French Horse Racing Calendar

French Horse Racing Calendar: Major Races and Festivals The Big Races and Festivals Through the Year

Horse Racing In France - Deauville Racecourse

France's racing year at a glance

French racing runs on a different rhythm to Britain's. There's no big winter festival and no single jumps showpiece to match Cheltenham. Instead, the year builds in a long, elegant arc towards one race: the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, run at Longchamp on the first weekend of October and widely seen as the most prestigious Flat race in Europe.

Along the way you get the French Classics at Chantilly, the glamour of Deauville in August, and a strong programme of jump racing at Auteuil. There's top-class trotting too, at Vincennes.

France is also where much of the horse racing world's attention goes in the autumn. The Arc weekend is a major event for British, Irish and Japanese visitors, and it's one of the easiest big international meetings to reach from the UK by Eurostar.

Key 2027 dates for the major races

France Galop has not yet announced exact days for every race, so some entries below show the month only. Always check France Galop and the racecourse before you book.

France Racing Calendar

January and February: trotting and Riviera racing

Winter isn't the headline season in France, but there are two things worth knowing about.

Prix d'Amérique (Vincennes, late January): the most famous trotting race in the world. It's harness racing rather than gallops, but it's a huge national occasion in France.
Winter meeting at Cagnes-sur-Mer (January and February): racing on the Riviera, with both Flat and jumps, and a popular stop for trainers wanting to run horses in better weather.

April and May: the spring Classics begin

Prix Ganay (Longchamp, late April or early May): a Group 1 for older horses and the first big clue for the Arc.
Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Longchamp, May): the French equivalents of the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, run over a mile for three-year-old colts and fillies.
Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Auteuil, May): the most important chase in France, run over a very long distance and a real test of stamina and jumping.

June: Chantilly and the Classics

This is the month that matters most for flat races in the French Horse Racing Calendar, and both of the main Classics are run at Chantilly, a beautiful course in the forest north of Paris with the Great Stables as a backdrop.

Prix du Jockey Club: the French Derby, a Group 1 for three-year-olds over 2,100 metres. It dates back to 1836 and is one of the oldest races in the world.
Prix de Diane: the French Oaks, for three-year-old fillies over the same distance. It's also the most glamorous day on the French racing calendar, famous for its fashion and hats.

July: Saint-Cloud and Bastille Day

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (early July): a Group 1 over a mile and a half for older horses, and another Arc trial.
Grand Prix de Paris (ParisLongchamp, 14 July): run on Bastille Day, and a Group 1 for three-year-olds over a mile and a half. It's the last of the big three-year-old races before tAugust: Deauvillehe autumn.

August: Deauville

Deauville Unsaddling Ring

The seaside course at Deauville hosts the best of the French summer. The August meeting is the main event, with a strong run of Group 1 races.

Prix Morny: the top two-year-old sprint race in France.
Prix Maurice de Gheest: a top-class sprint over about 1,300 metres.
Prix Jacques le Marois: one of the best miler races in Europe.
Prix Jean Romanet: a Group 1 for fillies and mares.

September: the Arc trials

The racing returns to ParisLongchamp in early September with the Arc trials, a Sunday of races for horses heading to the big one. Winners of the main trials, including the Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares and the Prix Niel and Prix Foy for colts and older horses, often go on to run in the Arc.

October: the Arc weekend

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (the high point of the French Horse Racing Calendar) is the Arc weekend's headline, run over a mile and a half at Longchamp on the first Sunday of October. In 2027 that's Sunday 3 October, with a strong Saturday card the day before.

The Sunday also includes other Group 1 races:

Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp: a top sprint.
Prix de la Forêt: a mile race for older horses.
Prix de l'Opéra: a Group 1 for fillies and mares.

One change to look out for. France Galop's board voted to open the Arc to geldings from 2027, which makes some well-known older horses eligible for the first time. That decision still needed formal approval from the European Pattern Committee, so check the latest before you quote it as final.

November: jumps at Auteuil

The 48H de l'Obstacle weekend at Auteuil in mid-November is the biggest jumps meeting of the autumn. Auteuil is the centre of French jump racing, and the French-bred horses that win so many big races in Britain and Ireland often start their careers here.

French Horse Racing Calendar FAQ

When is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2027? The Arc weekend is Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 October 2027 at ParisLongchamp, with the Arc itself on the Sunday.

What is the French Derby called? The Prix du Jockey Club, run at Chantilly in late May or June over 2,100 metres.

What are the French Classics? The Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, Prix du Jockey Club, Prix de Diane and the Prix Royal-Oak (the French St Leger).

Can geldings run in the Arc? Not until 2027. France Galop's board voted to allow geldings from 2027, subject to formal approval from the European Pattern Committee.

Which is the best French racecourse to visit? For atmosphere, Chantilly for the Classics and Deauville in August are both hard to beat. For the biggest day, it's ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend.

Is France good for jump racing? Yes. Auteuil in Paris is the home of French jumps, and French-bred horses dominate the sport in Britain and Ireland.

World Horse Racing Calendar