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Inferno Piper: An Underdog for the G1 Criterium des 3 ans?

Trained by Vincent Martens, Inferno Piper is one of the underdogs of this year's G1 Critérium des 3 ans behind favourites from the stables of Philippe Allaire, Mister Criterium, Fabrice Souloy and Sébastien Guarato. Vincent Martens thinks that with a little luck, Inferno Piper can set the classic on fire.

Inferno Piper comes into the race after two disqualifications. How do you analyze his last two races?

Vincent Martens: It's pretty simple. The first time, there was an interference and he broke his stride. For the Prix Jacques de Vaulogé (Gr.2), the prep race for the Criterium, he started too quickly and ran out of steam before breaking his stride 50 meters from the post. He finished second before being disqualified by the stewards.

Have you made any changes?

I did make some adjustments. I changed the curb (bit) to make him breathe more easily. He should pull less. It is mandatory for Sunday because the distance will be long over 2700m.

I should add that the day after his last race, he had a foot abcess. Today, he is perfect. This morning (Thursday), he did a good piece of work. We hope for a great race with good pace for Sunday because he really has his chance among the best. He's never really far from the victory.

Who is the "Piper" breeder and owner ?

The current owner's father had horses with Jarmo Niskanen. When he died, the son did not know much about it. He sought advice from a friend of his who co-owned Alcoy in my yard. This is how he came to us. He only has two horses, but he's lucky. Inferno has a profile of a horse with a future. I'm not hard on young horses so they last for years.

You have been working for years in close collaboration with your brother Christophe, how does your partnership work?

I train and he drives. This has been going on for 15 years. From a very young age, we each had our own preference, our favorite field. We swap roles from time to time but hardly. At first, we worked on our own and then we thought it would be a good idea to team up. We are very different in character, I am shy, he is an extrovert. But we are also complimentary. We get angry sometimes but it's never for long and it's always to get ahead in our job.

A word about the other Sunday starters?

I would have Haiko Dream in the Prix Jules Lepennetier who is very good as his recent victory proves. He could finish in the top 3 again. I would also have Imprudence who is very delicate. I know she is better than her last disqualifications.

Do you have other horses to follow in the meetings (Vincennes or Cagnes)?

I'm going to focus on Vincennes until the Prix D'Amérique meeting where I have several horses: Imperial Darling, Inferno Piper and Marcello Wibb. Christophe will drive in the Prix d'Amérique for Jean-Michel Bazire.

As for the horses to watch, three names: Icone d'Avenir, a filly who will win a race, Niford des Baux and Elmagnifico de Lou is worth following when he races over 2100m in Vincennes or 2900m in Cagnes-sur-Mer.