News In Brief of French Racing and Trotting - 20th April 2022.
All three codes feature in this week's edition of the News In Brief including Angel Bleu, Feu Follet and the latest round of the Trophée Vert...
Flat
Angel Bleu, trained in the UK by Ralph Beckett and winner of last years' G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (1400m) and G1 Critérium International (1600m), finished third on Saturday at Newbury (UK) over 1400m behind Perfect Power (ridden by Christophe Soumillon), winner of the G1 Prix Morney (1200m) at Deauville last August. Angel Bleu could run in either G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (1600m) at Longchamp in May or the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in just under two weeks.
Last Friday at Marseille-Borély, former Italian jockey, now based in France, Antonio Orani won five of the eight races, with four of the winners trained by Jérôme Reynier – Beni Khiar, Evident Beauty, Totally Gold, and Save your Breath. He also won on Moko for Christophe Escuder and finished third on his other two rides. Orani has now ridden 180 winners in France. His good form continued the following day at Toulouse where he rode Tounsivator to victory, a horse also trained by Jerome Reynier.
Evident Beauty won her first French start at Marseille-Borély last Friday having previously been trained and raced in the UK. Now prepared by Jérôme Reynier she is raced in the same colours and by the same connections (the Tsui family) who owned the great mare Urban Sea. Following that win, she could be nominated for and race in the Listed Prix Urban Sea to be run at Le Lion-d'Angers in May. Evident Beauty needs a firm track to perform at her best.
Japanese horses Bethrat and Leon could be set for European summer campaigns that may potentially take in the G1 Jacques Le Marois (1600m) at Deauville in mid-August. The Japanese have previously won two of the biggest races on the Deauville calendar, both in 1998. Taiki Shuttle won the 'Marois' and Pearl scored in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest (1300m). Looking toward the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m), nominations will occur on 11 May, and it is understood, up to five Japanese horses might be included.
Supplemented to participate in the Class 3 Prix de la Madrague (1700m) at Marseille-Borély, the winner Give'Em the Slip provided trainer Alexandre Lartigau his first starter and winner. Based at Pau, he secured his Licence in December. Another first-time trainer, Victoria Head, saddled Raiku at Saint-Cloud finishing third in the Class 3 Prix Winkfield (1400m). Also, gaining his trainers License in 2021 and based at Calas, Louis Bernhardt won his first race last Friday at Saint-Cloud in the Class 3 Prix du Lieu (1400m) with Asterion wining. He is a third-generation trainer and holds a Gentleman riders license.
Second last year in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (1600m), Colosseo faced a mixed second half of the season. He returned to the winners' circle in a Class 2 at Nantes over 1600m and will now head to the United States and to be trained by Wayne M. Catalan.
Grand Glory, recent winner of the Listed Prix Zarkava at Longchamp, where she carried a penalty, will next race in the G3 Prix Allez France (2000m) also at Longchamp on 1 May.
Shadwell have announced that going forward their French trainers will be Jean-Claude Rouget and Francois Rohaut. This means Freddy Head will no longer be preparing for the racing and breeding operation.
French bred horses continued with their current international success when Bouttemont won the All-Weather Sprint Championship at Newcastle in the UK last Friday. This was the sixth time a French horse has won a race on the Finals Day. He was ridden by Gregory Benoist and held-on to win by a short-head. The horse is owned by Philippe Allaire, trained by Yann Barberot and was bred by Mrs Andre Fabre.
Jump
Feu Follet was pulled-up during the 2021 G1 Prix La Haye Jousselin (5500m) and then made a winning 2022 seasonal reappearance in a hurdle at Compiegne earlier this month. His next race is scheduled to be on 30 April in the G3 Prix Ingré and then the G1 Grand Steeplechase de Paris (6000m). He has previously contested the 'Grand Steeplechase' and 'La Haye Jousselin' twice. His preference is for slightly firmer tracks compared to the heavy surfaces previously contested in these feature races.
Winner of four of five races, all in 2019, Frisson d'Estruval has been retired. Considered to be a 'fragile' horse there were injury concerns. Talented, he won at both Auteuil and Compiegne and is expected to remain at trainer Guillaume Macaire's property.
The German bred stallion Pastorius has been based in France since 2018 and his first off-spring are three-year-olds. On Monday at Royan-la Palmyre the filly Josubie became his first jumping winner for prominent connections Hugo and Pierre Pilarski and trainers Guillaume Macaire and Hector de Lageneste.
Recent Auteuil three-year-old filly debutante winner Lossiemouth will continue her career in Ireland. She has been sold and will be trained by Willie Mullins.
The Wertheimer Brothers bred Malakahna won her third consecutive race in the UK taking out the G3 Fillies' Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham last week. She commenced her career on the flat with Christophe Ferland and had two starts for him including a maiden win at Toulouse last June before being sold. The second in the race, La Renommée, is also French bred and another who commenced her career in France before being sold.
On his initial ride at Auteuil, apprentice Thibault Legay landed his first course victory riding Défi d'Oudairies in the Prix du Barry (3700m) claiming steeplechase last Thursday.
Winner of the G3 Prix Hypothèse at her seasonal reappearance, L'Autonomie will next run in the Prix Léon Rambaud in her leadup to the G1 Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil.
Trotting
The highlight this Saturday at Enghien will be the G1 Prix de l'Atlantique (2150m). Another feature race will be the G2 Prix de Tonnac-Villeneuve (2850m) where the best four-year-olds will compete, notably Izoard Védaquais and Idao by Tillard. Both have won a Group 1 at Vincennes during the winter meeting, respectively in Sulky World Cup 4yo and Prix de Selection.
Although entered in the G1 Prix de l'Atlantique (2150m) next Saturday at Enghien, Diable de Vauvert will not be starting in the race. Connections have indicated they prefer to space apart the horses runs and feel this race will be coming too soon after the previous two successes in the G1 Prix de Paris Marathon Race (4150m) in February and G3 Prix Jean Riaud (2850m) last month. His immediate target will be the G1 Eliltloppet (1609m) at Solvalla in Sweden in May.
The second round of the Trophée Vert was won by Calimero du Thiole on Sunday at Écommoy driven by Pierre Lévesque. A surprise winner, the race went his way as the favourite broke stride when well clear at the top of the home-straight and Calimero du Thiole was able to capitalise on this and race home strongly along the outside fence.
Originally trained by Sébastien Guarato, Intrépide Turgot will now be prepared by Alessandro Gocciadoro. The son of two champions – Ready Cash and Scarlet Turgot – recorded a rating of 1'11''7 for the 1650m at Milan from an autostart. Last Sunday he contested against the best in Italy when contesting the G2 Gran Premio Citta du Torino in Turin over 2060m starting from gate four.
