Longines Prix de Diane: Elegance meets equine excellence in Classic
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6:30 AM EDT, Thu June 13, 2019
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Chantilly racecourse to the north of Paris is the home of French racing and hosts some of Europe's most prestigious events. The Longines Prix de Diane is a French Classic and the equivalent of the English Oaks. It also hosts the Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby.
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Chantilly is an historic estate featuring the 16th century Petit Chateau and the Grand Chateau, which was destroyed during the French Revolution but rebuilt in the 1870s.
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Chantilly hosts the famous Museum of the Horse in the iconic Great Stables, which were built in 1719.
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The Hippodrome de Chantilly features three interlinked tracks surrounded by woodland in France's main horse racing center. The first race was held here in 1834 with the grandstand added in 1879.
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The Prix de Diane, established in 1843, is a fixture on the French sporting and cultural calendar and attracts the cream of Paris society for a day out at the races.
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June's Prix de Diane is a 2,100-meter (1 mile 2? furlongs) race for three-year-old fillies, known as the French Oaks in reference to the English fillies' Classic at Epsom the day before the Derby.
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Laurens (center) beat Godolphin's Musis Amica (right) and Homerique to victory in the Prix de Dianes in 2018.
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Chantilly was used for horse racing scenes in the 1985 James Bond film "A View to a Kill," featuring Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) as the evil villain.
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The race meeting is a chance for Parisians to escape the city, dress up and enjoy a day in the magnificent surroundings of Chantilly.
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Parisian elegance and equine excellence are on show at Chantilly for the Prix de Diane.
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The race attracts a purse of €1 million ($1.13M) with the winning connections taking home about €570,000 ($643,000).
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Six winners have gone on to triumph in the prestigious Prix de l'Arc du Triomphe, most recently Treve in 2013. La Cressonniere (pictured) won in 2016.
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In 2016 and 2017 Chantilly was the venue for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Europe's most valuable horse race, while its traditional home Longchamp was being renovated.
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The Prix de Diane day is a day of garden parties and al fresco entertainment.