Puneet Varma (Editor)

Critérium de Saint Cloud

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Inaugurated
  
1901

Website
  
france-galop.com

Race type
  
Flat / Thoroughbred

Surface
  
Turf

Location
  
Saint-Cloud Racecourse Saint-Cloud, France

Distance
  
2,000 metres (1¼ miles)

The Critérium de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.

Contents

History

The event was established in 1901, and it was originally held in September. It was initially contested over 1,400 metres, and was extended to 2,000 metres in 1906.

The race was abandoned throughout World War I, with no running from 1914 to 1919. It was cut to 1,600 metres in 1920, and restored to 2,000 metres in 1924.

Due to the closure of its venue during World War II, the Critérium de Saint-Cloud was not run from 1939 to 1945. It was staged at Longchamp in 1954.

The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Critérium de Saint-Cloud was given Group 2 status. It was promoted to Group 1 level in 1987.

Prior to 2015 the event was run in mid-November and was Europe's last Group 1 flat race of the year. In 2015 it was moved to a date a week earlier as part of a series of changes to autumn races for two-year-olds and is now run on the same day as another Group 1 race, the Critérium International.

Records

Leading jockey (6 wins):

  • Yves Saint-Martin – Fire Crest (1967), Rheffic (1970), Ribecourt (1973), Tarek (1977), Darshaan (1983), Mouktar (1984)
  • Dominique Boeuf – Pistolet Bleu (1990), Glaieuil (1991), Marchand de Sable (1992), Spadoun (1998), Goldamix (1999), Voix du Nord (2003)

    • Leading trainer (8 wins):

  • François Mathet – Telegram (1949), Bingo (1952), Pas de Deux (1955), Upstart (1957), Le Francais (1960), Saraca (1968), Rheffic (1970), Simbir (1972)

    • Leading owner (5 wins): (includes part ownership)

  • Sue Magnier – Ballingarry (2001), Alberto Giacometti (2002), Fame and Glory (2008), Recital (2010), Waldgeist (2016)

    • Winners since 1978

    a Snurge finished first in 1989, but he was relegated to second place following a stewards' inquiry.

    Earlier winners

    * The 1931 race was a dead-heat and has joint winners.

    References

    Critérium de Saint-Cloud Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA