1/ST, North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and leading pari-mutuel wagering company, has today announced a breakthrough partnership with France Galop, the governing body of French horse racing.

This new initiative sees both parties come together to form a series of high-class partnerships that will power increased international participation across a host of top-quality Graded contests and marquee race days, beginning with the $100,000 Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes on Preakness 149 race day at 1/ST’s Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on May 18. The winner will be automatically qualified to run in the €250,000 Group 1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet Stakes at Deauville on August 18. The Galorette winner will also receive a free equine travel stipend to cover its subsequent travel costs to France.

The collective aim is to establish long-lasting links between revered races in France and valuable turf contests at 1/ST racetracks across North America, boosting the international profile and prize funds of all participating contests and increasing the number of runners entered in these races which, in turn, will engage a wider international audience and drive global wagering turnover.

This innovative collaboration with France Galop leverages natural synergies between two powerhouses of the sport. Moreover, it builds on similar global “gateway” partnerships which 1/ST has already formed with Ascot Racecourse (via Gulfstream Park’s Royal Palm series for Royal Ascot’s juvenile races) and the UK Jockey Club around the Group 1 July Cup and the Eclipse Stakes, now twinned as qualifiers for the newly minted California Crown taking place at Santa Anita Park on September 28, marking California’s richest day of racing.

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As an automatic qualifier for France Galop’s Prix Jean Romanet, the Gallorette Stakes also shines the spotlight on a high-profile undercard for Preakness 149. This year’s Preakness 149 race day will be the most lucrative in the event’s history with $3.3 million on the line, highlighted by the running of the 149^th Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel in the Triple Crown, featuring an increased $2 million purse. These enhanced purses reflect 1/ST’s vision for the future of the highest standard of world-class Thoroughbred horse racing, combined with unique and elevated guest experiences, and exciting opportunities for owners, trainers and bettors to usher in a new era for racing.

Aidan Butler, President of 1/ST, said: “1/ST is thrilled to create another great global partnership, breaking new ground in France with our friends at France Galop. This Gallorette-Romanet pathway is an exciting trial for hopefully more reciprocal race days in France, considering France Galop’s rich heritage in staging many of the most prestigious turf contests in Europe at courses like Deauville, Chantilly and Longchamp.

“We look forward to announcing more global racing partnerships over the year ahead. Whether we’re bolstering the brand, increasing horse-recruitment numbers, or driving wagering dollars overseas, it’s high time for more innovative moments on the worldwide racing stage.”

Henri Pouret, Chief Operating Officer at France Galop, added: “We’re naturally delighted to be teaming up with 1/ST on this compelling initiative which will introduce many new French racing fans to Preakness 149 and add some welcome transatlantic flavour to the Group 1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet Stakes, now in its 20^th year of attracting the best middle-distance horses in the business.

“The travel stipend is an excellent incentive for facilitating stress-free long-haul travel, helping to secure a stellar field of global contenders for the Romanet, and proving that racing is a sport whose worldwide appeal is no barrier to worldwide participation, be it in France or the States. We look forward to welcoming the Gallorette victor to Deauville later this summer and building on the success of US-trained horses at other elite European events, such as Royal Ascot.”

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Stables, the Paris-based Web3 Equestrian Fantasy Game, has appointed venture capital veteran Lebnan Nader as Chief Executive Officer.

Lebnan Nader, who had founded and run several gaming and technology businesses, will oversee an international expansion as Stables seeks to add horses and attract owners from outside its French home market.

Launched in January 2023, Stables was born from an ambitious project funded by PMU, the European leader and number 3 worldwide in horse betting, alongside the startup studio 321. The game is designed to bring the excitement of horse racing into the digital realm by combining real data from actual racehorses with an online Web3 gaming experience where horses are represented as tradable non-fungible tokens.
“Stables brings together two of my favorite domains, video gaming and horse racing. Two sectors I’ve been involved in for the past 12 years. The game’s ambitions are high, and that’s what convinced me,” said Lebnan Nader, CEO of Stables. “The teams have done a tremendous job, and we will continue to develop the game, but my priority will be our community, as they are our greatest strength.”
A graduate of HEC Paris with nearly 20 years experience in strategy, product development, and market positioning in the digital sector, Lebnan co-founded an internationally acclaimed video and VR gaming studio, and also co-founded a software company for lottery and betting operators.

PMU’s initial gamble to reach a new audience has paid off as Stables now boasts a community of several thousand engaged players, aged 25 to 40 on average. The community is currently composed of 70% French players and 30% from the rest of the world.

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The Stables teams are now expanding the gaming experience by adding new features that will allow any player, even without owning NFTs, to be able to explore Stables for free. A seasonal horse racing system with an in-game leaderboard will be introduced, as well as “The Paddock Gazette,” a feature allowing the analysis of all NFT data and comparing their performances.

The ability to interact with other players and access numerous new horses are among the features currently in development.
“In 2023, Stables succeeded in realizing PMU’s bold vision of diversifying the world of horse racing into Web3 and becoming today’s reference in equestrian fantasy gaming. Contributing alongside its historic partners to the financial support for an accelerated development of Stables represents for the Tezos Foundation a natural progression to the adoption of Tezos. Among other things, the Tezos Foundation always listens to the needs of management teams and economically engages in projects that have adopted its blockchain to be an active participant in their growth stages,” says Jean-Frédéric Mognetti, Executive Director of the Tezos Foundation.
“Convinced of the relevance of the project, it seemed important to involve new investors. We enthusiastically welcome the financial support of the Tezos Foundation, which strengthens a proven technical collaboration that the project has benefited from since its inception,” comments Emmanuelle Malecaze-Doublet, CEO of PMU.