ENGLISH VERSION instead of 2,400 metres( Editor’ s note: since 2005, the French Derby has also been run over 2,100 metres). It is also the French equivalent of the English Oaks, established in 1779, one year before the Derby. The first winner of the Prix de Diane was Nativa. She belonged to Prince Marc de Beauvau, whose colours would triumph again the following year with Lanterne and in 1846 with Dorade. In doing so, Beauvau nearly matched the feat of Lord Henry Seymour, whose horses won the first three editions of the Prix du Jockey Club. Furthermore, Nativa, Lanterne, who also appears on the Prix du Jockey Club roll of honour, and Dorade were all trained by the same Henry Jennings, holder of the record for Prix de Diane victories with nine wins and maternal grandfather of Alec Head. We have just mentioned Lanterne and her Prix du Jockey Club – Prix de Diane double. Only two other fillies have achieved the same feat: Jouvence in 1853 and La Toucques ten years later. The former belonged to Auguste Lupin, one of the race’ s historic owners, whose name appears six times on the roll of honour, making him second only to His Highness the Aga Khan.
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BY SERGE OKEY
RACING SILKS, A STORY RICH IN“ COLOURS”
Like a modern coat of arms, racing silks are among the defining symbols of horse racing. A major element of identification, born of a long heritage shaped through evolution and regulations. A long history whose uncertain origins add a touch of mystery to this colourful saga.
“ Feminine noun, 15 th century, obscure etymology.” Even the French Academy dictionary seems to lose its bearings. The most widespread theory traces the word casaque back to the“ Quzzãk” or“ Kazak” peoples, ancestors of the Cossacks. It also refers to a loose garment worn by peasants or stable hands. In France, legend has it that the first racing silk appeared on June 25, 1812, at Champ de Mars on the oldest racecourse in the Indian Ocean: Mauritius, where an equestrian contest was organised that day to reconcile Frenchspeaking locals and newly arrived British occupiers. Behind these mysterious origins, this piece of fabric developed a very visible specialty: becoming the emblem of owners in the racing field. Red, black, green, blue, spotted, diamond-patterned or striped … racing silks are the ultimate identifying feature on a racecourse, the first distinguishing mark of one horse among many others.
“ More than clothing, a symbol” Like modern-day knights, jockeys proudly wear these coats of arms known as“ colours” or“ racing silks.” As with the history of racing itself, the history of racing silks is inseparable from nobility and high society. More than a tunic, they are a banner passed down through generations by the great racing stables.“ The visual signature of a stable,” according to France Galop.“ More than clothing, a symbol,” adds Afasec, reflecting the mythology attached to certain colours. In the collective imagination, Jean-Luc Lagardère’ s grey and pink colours and the Aga Khan dynasty’ s green with red epaulettes are almost as famous as the yellow jersey of the Tour de France leader. From football to rugby, it is amusing to note how sports jerseys have borrowed so many of the codes of racing silks. The difference being that athletes’ jerseys are now often so heavily covered in advertising that they sometimes make their wearers resemble walking billboards.
“ Business is business” A motto the Anglo-Saxons also apply to racing, while their French counterparts maintain a more restrained tradition without advertising. In 2026, only 27 owners were granted exemptions by France Galop stewards, such as Khalid Abdullah’ s colours carrying the Juddmonte
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