Origins
The Poule d'Essai, an event for three-year-old colts and fillies, was established in France in 1840. It was inspired by two races in England, the 2000 Guineas (for colts and fillies) and the 1,000 Guineas (for fillies only).
The race was initially staged at the Champ de Mars. Its first running was over one full circuit of the track (about 2,000 metres). It was cut to a three-quarter lap (1,500 metres) in 1841. It was cancelled due to insufficient entries in 1843 and 1844.
The Poule d'Essai was transferred to Longchamp in 1857. It was extended to 1,600 metres in 1867. [2] It was abandoned because of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. It continued to be run until 1882. [3]
Modern version
The modern Poule d'Essai des Pouliches was created in 1883, when the Poule d'Essai was divided into two separate races. [4] The "Pouliches" was restricted to fillies, and the Poule d'Essai des Poulains was reserved for colts.
The events were cancelled throughout World War I, with no runnings from 1915 to 1918. There were two 1,800-metre replacement races at Chantilly in 1917. [5] The version for fillies was called the Critérium d'Essai des Pouliches. [6]
The "Pouliches" and "Poulains" were not run in the spring of 1940, but a substitute combining both races took place at Auteuil in October. Titled the Prix d'Essai, it was won by the colt Djebel. [7]
The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches was held at Le Tremblay in 1943, [8] and Maisons-Laffitte in 1944 and 1945. [9]
The present race grading system was introduced in 1971, and the event was given Group 1 status. It was switched from Longchamp's middle course (moyenne piste) to the main course (grande piste) in 1987.
The leading horses from the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches sometimes go on to compete in the Prix de Diane. Twenty-eight fillies have won both races. The most recent was Blue Rose Cen in 2023.
