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News In Brief of French Racing and Trotting - 5th January 2022.
This week we continue our review of 2021 and premiership winners, with the focus on trotting. We also look at French success internationally and other news surrounding the Winter Meeting at Vincennes…
Trotting
The premiership performers for 2021 were:
Drivers
Eric Raffin – 294 (record)
Mathieu Abrivard – 222
Yoann Lebourgeois – 211
Franck Nivard – 183
Alexandre Abrivard – 151
Mounted
Mathieu Mottier – 96
Alexandre Abrivard – 66
Eric Raffin – 55
Paul Ploquin – 38
Adrien Lamy – 36
Trainers
Thierry Duvaldestin – 239 (record)
Loic-Claude Abrivard – 160
Sebastian Guarato – 160
Patrick Terry – 149
Jean Michel Bazire – 138
Last Thursday at Vincennes, Eric Raffin won the first race on the programme to equal his 2019 record of wins in a year (345), a title he has shared with Jean-Michel Bazire for the past two seasons. Later that afternoon, he won again to create a new record for an individual driver/jockey. His overall 2021 season reads 292 driven wins and 54 on the saddle. To top it off he won the last race of the season on Joke who is prepared by Jean-Michel Baudouin, the trainer having provided him with the most winning races for one stable throughout the year. Of the total 176 victories were at the Paris tracks of Vincennes and Enghien with 170 in the provinces. He competed in 1,808 races, for 313 different trainers. There were three G1 race victories during the season.
Jean-Pierre Dubois's Hédé Darling will now be trained in Norway by the Hamre brothers. A horse who showed plenty of ability as a three-year-old with a third in the G1 Prix Albert Viel behind Helgafell and Hooker Berry, Hédé Darling has won to G3 level attempting the Prix Caecilia in 2021 and also racing in Finland. A personal best time recorded for Hédé Darling is 1'10''8 (at three) over the 1609m course at Enghien.
Galius, winner of the G2 Prix Ténor de Baune - Prix d'Amérique Races - Qualifier # 4 has the option of competing in the G1 Prix d'Amerique (and against both Face Time Bourbon and Etonnant) or opting for the G1 Sulky World Cup for 5-year-olds to be run on the same day. The trainer has indicated Galius may not yet be tough or mature enough to go against the older more seasoned performers in the Classic race for Legends.
Finishing second on her mounted reappearance in December in the G2 Prix Joseph Lafosse when beaten by Granvillaise Bleue, Gladys des Plaines will next race on Sunday in the G2 Prix du Calvados with her ultimate target being the G1 Prix de Cornulier in two weeks. Winner of the G1 Prix de Normandie in September, she was well fancied in the 'Cornulier' last year but was disqualified.
Well performed European Callmethebreeze is nominated to make his Winter meeting debut next Sunday in the G2 Prix Charles Tiercelin. Winner of four Group One races in Italy, he also produced a G2 Vincennes victory in August. His target will be the inaugural running of the G1 Prix Ourasi – Sulky World Cup des 4 ans on January 30th. Sunday's race offers the first three an automatic qualifying ticket for the event. Others nominated for the event include Italiano Vero and Charming by Zack, winner of the 2021 Italian Derby.
Trainer Philippe Allaire has confirmed Hohneck, winner of the Critérium Continental - Prix d'Amérique Races - Qualifier # 3 will be targeted for a start in the G1 Prix d'Amerique in just over three weeks.
He may not win by much, but Just a Gigolo continues to impress having now won two Group colts' races – the G2 Prix Emmanuel Margouty following victory in the G3 Prix Louis Cauchois (Gr.3). The first three-year-old Group One of the season – Critérium des Jeunes is the logical race for the Phillipe Allaire trained runner to be targeted.
One of the great French champions of the 20th century, Défi d'Aunou, passed away aged 30. Fifth of the six foals of Nesmile (one of the Dubois family's greatest broodmares), he won a total of €2,392,673 in prizemoney.
Flat
Alain de Royer Dupré saddled his final runner last Wednesday at Pornichet. Unfortunately, it was not to be a fairy-tale ending as Darenndi could only finish second after being well back and held up, making late ground to be narrowly denied.
Two French bred horses have been successful in domestic Group races in Doha (Qatar) - Moshrif by Dahess, trained by François Rohaut for Khalifa bin Sheail Al Kuwari, winning the G3 Pure-Bred-Arabian while Saqr by Dutch Art won in the G1 Qatar Derby for the same connections.
