ALLEZ CHANTILLY, CREME DE LA CREME OF FRENCH HORSE RACING

Prix du Jockey Club headlines GI meeting at quaint racecourse that is envy of the world

- Michael Lee

A group of horses galloping at Chantilly's famous and magnificent Chateau de Chantilly in the background.

If the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp in October indisputably showcases the quintessence of French horse racing, another champagne but quainter event held five months earlier 50km away in the Parisian banlieue (suburb) oozes no less oh lala - the Prix du Jockey Club at the picturesque Chantilly racecourse.

Universally known as the French Derby, the €1.5 million ($2.2 million) Group 1 race run over 2,100m is, in many respects, the French counterpart to the Epsom Derby.

Both are cornerstones of racing on either side of the English Channel. They set the stage where blue-blooded three-year-old colts and fillies emerge and where the fate of the world’s most sought-after future stallions is often decided.

On pure racing terms, they are told apart by the distance with the Epsom circuit covered over longer — 2,400m.

But purely from an aesthetic viewpoint, the Prix du Jockey Club may get a few more votes of approval.

The Grandstand is spectacular in itself, but it is its outbuildings that make for the extravagant setting and truly unique feast for the eyes.