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Weekly Round-Up of French Racing and Trotting - 9th March 2021.
In the past seven days, the Vincennes Winter Meeting closed with a competitive card including the G1 Prix de Séléction (2200m) and Auteuil hosted their second meeting of the year...
Thursday 4 March - Vincennes (Trotting)
In the mounted G3 Prix Edouard Marcillac (2175m) for three-year-olds excluding geldings, Ici C'Est Paris (Christopher Cobineau/Phillipe Allaire) justified favouritism to score comfortably with a record kilometre rating of 1'13"4. Ici C'Est Paris took the lead in the early stages but was put under pressure at the 1500m marker when rival, I Love You Nobless (Julien Balu/Charley Mottier) came alongside. The pair vied for position throughout the remainder of the race until Ici C'Est Paris began to extend in the final 200m. I Love You Nobless broke stride in the home straight, gifting second to Isildur Paulois (Jean Yan Ricart/Juan Carlos Rotger Serra) with Is A Dream House (David Thomain/Franck Anne) third. It was the winner's first Group victory, and he emulated his half siblings Fine Perle and Gai Brilliant who were also successful in the G3 Prix Edouard Marcillac (2175m).
There was another short-priced winner in the mounted G3 Prix Holly du Locton (2175m) for three-year-old fillies with Ideale Du Chene (Paul Philippe Ploquin/Julien Le Mer) recording her first mounted success. Previously third in the driven G2 Prix Gélinotte (2700m), the filly started sharply and was settled in fourth. Paul Philippe Ploquin encouraged Idéale du Chêne to take up the lead at the 1000m marker and she didn't see another rival again, winning in impressive fashion. Italia Solo (Matt Abrivard/Sebastien Houyvet) and India de Banville (Francois Lagadeuc/Thomas Levesque) finished second and third respectively. It was clear that the switch to mounted company had sparked further improvement from Idéale du Chêne.
Hokkaido Jiel (Pierre Yves Verva/Jean Luc Desour) impressed in the driven G3 Prix Vindex (2700m) for four year olds, setting a record time for a four-year-old at Vincennes over 2700m at this stage in the year. He started well and settled into second behind Hatchet Man (David Thomain/Phillipe Allaire) at the 1500m. As the field rounded the final turn, Hermès Pat (Gabriele Gelormini/Maik Esper) made a bid on the outside leaving Hokkaïdo Jiel outpaced. The eventual winner may have been slow to respond but he came with a storming run in the final 100m and snatched victory from Hermès Pat. Hiatus (Matt Abrivard/Bruno Bourgoin) finished well to place third. Hokkaïdo Jiel will now target the G1 Critérium des 4 Ans (2850m) in May.
Saturday 6 March - Vincennes (Trotting)
Last Saturday marked the official end of the Vincennes Winter Meeting of 2020-2021 which did not disappoint with Face Time Bourbon making history on a glorious sunny afternoon.
Face Time Bourbon (Eric Raffin/Sébastien Guarato) was the headline act again at Vincennes on Saturday 6 March, taking the feature G1 Prix de Séléction (2200m) in impressive fashion for a third consecutive year. Eric Raffin faced an easy task on his official debut as retained driver, settling the dual G1 Grand Prix d'Amérique winner in the lead from the early stages. The champion did not see another rival for the remainder of the contest and clocked 1'09'1 in the final 500m. For You Madrik (Benoît Robin/ Jean-Luc Bigeon) out-ran expectations to finish second and Fric du Chêne (Franck Nivard/Julien Le Mer) made up late ground to snatch third.
Face Time Bourbon will be given a break before returning for the G1 Prix René Ballière (2100m) at Vincennes in June and a repeat visit to Belgium for the G1 Grand Prix de Wallonie (2300m) at Mons in August. Following the 2021/22 Vincennes Winter Meeting, connections would like to target the leading overseas races, such as the Elitloppet in Sweden.
Hallix (Eric Raffin/Guillaume Gillot) was an eye catching winner in the mounted G2 Prix Louis Le Bourg (2850m) and has been touted as a future champion. It was her sixth victory at this year's Vincennes Winter Meeting and the mare has proven her versatility with success in driven and mounted contests alike. The Guillaume Gillot trained four-year-old set a new record of 1'13'6 for the race and will be targeting the mounted G1 Prix du Président de la République (2850m) on 27 June. The win also marked a double on the card for Eric Raffin.
Clegs Des Champs (David Thomain/Thierry Raffegeau) matched the success of his ex-stable mate Uppercut des Manche in the mounted G3 Prix Henri Desmontils (2850m) for five to eleven year olds. The Thierry Raffegeau trained colt stayed close to leader Freeman de Houlle (Eric Raffin/Franck Leblanc) and used the turn into the home straight to gain an advantage. Carly (Mathieu Mottier/Thierry Duvaldestin) produced a late run to steal second from Freeman de Houlle.
Ce Bello Romain (Anthony Barrier/Sylvain Dupont) returned after a near-three month break to win the driven G3 Prix du Plateau de Gravelle (2100m) for four to eleven-year-olds. The victory will be used as a foundation for a productive Spring campaign with Enghien identified as an initial target in three weeks. Unique Juni (Matt Abrivard/Jörgen Westholm) was second and Dreambreaker (Eric Raffin/Jean-Michel Bazire) third.
Sunday 7 March – Auteuil (Jump)
The G2 Prix Juigné Hurdle (3600m) was the feature race of Auteuil's second fixture. The G1 Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil (5100m) winner Paul's Saga (Kevin Nabet/David Cottin) was looking to bounce back to winning ways after an unsuccessful trip to the UK. Despite a good display of jumping, the mare was unable to pass Polirico (Gaëtan Masure/Francois Nicolle) who scored by two and a half lengths. Polirico was given a quiet 2020 campaign with only four starts but had been placing consistently in Group events during 2019. The six-year-old has potential for further improvement and will be a leading player in Group One company. Loradame (Thomas Coutant/Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé) showed a game attitude to finish third.
