By The Grade 3, $100,000 Gallorette Stakes on next month’s
Preakness undercard at Pimlico will offer the added incentive of an automatic
berth for its winner in a Group 1 race this summer in France.
The announcement tying the Gallorette in with the US$267,428
Prix Jean Romanet Stakes (G1) was made Wednesday in a joint announcement from
1/ST, which runs Pimlico, and France Galop, the Paris-based national racing
authority.
According to a Wednesday news release, this new initiative
sees both parties come together to form a series of high-class partnerships
that will power increased international participation across a host of
top-quality graded stakes and marquee race days, beginning with the Gallorette on
Preakness 149 race day at Pimlico on May 18. The winner automatically will be qualified
to run in the Romanet at Deauville on Aug. 18. The Gallorette winner will also
receive a free, equine-travel stipend to cover its subsequent travel costs to
France.
The collective aim is to establish long-lasting links
between revered races in France and valuable turf contests at 1/ST racetracks
across North America, boosting the international profile and prize funds of all
participating contests and increasing the number of runners entered in these
races which, in turn, will engage a wider international audience and drive
global wagering turnover.
This innovative collaboration with France Galop leverages
natural synergies between two powerhouses of the sport. Moreover, it builds on
similar global, gateway partnerships which 1/ST already has formed with Ascot via
Gulfstream Park’s series for Royal Ascot’s juvenile races and the U.K. Jockey
Club around the July Cup (G1) and the Eclipse Stakes (G1), now twinned as
qualifiers for the newly minted California Crown (G1) taking place at Santa
Anita Park on Sept. 28, marking California’s richest day of racing.
As an automatic qualifier for the Romanet, the Gallorette also
shines the spotlight on a high-profile undercard for Preakness 149. This year’s
will be the most lucrative in the event’s history with $3.3 million on the line
highlighted by the running of the 149th Preakness, the middle jewel in the
Triple Crown featuring an increased $2 million purse. These enhanced purses
reflect 1/ST’s vision for the future of the highest standard of world-class
Thoroughbred horse racing combined with unique and elevated guest experiences
and exciting opportunities for owners, trainers and bettors to usher in a new
era for racing.
“1/ST is thrilled to create another great global
partnership, breaking new ground in France with our friends at France Galop,” 1/ST
president Aidan Butler said. “This Gallorette-Romanet pathway is an exciting
trial for hopefully more reciprocal race days in France considering France
Galop’s rich heritage in staging many of the most prestigious turf contests in
Europe at courses like Deauville, Chantilly and Longchamp.
“We look forward to announcing more global racing
partnerships over the year ahead. Whether we’re bolstering the brand,
increasing horse-recruitment numbers or driving wagering dollars overseas, it’s
high time for more innovative moments on the worldwide racing stage.”
“We’re naturally delighted to be teaming up with 1/ST on
this compelling initiative which will introduce many new French racing fans to
Preakness 149 and add some welcome transatlantic flavor to the Group 1 Prix
Jean Romanet Stakes, now in its 20th year of attracting the best
middle-distance horses in the business,” said Henri Pouret, Chief Operating
Officer at France Galop. “The travel stipend is an excellent incentive for
facilitating stress-free long-haul travel, helping to secure a stellar field of
global contenders for the Romanet and proving that racing is a sport whose
worldwide appeal is no barrier to worldwide participation be it in France or
the States.
“We look forward to welcoming the Gallorette victor to
Deauville later this summer and building on the success of U.S.-trained horses
at other elite European events such as Royal Ascot.”
