France Galop

Dubai Racing Club has announced a new strategic partnership with France Galop. As part of the agreement, members of the Dubai Racing Club will be in Deauville on Saturday, August 9 and will sponsor the G3 Prix de Reux. In return, France Galop representatives will visit Meydan Racecourse for the running of the G3 Dubawi Stakes on Friday, January 2.  Ali Al Ali, CEO of Dubai Racing Club, said, "We are honoured to partner with France Galop in this exciting new venture. Our upcoming visit to Deauville and their presence...

A contingent of U.S. racing investigators will take part in an intensive two-week tour of France and England beginning June 21 where they will visit their counterparts and exchange ideas about integrity issues. The inaugural trip last year included stops at Ballydoyle in Ireland and during Royal Ascot. The participants are members of the Organization of Racing Investigators and the schedule was put together by board member Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, who will lead the group. Local hosts Samuel Fargeat in France and John Burgess...

Henri Pouret has taken over from Brian Kavanagh as the new Chairman of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF). Kavanagh said, "My time as Chairman of EMHF has been very satisfying and stimulating. There are excellent people working in the horse racing sector throughout the region and it has been a privilege to get to know them. The EMHF has a key role to play in the development and advancement of horse racing and I know that, with Henri Pouret coming in as Chairman and Paull Khan continuing as...

Some 10 years ago, I found myself alone in Chantilly, France at a horse sale and attending the Arc de Triomphe. I didn't know anyone and certainly didn't speak French. France Galop had it set up for me to meet Nicolas Clement at his yard in Chantilly. For those of you who don't know, "yard" is their barn area and the yard is also located at their home. Nicolas was delightful. Showed me around and invited me to a barbecue he was hosting at his home the next day. The...

France Galop has announced a "major recovery plan" in a bid to shore up the country's racing industry in the face of falling turnover from the PMU. From July 1, prize-money will be reduced by €10.5 million for the remainder of 2025 - representing a drop of 3.6 per cent. From 2026, there will be savings of €20.3 million on prize-money, a drop of 6.9 per cent. Group 1 races will however remain unaffected.  France Galop president Guillaume de Saint-Seine presented the changes to his committee and board on May...

France Galop has teamed up with Goffs as an official partner of the London Sale on June 16. Under the terms of the partnership, Goffs will become the new sponsor of the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly on Sunday, July 20. French interest at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot included Al Shaqab buying into Sparkling Plenty at £5 million just over 24 hours after her victory in the G1 Prix de Diane. "This new relationship further strengthens our growing ties with the French market,...

Plans are in place to start drainage work on the false straight at ParisLongchamp from Sunday, July 13, France Galop announced on Wednesday. The work will start 1,000 metres from the winning post, at the beginning of the bend leading into the false straight, and stop 600 metres before the winning post. Due to its proximity to a lake and the natural gradient of this track, this section of the course is said to have a greater tendency to retain water than the rest of the circuit when the ground...

Qualifying races for the Grand Prix de Paris have been extended to a number of fillies' races following a meeting of the European Pattern Committee at France Galop's HQ on Friday 14 February 2025 where several changes to the black-type programme were approved.  The first three finishers in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club and the Epsom Derby, as well as the winners of the Prix de l'Avre, Prix Hocquart, Prix Greffulhe, Prix du Lys Longines, Chester Vase, Derby Trial Stakes, Dante Stakes and King Edward VII Stakes have already...

France Galop has approved changes to the entry process in Group 2, Group 3 and Listed races, following a meeting of its Board on Tuesday, December 17. The new measures will mirror those for Group 1 races which were implemented in 2024 and have guaranteed sustainable funding of the Owners' Pool (Poule Propriétaire). The Owners' Pool contributes to the financing of black-type contests on the Flat, including 32% of the prize-money offered in Group 1 races last year. It stems from the entry and supplementary entry fees paid by owners...

The 2025 France Galop budget has been formally adopted by the organisation's council, which met at ParisLongchamp on Dec. 17. France Galop president Guillaume de Saint-Seine said that the organisation will maintain 2024 prize-money levels. However, he also said that a full audit of the PMU, of which France Galop is a shareholder, would commence in the first quarter of 2025. The PMU's gambling turnover for the past year has decreased by just under €100 million, leading to a loss of €18 million in contributions to racing and trotting. De...

France Galop and the American Racing Channel (ARC) have extended their partnership through 2027, the companies announced on Friday. ARC sponsors the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, which will carry prize-money of €380,000. On that same card, all of the remaining races will carry the ARC name, as well as the names of the South American Racing or Breeding Authorities. The partnership began in 2011, and allows French racegoers to wager on races in Latin America. These races are broadcast live on Equidia. Guillaume de Saint-Seine, president of France Galop,...

Henri Pouret has been named as the next chairman of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF) and he will begin his duties on June 1, 2025. An election was held at the EMHF's executive council meeting in Morocco last week to determine Brian Kavanagh's successor. Kavanagh has served in the role since the inception of the EMHF in 2010. Pouret is currently the chief operating officer and deputy chief executive officer of France Galop. He is also the vice-chair of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). Pouret said,...