free Wind Frankie Dettori John & Thady Gosden George Strawbridge 2:46.16 2022 Eternal Pearl William Buick Charlie Appleby Godolphin 2:42.83

Earlier winners

1925: Lucide 1926: Carissima / Miss McKinley * 1927: Bellecour 1928: Tanais 1929: Kantara 1930: La Savoyarde 1931: Pearl Cap 1932: Broadway Melody / Kiddie * 1933: La Souriciere 1934: Anatolie 1935: Blue Bell 1936: Capella 1937: Sylvanire 1938: Argolide 1939: Kaligoussa 1940: no race 1941: La Barka 1942: Gold and Blue 1943: Calonice 1944: La Belle du Canet 1945: Red Sky 1946: Pastourelle 1947: Love 1948: Reine des Etoiles 1949: Musette 1950: Nuit de Folies 1951: Maitrise 1952: Abeille 1953: Avenida 1954: Yvrande 1955: Cassilda 1956: Sees 1957: Great Success 1958: Lady Djebel 1959: Mandolina 1960: Valrose 1961: Parbel 1962: Peisqueira 1963: Red Flame 1964: Astaria 1965: Irish Lass 1966: Flaming Heart 1967: Armoricana 1968: Valya 1969: Insulaire 1970: Gleam 1971: Cambrizzia 1972: Paysanne 1973: El Mina 1974: Paulista 1975: Raise a Baby 1976: Acoma 1977: Trillion 1978: I Will Follow

* The 1926 and 1932 races were dead-heats and have joint winners.

See also List of French flat horse races

References

France Galop / Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

france-galop.com – A Brief History: Prix Minerve. galop.courses-france.com – Prix Minerve – Palmarès depuis 1983. galopp-sieger.de – Prix Minerve. horseracingintfed.com – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Prix Minerve (2017). pedigreequery.com – Prix Minerve – Deauville.