Prix Minerve

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

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.

References

• France Galop / Racing Post:
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• 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.

References

1. "Prix Minerve".