A Day at the Races

The historic and very beautiful Château de Chantilly, just north of Paris, was originally built in the 16th century, then destroyed during the French Revolution, and rebuilt in today's form in the 1870s by Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale, after designs by Honore Daumet. Amongst its treasures, is the Musée Condé, which boasts one of the finest collections of paintings in France, after the Louvre.

The park, principally designed by André le Notre, features numerous parterres, water gardens, fountains and a moat. The park also overlooks the legendary Chantilly Racecourse, our destination last Sunday, when the prestigious Prix de Diane race took place.

Just adjacent to the Château, and also overlooking the racecourse are les Grandes Écuries (the great stables). Legend has it that Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prince de Condé believed that he would be reincarnated as a horse after his death, and in 1719 he asked the architect, Jean Aubert, to build stables suitable to his rank! Today, this imposing building houses the Living Museum of the Horse.

But we were there for the races! (We'll visit the Château and Stables next year)  First item of business the day before is to buy a copy of Paris-Turf. The man at our local Presse, who usually sells me a copy of the International Herald Tribune and l'Officiel Spectacles, raised his eyebrows at my request. I explained we were going to the races the next day. "Est-ce que vous avez un chapeau, Madame?" he asked. I assured him I had a hat, and he promised to look for me on television.

We met up at the Gare du Nord with our American friends who had invited us to join them, and twenty minutes later, we found ourselves walking through beautiful woods to the racetrack, along with many other racing fans.

Emerging out of the woods, we crossed the far side of the track and then passed the inside rail at the finish line. The turf looked beautiful. The rains had finally stopped and the day was picture perfect sunshine, warm temperatures and light puffy clouds. The weather gods were with us!

Before we got to the finish rail, though, a stop is encouraged at the starting gates for a "photo op"!!

On we went, crossing the track and rounding the grandstands to make our way to the presentation ring, called the "Balance", where the horses, owners, trainers and jockeys gather before each race. Here, the jockeys are weighed and the horses are paraded. With the beautiful weather, blankets were laid out, picnics unpacked. Everyone was happy!

The "Balance" ring glittered under the sunshine, the green turf looking completely pristine, the eager onlookers hanging over the rails, waiting for the horses for the first race to make their appearance. Thanks to generous help from Alex's French family, we had passes to this area and eagerly joined the growing crowd.

One of the earliest into the presentation ring was the favorite for the first race , the Prix de Boasne Longines, #5: "Francastel", a really beautiful bay horse, strong and calm, being led around with great pride.

Once the jockey (Stéphane Pasquier) had received his final orders from the owners, he was helped up in the saddle, and set his mind to the task ahead:  1800 meters, 14 other horses competing and with the final stretch being slightly uphill.

Meanwhile, other horses were coming in, being led around...

...some with blinkers, some showing signs of nervousness...

...all of them pictures of gleaming beauty and prime condition. I could have watched them for hours!

 But it was time to head for the grandstand, study the form, and place our bets! I went for the favorite, "Francastel" to win or place - "à cheval s'il vous plait".

Then it was eyes peeled to the far side of the track as the bell rang and "they're off"!

 The real pros had binoculars to follow the action in the smallest detail. The rest of us could follow the action on the huge monitor screens scattered around the course and listen eagerly to the excited voices of the track announcers. Or you could just take it all in "wide screen" as it were with your own eyes. I have to say, the sight of the horses seemingly flying along the far back stretch was breathtaking, they were so far away they were almost unreal...

...but nothing compared to the final stretch for the finish line, with the crowd roaring, the announcers building up the excitement, the jockeys urging their horses on, etc. In an eye blink, they were past, the race was over, "Francastel" had won!

Then it was back to the Balances, where the trophy was handed out to the owner, the trainer and the jockey. A happy moment for the Haras de Quesnay!

And a happy moment for me. I won my bet back and an additional 14 euros -- a pretty good start to the afternoon!

But as well as the excitement of winning (or losing), and having so many beautiful horses to admire, the Prix de Diane day at Chantilly is as famous for its array of HATS as for anything else. I would say 90% of the women wore hats. Some were restrained (like my demure panama with a dusty pink rose on one side), but most were sumptuous and extreme to say the least. Here's a brief selection to give you some small idea:

 The men were pretty much limited to straw hats or bowlers, with bowlers probably having the edge...

...especially when escorting a glamorous lady's hat!

They even came in kid sizes, although I think this young fellow has some years ahead to grow into his...

...whereas these old salts must have treasured their for many years!

The highlight of the afternoon featured the Prix de Diane race. For three year old fillies, 2100 meters and with a total purse of 1,000,000 euros. The favorite was a horse called "Beauty Parlor", but I put my money "à cheval" on an American-bred horse,"Dalkala" owned by the Aga Khan. In the end, neither won. The winner was #2 "Valyra", owned by the Aga Khan's daughter!

After the race, the winning horse paraded around in front of the grandstand, with the trophy being presented on a horse-drawn stage on the track.

By the end of the afternoon, I'd won some and lost some, didn't quite come out ahead, but almost!

Certainly no complaints!

A gentle wander back through the woods to the train station, and even time for supper outdoors on a lovely restaurant terrace before our train brought us back to Paris. What a grand day!

Now the suitcases are all packed, the taxi is coming at 8 am tomorrow, so this is really the final bog for this year. Tally Ho!

À bientôt!