Heloise Goy
One of the most famous horse races in the world will be broadcast on Sunday from 4:20 p.m. on M6, Paris Première and Equidia. The competition will take place almost behind closed doors. The TROT, which organizes the Prize, has focused on digital and visual production to compensate for the absence of supporters in the stands.
This weekend will be held the Grand Prix d’Amérique. The biggest harnessed trotting race in the world will take place on Sunday January 30 at the Paris-Vincennes racecourse. The event will be broadcast live on M6, Paris Première and Equidia from 4:20 p.m.
Jean-Pierre Barjon, the president of the Trot who organizes this Grand Prix, tells us about the specificities of this 101st edition: “The novelty for this Grand Prix d’Amérique, beyond the competition is that unfortunately, this event will to compete practically behind closed doors since we only have the right to 5,000 spectators and the list has been closed for several weeks now. We are therefore going to work on an extremely digital and visual product. It will be a great competition but a very media-oriented show”.
9.2% audience share last year
A prestigious event that attracts viewers: last year the Prix d’Amérique had a record audience: 1.135 million French people were in front of their screens to watch this race, i.e. 9.2% of the audience share of the public .
Jean-Pierre Barjon explains explained to our microphone why this horse racing event is particularly awaited: “There are several explanations. The first is historical. It is an event that has been running for more than 100 years, so it has entered the memory the French. We all have memories of the Prix d’Amérique even if we’re not a specialist in this event. It’s absolute nirvana and it’s the best of the best in our profession. It’s a race that, at this time of year, welcomes the best horses in the world”.
This year, the Grand Prix d’Amérique promises surprises since Face Time Bourbon, the big favorite horse, double title holder, has been withdrawn due to a health problem. The winner of the race will win the sum of half a million euros.