Claiming to Fame in France

What do Group 1 winners Tiger Tanaka (Marcel Boussac 2020), Mille et Mille (Prix du Cadran 2015), Gemix (Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil 2013 & 2014) and Gentoo (Prix Royal-Oak 2010) all have in common? Like the most famous of the rags-to-riches stories in French racing folklore, 1992 Prix du Jockey-Club hero Polytain, these champions were all snapped up by their future Group 1 winning connections via the claiming ranks. 

Often stigmatized by the upper end of racing’s echelons, the claiming system in France continues to form a significant part of the calendar, serving the twofold purpose of an accessible race programme and an alternative market place.