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News In Brief of French Racing.

The commencement of the Winter Meeting at Vincennes is imminent. Le Trot have announced a program which will include eleven Group One races. The first of the elite races will be on 20 December (Critérium des 3 ans) and conclude on 6 March (Prix des Selection).  

There will be forty-three Group Two contests commencing with the Prix Reynolds (on Thursday 12 November) with the final race at that level being the Prix Louis Le Bourg, scheduled for 6 March.  

The inaugural G2 Prix Bold Eagle will be conducted at the Prix d'Amerique meeting, 31 January and is an International Group Two for five-year-olds who have earned at least €38,000. This event will replace the Prix de Montréal (Grade A) which is to receive a significant upgrade in status. Bold Eagle was retired last August and is one of the greatest trotteur-francais horses to race with his multiple wins including two Prix d'Amerique's. His final Group One victory was recorded at Woodbine in Canada in October 2019. He is now a leading stallion across Europe.   

Trainer Romain Larue has indicated Gelati Cut will be focusing on Group One races in Italy following his fifth in the feature Group One UET race at Vincennes in October. One of the reasons for taking this programming path is to avoid meeting many of the year old 'F' horses, notably Face Time Bourbon. Group One races on the agenda for competing include Gran Premio Memorial Giuseppe Biasuzzi along with the upcoming Gran Premio Europa, in Modena (15 November).  

It was previously indicated the next race for Face Time Bourbon will be the G2 Tenor de Baune in December however he has been accepted to compete in the upcoming G2 Prix Marcel Laurent (restricted to four and five-year-olds) at Vincennes on Thursday from behind the mobile. He has drawn gate four and there are plenty of high-class horses are engaged in what will be the first highlight of the winter season. The field includes Gu d'Heripre (5), Féerie Wood (6) and Feeling Cash (1).    

Leading French breeding farm Haras du Quesnay has announced the 2021 Stallion Fees for the five resident stallions.  

Intello €10,000, covered 101 mares in 2020 and has a good Black-Type strike rate of 10% of his progeny.  

Motivator will remain at €7,000 and his progeny include Treve and Ridasiyna.  

Anodin is priced at € 7,000 and continues to produce progeny that place him in the Top 10 Stallions in France in 2020 by earnings. Only Kingman and No Nay Never are ahead of him as third year stallions. This year he has sired forty-two winners.   

Recoletos commended his career as a stallion in 2019. Winner of two G1 races – Prix Isphan (1850m) and Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (1600m) – he was also voted best miler in Europe in 2018. His first progeny was born in 2020 and he will remain at € 6,500.  

Attendu is priced at €3,000, the same as last season. His first off-spring went through the sales-ring this year.   

National Hunt stallions Pentland Hills and Again For Fun will also be standing at the stud.  

Stud farm Haras de Bouquetot has added the winner of the 2020 G1 Prix de l'Abbaye, Wooded, to their roster. He will stand for €25,000. In what will be a second season for sire Shalaa, pricing will be at €25,000. To date, he has recorded eighteen winners including Australian G3 victor Shaquero.  

Other stallions standing are Invincible Spirit €15,000 (reduced from €25,000), Olympic Glory [sire of G1 winner Watch Me] is €5,000 (down from €10,000). The roster is also made up of Al Wukair, Ectot, Mekhtaal, Ruler of the World, Toranado, Zelzal and Doha Dream.     

Shaman, who is by Shamardal has been retired and will be based in Ireland. The multiple G1 placed performer will become resident at Yeomanstown Stud. Dark Angel is also standing at the farm. He was raced by the Wertheimer Brothers who have retained an interest in the horse. Sharman won five races from two to four years of age over distances 1400m to 2000m. At three he won the G3 Prix La Force and finished second in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (1600m) [won by Persian King] while finishing second in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois (1600m)[won by Romanised]. In 2020 he won the G2 Prix d'Harcourt (2000m) [beating both Way to Paris and Sottsass]. He was also third in the G1 Prix Ganay (2100m). Shaman comes from a strong Wertheimer line, which includes names Occupandist, Intello and Impressive.  

The Haras de Colleville Fees for 2021 has seen leading French first season sire Goken increase to €15,000 (up from €5,000). On the track his success this year includes Group Three winners Livachope and Go Athletico. In total he has produced twenty winners. Kendargent has sixty-two stakes winners (twelve individual Group winners) and will stand for a reduced fee of €10,000 (down from €15,000). Galiway had Group One success this year when Sealiway won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1400m). His fee has also been increased to €12,000.  

Hey Gaman, runner-up in the 2018 G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, is to stand at Haras du Taillis. Trained in Newmarket by James Tate, the colt struck at Listed level as a juvenile as well as finishing a close second in the G2 Champagne Stakes (1400m) before a neck second effort behind Olmedo in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. At four he added two further stakes successes. He will stand for €2,250.   

The Arqana Autumn Sale will proceed following permission being granted from the appropriate Government authorities. This will take place commencing next Saturday, 14 November. The sale is to commence with flat-bred yearlings followed by horses in training listed for 16 November and finally National Hunt sales. There will be limited access to the sales ring and horse inspections will only be conducted following prior registration.  

Le Trot have announced new regulations regarding the use of the whip. There is to be no more than seven strikes during the last 500 metres including three maximum hits through the final 200m.   

Exciting Swedish four-year-old Hail Mary, winner of seventeen of his twenty race starts including the G1 Swedish Derby has been targeted to race in the G1 Critérium Continental run at Vincennes Sunday, 27 December. The winner receives an automatic entry into the G1 Prix d'Amerique scheduled for Sunday 31 January 2021.  

Two French stallions had success in the G1 Breeders Crown at Eskilstuna (Sweden) on Sunday. Four-year-old Milady Grace – by Ready Cash – scored for leading stable Daniel Redén. In the three-year-old final Eagle Eye Sherry – by Bold Eagle – followed up her Oaks success from September and is trained by Björn Goop. This was the tenth G1 success for Bold Eagle as a stallion.

Marseille based trainer Frédéric Rossi notched up one-hundred winners when My Day scored at Marseille-Vivaux on Saturday. He is currently second by number of wins behind Jean-Claude Rouget (on 119) and has won more the €2.2m in prizemoney. The trainer also prepared two Group One winners Dream and Do in the Poule d'Essai des Poulines (1600m) and Sealiway in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (1600m).  

With eight Group One races to his name, Italian six-year-old Vitruvio has joined the stables of Jean-Michel Bazire. His wins include the G1 Kymi Grand Prix at Kouvola in Finland in June. Last Sunday he added to his tally scoring in the G1 Gran Premio Duomo. Other feature wins include the G1 Prix Orsi Mangelli at three and was second at Vincennes in the G1 Critérium Continental in 2018.    

Following his disqualification of all Swedish races (the Union of European Trotting is yet to decide on his other European conquests) and ongoing stallion eligibility, Propulsion will return to his native homeland of the United States for the 2021 breeding season. In Europe, all current and yet to be born foals will be eligible to be studbook registered and race.    

Promising two-year-old Il Conto recorded a maiden win on debut at Les Sable-d'Olonne in July and was then disqualified at Vincennes in September. The Ludovic Peltier trained colt then bounced back on Monday to record a new two-year-old record of 1'16"6 for the 2400m at Marseille-Borely.