Gstaad Faces Notable Speech In Qatar Prix Du Moulin Showdown

Windmill Gave The Race Its Name

Notable Speech, trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, and Gstaad, trained by Aidan O'Brien for Coolmore interests, head eight confirmed runners for the Gr.1 Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, 6 September 2026. The race is open to horses aged three years or older and run over 1,600 metres on the track's main course, the grande piste, with total prize money of US$928,000 (€800,000) on offer to connections. The contest is one of the most prestigious mile races on the European turf calendar, bringing together Classic form from three countries as both major operations state their claims heading into the closing stages of the season.

The Gr.1 Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a contest for Thoroughbreds run over 1,600 metres on turf at ParisLongchamp, with a post time of 18:25 GST (16:25 CEST). Total prize money stands at US$928,000 (€800,000), having been raised from US$522,000 (€450,000) from 2025 onward, an increase of more than 78 per cent, according to france-galop.com. Rail position, track condition, the course's safety limit and its track record are not yet published this far ahead of the card, and the official prize breakdown by placing has not yet been confirmed.

Gstaad won the Irish 2,000 Guineas earlier in the 2026 season and has since finished runner-up in the 2,000 Guineas, the St James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes, each time behind Bow Echo. He was ruled out of the Prix Jacques le Marois in August 2026 due to an infection, meaning the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp represents his first start since that setback. That sequence of near-misses against the same rival gives Gstaad a clear opportunity to reverse the form now that Bow Echo is absent from the field, with connections hopeful that a return to a track and trip that have suited him in the past will bring about the change of fortune they are seeking.

Notable Speech arrives for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, joined in the same trainer's colours by stablemate Opera Ballo. Godolphin has a strong association with this race, having won it four times, with Slickly and Librettist trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Ribchester trained by Richard Fahey, and Tribalist trained by Andre Fabre providing the operation's roll of honour. That gives Notable Speech a weight of history to draw on as he bids to add his own name to the list.

Aidan O'Brien saddles two runners for Coolmore interests in Dorset and Gstaad, giving the operation a strong hand in a race it already dominates historically. Gstaad's Classic-winning form from earlier in the 2026 season makes him one of the leading confirmed runners, while Dorset offers a second string for the yard heading into the ParisLongchamp weekend.

Erdenali, trained by H F Graffard, arrives with an unbeaten record so far in 2026. He won on his debut at Saint-Cloud before following up with a two-length success at Longchamp over Go Man in May 2026, form that places him among the confirmed runners with genuine claims on the Group One prize. The trainer also has runners in all four of the day's feature races, underlining the scale of his ambitions.

Ten Bob Tony, trained by Ed Walker, joins the field on the back of a Queen Anne Stakes victory, giving the race another Group One-winning miler to test the likes of Notable Speech and Gstaad. Dreamliner, trained by Stephane Wattel, and Nighttime, trained by Chr Head, complete the list of confirmed runners for the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, rounding out a field that draws on Classic and Group One form from across the season.

Qatar Prix Du Moulin De Longchamp

The Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp runs as part of a card at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, 6 September 2026, that also stages the Qatar Prix Vermeille, the Qatar Prix Niel and the Qatar Prix Foy. Those three Arc trials were brought forward by a week to share the same date as the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, a scheduling change that took effect from 2025 onward, according to france-galop.com. The change concentrates the bulk of the autumn's trial-race action into a single afternoon at ParisLongchamp, giving racegoers and connections a single concentrated showcase of Arc-related form ahead of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe itself.

The Qatar Prix Vermeille field includes Friendly Soul, trained by John and Thady Gosden, and Sugar Island and Beautify, both trained by Aidan O'Brien, while Composing carries the same Coolmore operation's colours. The Qatar Prix Niel features Benvenuto Cellini and Montreal, both trained by O'Brien, alongside Zaraki, trained by Andre and Louis Fabre. The Qatar Prix Foy completes the card's quartet of Group races, with Lambourn representing Aidan O'Brien and Daryz trained by H F Graffard, the same trainer responsible for Erdenali's unbeaten record in the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

The Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp was first run in 1957 to mark the centenary of Longchamp racecourse and takes its name from the Moulin de Longchamp, a windmill located within the grounds of the track. The race has been run on the main course since 1987, having switched from an earlier configuration, and was rescheduled to mid-September in 2011, the slot it continues to occupy in the 2026 racing calendar.

Godolphin's four victories in the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp span almost a quarter of a century, from Slickly's win in 2001 through to Tribalist's success in 2024 under Andre Fabre, giving Notable Speech and Opera Ballo an operation with genuine course-and-distance pedigree in this Group One.
The 2025 running of the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp attracted 12 runners, its largest field since 2003, a sign of the race's growing depth since the prize money increase to US$928,000 (€800,000) took effect.

The Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp also carries significance beyond Europe as one of the season’s key trials feeding into the Dubai Turf, with milers who perform well over 1,600 metres at ParisLongchamp in September frequently factoring into connections’ plans for Dubai World Cup night at Meydan the following March.

Graffard Runs Through All Four Races

Erdenali's trainer, H F Graffard, also saddles Rabbit's Foot in the Qatar Prix Vermeille, Varandir in the Qatar Prix Niel and Daryz in the Qatar Prix Foy, giving him runners in all four of the card's Group races on 6 September 2026. Dreamliner's trainer, Stephane Wattel, also saddles Quest For Magic in the Qatar Prix Foy on the same card, while Opera Ballo for Godolphin and Nighttime for Chr Head join the other confirmed runners declared for the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp itself.

With Gstaad seeking to bounce back from his Prix Jacques le Marois absence and Notable Speech flying the Godolphin flag against Coolmore's dual challenge, eight runners go forward for the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp on 6 September 2026, with Notable Speech and Gstaad the two names the race is judged on.

Erdenali's unbeaten record and Ten Bob Tony's Queen Anne form add further depth to a field already thick with Classic and Group One credentials heading into the closing stages of the European season.

Prix du Moulin: Gr.1 | 18:25 GST (16:25 CEST) | FOR 3YO+ | Thoroughbred | Turf | 1,600m | US$928,000 (€800,000) | Rail Position: NA | Track Condition: NA | Safety Limit: NA | Track Record: NA | Prize Breakdown: NA

Prix du Moulin: Dorset (T: A P O'Brien / J: NA) | Dreamliner (T: S Wattel / J: NA) | Erdenali (T: F H Graffard / J: NA) | Gstaad (T: A P O'Brien / J: NA) | Nighttime (T: Chr Head / J: NA) | Notable Speech (T: C Appleby / J: NA) | Opera Ballo (T: C Appleby / J: NA) | Ten Bob Tony (T: E C D Walker / J: NA)