The event was established in 1925, and it was originally held at
Longchamp. It takes its name from the
Bois de Boulogne, the location of its former home, and the Avenue du Bois (now the
Avenue Foch), which leads towards the racecourse. Due to World War II, the Prix du Bois was not run from 1940 to 1945. The race was promoted to Group 3 status in 1982. It continued to be staged at Longchamp until 1994. It took place at Chantilly in 1995, and returned to Longchamp in 1996. For a period thereafter it was switched between
Deauville (1997–98, 2003) and Chantilly (1999–2002, 2004–05). The Prix du Bois was transferred to
Maisons-Laffitte in 2006, and had another spell at Chantilly between 2009 and 2015. It has been run at Deauville again since 2016. The leading horses from the Prix du Bois often go on to compete in the
Prix Robert Papin. The first to win both races was Erica in 1927, and the most recent was Family One in 2011. ==Records==