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News In Brief of French Racing.
Face Time Bourbon suffered a shock defeat when beaten in the final of the 'Lotterie' held in Naples, Italy on Sunday. Winning his heat, he finished second in the final behind the well-performed Italian five-year-old Zacon Gio. This was not the first time Zacon Gio has claimed the scalp of Face Time Bourbon having beaten him in the Premio Unione Europea (2080m) at Modeme, Italy in a four-year-old race run in May 2019.
2019 was a successful year for Zacon Gio, winning all nine of his racecourse appearances including the Yonkers International Trot in the United States last October defeating older rivals. Although he has been slightly below his best this year, the Naples success marked a return to form.
Haras de Quesnay resident, Anodin (standing for €12,000), recorded his fourth individual stakes success at Deauville last Wednesday when three-year-old filly Directa won the Listed Prix Vulcain (2500m). Despite starting at 23/1, the Joel Boisnard trained filly has now produced four victories from nine attempts.
Lope de Vega continues to record individual stakes winners with the Godolphin-owned Parchemin registering victory number seventy in the Listed Isonomy (1600m). This promising horse is now two starts for two wins and will be of interest next spring.
The Aga Khan Stud have announced that Irish trainer, and former jockey for HH Aga Khan, Johnny Murtagh will commence training for the operation during the coming months. Now based in Kildare (Ireland), he recently recorded his first Group One victory when Champers Élysées won the Matron Stakes (1600m) at Leopardstown. In total, Johnny Murtagh carried the Aga Khan colours to 16 Group One victories including on Sinndar, victor of the 2000 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Trainer Frédéric Rossi has announced Sealiway, winner of the G1 Jean-Luc Lagardère (1600m) by eight lengths, will have his next start in the G1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m) at Keenland on 6 November.
Thirty-one-year-old jockey Maxime Guyon recorded a two thousandth winner on 20 October at Deauville racecourse on Be Ahead. Winner of the Sacré Cravache d'Or in 2019, Guyon has achieved thirty-one Group One victories including the Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de Diane.
Eric Raffin recorded his 200th victory for the season on Friday when Honneur du Cébé won at Vincennes. Forty of those wins have been in mounted races. He is the overall leader of the championship, while within the mounted rides only, Alexandre Abrivard (last year's winner) has 48 wins with Matthieu Mottier recording 47.
The next series of the regional Grand National du Trot will be conducted at fourteen venues and held over two years with one final. Currently it is held during a calendar year at thirteen courses. There have been racetracks added to the roster including Les Sables-d'Olonne (to be held in July) and Cabourg (but not until 2022). This will be the fortieth running of the popular provincial series. In 2020 there has been three new track additions – Maure-de-Bretagne, Châtelaillon-La Rochelle and Angers. Châteaubriant will also be included in 2022.
