On Wednesday, France Galop continued its series of press conferences dedicated to the 2026 edition of the Prix de Diane Longines (Group 1, the highest international level). This great classic of Flat racing, first run in 1843, will take place on Sunday, 14 June 2026, at Chantilly Racecourse.

Run over 2,100 metres, this prestigious contest is restricted to three-year-old fillies. It offers €1 million in prize money.

This second media event highlighted the credentials of the British filly Evolutionist, trained by Karl Burke.

Aged 63, Karl Burke has been a trainer since 1991. He is based in Middleham, Yorkshire, in the north of England. His greatest victory came in the 2018 edition of the Prix de Diane Longines with Laurens (in the photo, credit: Scoop Dyga) , a filly bred in France by François-

Melchior Mathet. Before that triumph, she had won another Group 1 in France, the Prix Saint-Alary. She went on to win again the following year at Deauville in the Prix Rothschild, a Group 1 that Karl Burke would win once more in 2025 with Fallen Angel.

More broadly, Karl Burke has enjoyed real success on French soil, as illustrated by Odeliz’s victory in the Prix Jean Romanet in 2015, as well as the wins of Unfortunately and Venetian Sun in the Sumbe Prix Morny, in 2017 and 2025 respectively. His first Group 1 success also came in France, in the 2009 Prix Jean Prat, with Lord Shanakill.

On Evolutionist, his runner in the Prix de Diane Longines

“Evolutionist, very much like Laurens, was beaten in the English Guineas.

Evolutionist was a very good two-year-old. She was not a Group 1 winner, as Laurens had been, but physically she has done really well through the winter. More importantly, she has done very well physically since the Guineas.

Shane Foley came to ride her in a piece of work yesterday, her last piece of work before Sunday, and he was very taken with her. She is getting stronger all the time.

I think she will get stronger as the year goes on, but she is certainly a stronger filly now than she was in May at Newmarket.

The one difference is that Laurens had another run between the Guineas and the Diane. This filly has not. She had a tough race in the Guineas, as you would expect. Also, she is a different physical type to Laurens. Laurens was powerful and very mature, whereas this filly is still developing and did not carry a lot of weight.

It was a case of either going to Royal Ascot or going for the Prix de Diane. The way she worked yesterday, there was a slight, very slight doubt as to whether we should be going to Royal Ascot over the mile. But we made a decision a while ago, and we took her out of the Coronation at the last forfeit stage.

I slightly regretted that, or at least had a slight question mark in my mind as to whether it was a wise move or not. But look, we are committed to the Prix de Diane. We are 90% confident that she will stay the trip.

We can ride her a little differently. I am sure she will stay the trip and will be able to show a turn of foot at the end of it. But we will not ride her as aggressively as we did in the Guineas.

Diamond Necklace looks hard to beat, but she will be racing on different ground from last time. And above all, you should never fear only one rival!”

Photo: Scoop Dyga