Group 1 Group 1 may refer to:
* Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal
* Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N
* Group On ...
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
s aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.
History
The event is named after the Abbaye de Longchamp, an abbey founded in the 13th century by Isabelle, the sister of Saint Louis. The abbey was located on what became the northern edge of the racecourse. It was destroyed during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, and its site is now partly occupied by the Château de Longchamp.
The Prix de l'Abbaye was one of two major races introduced to celebrate Longchamp's centenary in 1957. Both were added to the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
fixture, which is usually on the first Sunday in October. The other event, the
Prix du Moulin
The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is sch ...
, was subsequently moved to September.
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Prix de l'Abbaye was initially given Group 2 status. It was promoted to Group 1 level in 1976. It originally excluded geldings, but the restriction was lifted in 2001.
The Prix de l'Abbaye became part of the
Breeders' Cup Challenge
The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Y ...
series in 2009. From this point the winner earned an automatic invitation to compete in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. It was removed from the series in 2011.
Gentilhombre
A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...
List of French flat horse races
A list of notable flat horse races which take place annually in France, under the authority of France Galop, including all conditions races which currently hold Group 1 Group 1 may refer to:
* Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Al ...