One of the oldest events in sport
Since 1836, the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club has crowned the year’s best three-year-old thoroughbred.
The history of the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club first began almost 200 years ago. A group of sportsmen, led by Lord Henry Seymour, a British nobleman and dandy with a passion for equestrianism, were returning to Chantilly Castle by horse when they came across an ideal plain of soft land to realise a dream of theirs and establish a racetrack.
As soon as the grandstands had gone up around the track, one of the next priorities was to set up a race to help select the best horses for siring. And thus it was that the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club was born! The first edition of this famous event was held on 24 April 1836 at Chantilly, making it one of the oldest sporting competitions in the calendar.
The Qatar Prix du Jockey Club led to many more horse races been created in France, but it quickly established itself as a veritable means of selection that is crucial to the strengthening of thoroughbred lines.
From the very early days, the race was won by some of the greatest horses of their generations. It is one of the stand-out events in Group I – the highest level of horse-racing– and since it first began in 1836, it has crowned over 100 stallions who have helped to ensure the sustainability of the breed.
It was originally run over a distance of 12 furlongs before being shortened to ten and a half furlongs in 2005, but is remains a battleground for the toughest competitors!
