Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Poule d'Essai des Poulains Preview
The Poule d'Essai des Poulains is the French equivalent of the 2000 Guineas, where the race is restricted to three-year-old colts who compete over a distance of one mile (1,600m). This race, a Group 1 that features at Longchamp on the same day as the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, is equivalent to Britain's 1000 Guineas.
Since 2006, the French have held the upper hand in the race; the only people to stop them have been Aidan O'Brien, who has won the race five times since then, including in 2025 with the talented Henri Matisse, and Charlie Appleby, who won it in 2022.
Poule d'Essai des Poulains Information:
- Poule d'Essai des Poulains Past Winners
- Poule d'Essai des Poulains Trainer Statistics
- Poule d'Essai des Poulains Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Longchamp tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races in France section for links to these.
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How competitive is the Poule d'Essai des Poulains market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 10 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2018 when the race had an over-round of 120%. The race in 2017 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 10 renewals of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, the over-round has been 121%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £121 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Poule d'Essai des Poulains Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Poule d'Essai des Poulains Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Poule d'Essai des Poulains races over the last 10 renewals:
- Henri Matisse (1:33.91) in 2025
- Victor Ludorum (1:34.14) in 2020
- Modern Games (1:34.98) in 2022
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 10 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 9 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.57. Ahead of the 2026 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, why not head over to the racing predictions for tips on other races today?
The runner that holds the record over the past 10 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2021 renewal when St Marks Basilica from A P O'Brien under the guidance of Ioritz Mendizabal, won in a time of 1:40.15, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Henri Matisse, trained by A P O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore set the quickest time of 1:33.91 in the 2025 renewal.
Poule d'Essai des Poulains Past Winners
Here are the Poule d'Essai des Poulains past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Poule d'Essai des Poulains are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (535k) 1:33.91 | Henri Matisse (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (6 of 16) 12/5F | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2024 (565k) 1:37.84 | Metropolitan (FR) 3yo 9-2 (1 of 13) 243/10 | Alexis Pouchin Mario Baratti (FR) |
| 2023 (575k) 1:38.56 | Marhaba Ya Sanafi (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (7 of 9) 26/1 | Mickael Barzalona A Schutz (FR) |
| 2022 (505k) 1:34.98 | Modern Games (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (4 of 15) 2/1F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2021 (535k) 1:40.15 | St Marks Basilica (FR) 3yo 9-2 (6 of 12) 41/10 | Ioritz Mendizabal A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2020 (345k) 1:34.14 | Victor Ludorum (GB) 3yo 9-2 (2 of 9) 7/5F | Mickael Barzalona A Fabre (FR) |
| 2019 (540k) 1:38.98 | Persian King (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (2 of 10) 1/2F | Pierre-Charles Boudot A Fabre (FR) |
| 2018 (530k) 1:37.72 | Olmedo (FR) 3yo 9-2 (3 of 11) 13/5 | Cristian Demuro J-C Rouget (FR) |
| 2017 (515k) 1:36.82 | Brametot (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (3 of 13) 4/1 | Cristian Demuro J-C Rouget (FR) |
| 2016 (405k) 1:36.97 | The Gurkha (IRE) 3yo 9-2 (11 of 13) 4/1 | Ryan Moore A P O'Brien (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains have been based:
- FR: 6 winners with an additional 12 placings from 79 runners
- IRE: 3 winners with an additional 1 placing from 14 runners
- GB: 1 winner with an additional 7 placings from 25 runners
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- SPA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
Poule d'Essai des Poulains Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains over the last 10 renewals is A P O'Brien, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from The Gurkha (2016), St Mark's Basilica (2021) and Henri Matisse (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains are A Fabre (2 wins) and J-C Rouget (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Poule d'Essai des Poulains trainer statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| A P O'Brien | 13-3-4 | +0.50 | -3.44 |
| A Fabre | 13-2-6 | -9.10 | -2.46 |
| J-C Rouget | 11-2-2 | -2.40 | -5.04 |
| Charlie Appleby | 3-1-1 | +0.00 | -0.80 |
| Mario Baratti | 2-1-1 | +23.30 | +13.58 |
| A Schutz | 1-1-1 | +26.00 | +15.60 |
| C Laffon-Parias | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -3.86 |
| F Chappet | 5-0-1 | -5.00 | -4.08 |
| F Head | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| C Ferland | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
Poule d'Essai des Poulains Jockey Statistics
There are multiple leading jockeys in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains over the last 10 renewals, with Mickael Barzalona, Cristian Demuro, and Ryan Moore having all won the race two times. Mickael Barzalona winners have been with Victor Ludorum (2020) and Marhaba Ya Sanafi (2023). Cristian Demuro winners have been with Brametot (2017) and Olmedo (2018). Ryan Moore winners have been with The Gurkha (2016) and Henri Matisse (2025).
Here are some of the top Poule d'Essai des Poulains jockey statistics over the last 10 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mickael Barzalona | 10-2-4 | +19.40 | +12.44 |
| Cristian Demuro | 8-2-2 | +0.60 | -2.04 |
| Ryan Moore | 8-2-2 | +0.40 | -2.40 |
| Ioritz Mendizabal | 5-1-1 | +0.10 | -1.54 |
| Pierre-Charles Boudot | 5-1-2 | -3.50 | -1.60 |
| William Buick | 4-1-1 | -1.00 | -1.80 |
| Alexis Pouchin | 2-1-1 | +23.30 | +13.58 |
| Maxime Guyon | 9-0-2 | -9.00 | -4.66 |
| Christophe Soumillon | 9-0-2 | -9.00 | -7.58 |
| Olivier Peslier | 6-0-2 | -6.00 | -2.40 |
2026 Poule d'Essai des Poulains Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 5, 13, 4, 1, 1, 6, 1, 4, 8, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Oost in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 10 / 10 (60%) - Not on GS/GF/STD-SLW/STD (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (63%) - No bigger than 10/1 (Career)
- 10 / 10 (63%) - Not in a G2/LST/Cl2-3/Cl5 (LTO)
- 10 / 10 (67%) - Achieved an RPR of 102+ (LTO)
- 10 / 10 (70%) - Highest Run is not G2/LST/Cl2-3
- 10 / 10 (70%) - No bigger than 26/1
- 10 / 10 (73%) - In a field of 8 - 16 (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (74%) - Carried 128 - 131lbs (Debut)
- 10 / 10 (74%) - Dam is not CAN/FR/UAE bred
- 10 / 10 (76%) - Break of 28 - 278 days (Last Win)
- 10 / 10 (77%) - Beaten no more -2½l (LTO)
- 10 / 10 (79%) - No bigger than 10/1 (Career Place)
- 10 / 10 (82%) - Furthest Won 7f - 1m
- 10 / 10 (88%) - Achieved an RPR of 86+ (Last Win)
- 10 / 10 (88%) - Ran in 2 - 7 races (Career)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Longchamp racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Poule d'Essai des Poulains by adding a tip on the race here.
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Poule d'Essai des Poulains Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 5+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +40.40, is when runners were off a break of 28 days.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 3 career places in Flat (Turf) races, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-34.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 6 (12,15) [16 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 1 (4,13) [13 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 7 (1,10) [9 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 4 (15,1) [15 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 6 (2,11) [12 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains is Longchamp; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Longchamp last time out.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have been disappointed with multiple attempts but no wins in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains; that stallion is Lope De Vega, who has failed to produce a winner from 11 runners.
Looking at the winning odds over the last 10 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Marhaba Ya Sanafi in 2023, winning for A Schutz at odds of 26/1 under the guidance of Mickael Barzalona. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 10 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Route to the Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Henri Matisse Leopardstown - 1st of 7 (6/4) | Ballylinch Stud "Red Rocks" Stakes |
| 2024 - Metropolitan Longchamp - 5th of 6 (7/1) | Prix de Fontainebleau |
| 2023 - Marhaba Ya Sanafi Longchamp - 2nd of 5 (89/10) | Prix de Fontainebleau |
| 2022 - Modern Games Del Mar - 1st of 13 (1/1) | Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf |
| 2021 - St Marks Basilica Newmarket (Rowley) - 1st of 14 (10/1) | Dewhurst Stakes |
| 2020 - Victor Ludorum Longchamp - 3rd of 8 (2/5) | Prix de Fontainebleau |
| 2019 - Persian King Longchamp - 1st of 5 (1/5) | Prix de Fontainebleau |
| 2018 - Olmedo Longchamp - 2nd of 5 (8/5) | Prix de Fontainebleau |
| 2017 - Brametot Chantilly - 1st of 7 (51/10) | Prix de Fontainebleau |
| 2016 - The Gurkha Navan - 1st of 11 (11/8) | Kilberry |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Poule d'Essai des Poulains Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for International racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
