| Location | Longchamp Racecourse Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1878 |
| Race type | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Website | france-galop.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2,000 metres (1¼ miles) |
| Track | Turf, right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds excluding geldings |
| Weight | 58 kg Allowances 1½ kg for fillies |
| Purse | €130,000 (2011) 1st: €74,100 |
The Prix Noailles is a Group 2 flat horse race in France which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.
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The event was established in 1878, and it was originally called the Prix du Nabob. It was named after The Nabob, one of the leading sires in France during the preceding two decades. In the early part of its history the race's distance was 2,500 metres.
The Prix du Nabob was one of several trials for the Prix du Jockey Club collectively known as the Poules des Produits. The others (listed by their modern titles) were the Prix Daru, the Prix Lupin, the Prix Hocquart and the Prix Greffulhe. The Prix du Nabob was restricted to horses whose dams' sires were born outside France. The event was funded by entries submitted before a horse's birth, in the year of its conception.
The race was renamed the Prix Noailles in 1896. This was in memory of Alfred de Noailles (1823–1895), who played an important role in the development of the Société d'Encouragement and the creation of Longchamp Racecourse.
The Prix Noailles was abandoned throughout World War I, with no running from 1915 to 1919. It was cancelled once during World War II, in 1940. It was extended to 2,400 metres in 1942.
For a period the race merged with the Prix Daru, and the combined event was called the Prix Daru-Noailles. This was held at Le Tremblay (1943), Maisons-Laffitte (1944–45) and Longchamp (1946). The first running was over 2,400 metres, and the next three over 2,100 metres.
In the post-war years the Prix Noailles was contested over 2,200 metres. The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the event was subsequently given Group 2 status. It was cut to 2,100 metres in 2005, and to 2,000 metres in 2011.
Twelve winners of the Prix Noailles have achieved victory in the Prix du Jockey Club. The first was Zut in 1879, and the most recent was Anabaa Blue in 2001.
Leading jockey (6 wins):
Leading trainer (9 wins):
Leading owner (4 wins):
| Year |
Winner |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
| 1978 | Gracias | Jean-Claude Desaint | John Cunnington, Jr. | Mrs Pierre Ribes | 2:36.00 |
| 1979 | High Sierra | Michel Jerome | E. Chevalier du Fau | Ella Widener Wetherill | 2:22.20 |
| 1980 | Julius Caesar | Henri Samani | Serge Boullenger | R. W. Dilley | 2:19.90 |
| 1981 | Lydian | Freddy Head | Criquette Head | Ecurie Aland | 2:21.80 |
| 1982 | Persepolis | Lester Piggott | François Boutin | Stavros Niarchos | 2:23.00 |
| 1983 | Jeu de Paille | Henri Samani | André Fabre | Guy de Rothschild | 2:37.40 |
| 1984 | Cariellor | Alfred Gibert | André Fabre | Suzy Volterra | 2:20.10 |
| 1985 | Glaros | Eric Legrix | Patrick Biancone | Richard K. Eamer | 2:23.90 |
| 1986 | Bering | Gary W. Moore | Criquette Head | Ghislaine Head | 2:44.00 |
| 1987 | Sadjiyd | Yves Saint-Martin | Alain de Royer-Dupré | HH Aga Khan IV | 2:19.30 |
| 1988 | Nerio | Freddy Head | Gérard Collet | Ecurie du Ring | 2:22.40 |
| 1989 | Dancehall | Cash Asmussen | André Fabre | Tomohiro Wada | 2:22.50 |
| 1990 | Intimiste | Gérald Mossé | François Boutin | Marquis della Rocchetta | 2:27.10 |
| 1991 | Pistolet Bleu | Dominique Boeuf | Elie Lellouche | Daniel Wildenstein | 2:19.00 |
| 1992 | Grand Plaisir | Freddy Head | J. C. Cunnington | Taisuke Fujishima | 2:28.40 |
| 1993 | Fort Wood | Walter Swinburn | André Fabre | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:31.50 |
| 1994 | Gunboat Diplomacy | Olivier Peslier | Elie Lellouche | Daniel Wildenstein | 2:34.10 |
| 1995 | Walk on Mix | Thierry Jarnet | André Fabre | Jean-Luc Lagardère | 2:18.70 |
| 1996 | Helissio | Dominique Boeuf | Elie Lellouche | Enrique Sarasola | 2:14.50 |
| 1997 | Fragrant Mix | Thierry Jarnet | André Fabre | Jean-Luc Lagardère | 2:16.50 |
| 1998 | Special Quest | Olivier Doleuze | Criquette Head | Wertheimer et Frère | 2:29.10 |
| 1999 | Slickly | Olivier Peslier | André Fabre | Jean-Luc Lagardère | 2:17.00 |
| 2000 | Kutub | Davy Bonilla | Freddy Head | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 2:20.60 |
| 2001 | Anabaa Blue | Christophe Soumillon | Carlos Lerner | Charles Mimouni | 2:35.90 |
| 2002 | Ballingarry | Jamie Spencer | Aidan O'Brien | Sue Magnier | 2:17.30 |
| 2003 | Super Celebre | Dominique Boeuf | Elie Lellouche | Ecurie Wildenstein | 2:19.90 |
| 2004 | Voix du Nord | Christophe Soumillon | David Smaga | Baron Thierry van Zuylen | 2:17.47 |
| 2005 | Ruwi | Ioritz Mendizabal | Jean-Claude Rouget | Robert Bousquet | 2:21.10 |
| 2006 | Gentlewave | Olivier Peslier | André Fabre | Gary A. Tanaka | 2:11.00 |
| 2007 | Soldier of Fortune | Christophe Soumillon | Aidan O'Brien | Magnier / Tabor / Smith | 2:07.40 |
| 2008 | Full of Gold | Thierry Gillet | Criquette Head-Maarek | Alec Head | 2:22.50 |
| 2009 | Grandcamp | Christophe Lemaire | Jean-Claude Rouget | Daniel-Yves Trèves | 2:10.77 |
| 2010 | Planteur | Anthony Crastus | Elie Lellouche | Ecurie Wildenstein | 2:12.04 |
| 2011 | Grand Vent | Maxime Guyon | André Fabre | Godolphin | 2:05.42 |
* The race was merged with the Prix Daru from 1943 to 1946.