Prix du Lys

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Group 3 race
Prix du Lys

Location	Longchamp Racecourse Paris, France
Inaugurated	1922
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat race
Website	France-Galop.com
Race information
Distance	2,400 metres (1½ miles)
Track	Turf, right-handed
Qualification	Three-year-old colts and geldings excluding Group 1 winners
Weight	56 kg Penalties 2½ kg for Group 2 winners * 1½ kg for Group 3 winners * * since January 1
Purse	€80,000 (2008) Distribution 1st: 50%, 2nd: 20%, 3rd: 15% 4th: 10%, 5th: 5%

The Prix du Lys is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately 1½ miles) at Longchamp Racecourse and takes place annually in June.

It was first run on June 8, 1922 at Chantilly and is named after Le Lys, a small forest close to the racecourse on the left bank of the Oise River. Originally contested by colts and fillies, the race was restricted until 1970 to horses not entered for the Prix du Jockey Club or the Prix de Diane. It closed to fillies and opened to geldings in 1986.

For two periods in the 1940s the race was transferred to Longchamp (1941–42, 1945–47). Other wartime runnings took place in 1943 and 1944 at Tremblay with a distance of 2,300 metres. The race otherwise remained at Chantilly until 1992.

From 1993 to 1996 the race was run at Saint-Cloud over 2,800 metres. It was then contested with a distance of 2,600 metres at both Maisons-Laffitte (1997–98) and Chantilly (1999–2000). The original length of 2,400 metres was restored when the race arrived at its present home in 2001.

1 Records
2 Winners since 1980
3 Earlier winners
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Records

Leading jockey (6 wins):

Roger Poincelet – Djelal (1947), Mistralor (1954), Jithaka (1956), Rugby (1962), Nasram (1963), Steady (1967)
Freddy Head – Mazarin (1969), Azorello (1973), Ercolano (1977), Fabulous Dancer (1979), Bellman (1981), Iris Noir (1984)

Leading trainer (11 wins):

André Fabre – Iris Noir (1984), Luth Dancer (1987), Northern Spur (1994), Swain (1995), Vertical Speed (1997), Epistolaire (1998), Morozov (2002), Doyen (2003), Desideratum (2005), Rail Link (2006), Airmail Special (2007)

Leading owner (5 wins):

Sheikh Mohammed – Swain (1995), Morozov (2002), Doyen (2003), Desideratum (2005), Airmail Special (2007)

[edit] Winners since 1980

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
1980	Lancastrian	Alain Lequeux	David Smaga	Sir Michael Sobell
1981	Bellman	Freddy Head	Criquette Head	Ecurie Aland
1982	Coquelin	Cash Asmussen	François Boutin	Stavros Niarchos
1983	Solford	Pat Eddery	Vincent O'Brien	Robert Sangster
1984	Iris Noir	Freddy Head	André Fabre	Baron Guy de Rothschild
1985	Iades	Cash Asmussen	François Boutin	Marquise Incisa della Rocchetta
1986	Chercheur d'Or	Gary W. Moore	Criquette Head	Jacques Wertheimer
1987	Luth Dancer	Pat Eddery	André Fabre	Paul de Moussac
1988	Frankly Perfect	Pat Eddery	Jonathan Pease	Bruce McNall	2:28.0
1989	Harvest Time	Joel Boisnard	Henri-Alex Pantall	Paul de Moussac	2:33.9
1990	Comte du Bourg	Dominique Boeuf	Raymond Touflan	Adolf Bader	2:31.2
1991	Strike Oil *	Alain Lequeux	John Cunnington, Jr.	Lord Weinstock	2:33.4
1992	Songlines	Olivier Benoist	Edouard Bartholomew	Sir Robin McAlpine	2:33.6
1993	Epaphos	Eric Legrix	Pascal Bary	Egon Wanke	2:59.3
1994	Northern Spur	Thierry Jarnet	André Fabre	Tomohiro Wada	3:04.2
1995	Swain	Thierry Jarnet	André Fabre	Sheikh Mohammed	3:01.2
1996	Cachet Noir	Frédéric Grenet	Pascal Bary	Juan Garcia-Roady	3:11.8
1997	Vertical Speed	Thierry Jarnet	André Fabre	Daniel Wildenstein	2:55.0
1998	Epistolaire	Thierry Gillet	André Fabre	Baron Edouard de Rothschild	2:53.5
1999	Spendent	Thierry Thulliez	Pascal Bary	Khalid Abdullah	2:45.6
2000	Lycitus	Gérald Mossé	François Doumen	John D. Martin	2:48.6
2001	Sharbayan	Gérald Mossé	Alain de Royer-Dupré	HH Aga Khan IV	2:31.4
2002	Morozov	Olivier Peslier	André Fabre	Sheikh Mohammed	2:35.2
2003	Doyen	Frankie Dettori	André Fabre	Sheikh Mohammed	2:31.2
2004	Prospect Park	Olivier Peslier	Carlos Laffon-Parias	Wertheimer et Frère	2:29.2
2005	Desideratum	Christophe Soumillon	André Fabre	Sheikh Mohammed	2:34.0
2006	Rail Link	Christophe Soumillon	André Fabre	Khalid Abdullah	2:32.2
2007	Airmail Special	Stéphane Pasquier	André Fabre	Sheikh Mohammed	2:38.1