Luca Cumani laments Italy's decline after country loses its final Group 1 event

On the continent the story of this year's European Pattern Committee deliberations is one of swings and roundabouts, with Italy losing its last Group 1, the Premio Lydia Tesio, while France has increased its number of top-level contests for the first time in ten years after the promotion of the Prix de Royallieu.

The EPC has engaged with attempts to halt the slide of Italian racing but, despite the presence of officials from the country's Ministry of Agriculture at the meeting, Italy suffered the indignity not only of losing its only remaining Group 1 but being temporarily made an associate, rather than a full, member of the committee.

Luca Cumani, who had his final Group 1 success with God Given in the Lydia Tesio at Capannelle in November, fears no progress in turning around the fortunes of the racing industry in his homeland will be possible under the current regime in Rome.

"It's a very sad, but I'm afraid inevitable, situation because Italian racing has been on a slippery slope for a number of years," said Cumani, who gave up training at the end of last year to focus on running Fittocks Stud.

"There doesn’t seem any chance of light at the end of the tunnel until the administration of Italian racing is changed and placed in the hands of racing people, as opposed to bureaucrats. Things have been going the wrong way for a number of years and lurching from one disaster to another."

EPC chairman Brian Kavanagh expressed regret at the loss of Italy's final Group 1 – as recently as 2015 the country had six top-level races – and pledged to work with the authorities to try to improve matters.

But the committee will be closely monitoring the Italian authorities' efforts to improve "the prompt payment of prize-money, as well as requirements pertaining to the regulation of their sport including out-of-competition testing".

The Juliet Rose and Stephane Pasquier landed back-to-back editions of the Prix de Royallieu in 2016 and 2017Credit: Edward Whitaker

France Galop received approval for its proposal that the Qatar Prix de Royallieu be upped in trip from an extended mile and a half to a mile and six furlongs, and promoted to Group 1, a move the committee described as "a considerable step forward" in its plans to create a better black type programme for staying fillies and mares.

It brings the number of thoroughbred Group 1s over Arc weekend to eight, while it is the first time France's total number of Group 1s has risen since the Prix Jean Romanet was upgraded in 2009.

There was unanimous agreement the Qatar Prix Jean Prat be cut from a mile to seven furlongs, while remaining on the straight track at Deauville over which the race was run for the first time in 2018.

France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild said: "The shortening of the Prix Jean Prat follows the conversion of this race into a true objective and not simply a consolation prize for the best three-year-olds.

Intellogent (noseband) wins the 2018 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville over a mileCredit: Scoopydyga

"The distance of seven furlongs seems to us particularly interesting with a view to the future of the breed, following on from the Guineas and Poule d’Essai."

France Galop will also shortly announce plans to wave the entry fee for the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris for winners of selected races.

Two Group 1s in Germany have been placed at risk of downgrade in 2020, the Grosser Preis von Europa and Deutches Derby, which will celebrate its 150th edition in Hamburg this summer.

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