News In Brief of French Racing and Trotting - 27th July 2022.
Flat
Sibila Spain is being considered for a run in the Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville next Tuesday. Winner of the Prix du Muguet (Gr2), she then travelled to Royal Ascot to compete in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Gr2) where she was declared a late non-runner. Next was an unplaced run in the Falmouth Stakes (Gr1) at Newmarket. Trainer Christopher Head has indicated a soft track would be preferred.
Winner of four Group One victories across four different countries, State of Rest – already a G1 winner in France in the Prix Ganay – may see his next race in the Prix Jacques Le Marois over the shorter distance of 1600m at Deauville on 14 August.
Originally targeted to attempt back-to-back wins in the King George Stakes (Gr2) at Glorious Goodwood this week, Suesa will now be targeted for the Prix du Cercle (L) at Deauville on August 7. She will not be travelling to York for the Nunthorpe later in the month.
Skalleti won the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis (Gr1) in Munich last year and the race, scheduled to be run next Sunday, has two French entries Ebaiyra – last start winner of a 2100m Listed mares race at Chantilly – and Dawn Intello – second in a feature Milan race over 2000m the end of June.
Do Deuce, winner of the Japanese Derby and champion three-year-old, has been set the Prix Niel (G2) as his initial French outing and a trial race ahead of contesting the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr1). Currently in the spelling paddock, he will return to training this week and depart for France on 2 September along with five-year-old My Rhapsody who will race in the Prix Foy (Gr2). Both horses will be ridden by Yutaka Take.
Winner on debut attempting the All-Weather at Dundalk in Ireland, Ocean Vision, also has a Listed and G3 fourth placings (both races won by Blackbeard the impressive winner of the Prix Robert Papin (Gr2) at Chantilly). Since these performances, Ocean Vision has arrived in Chantilly and will be trained by Tim Donworth. Connections believe the calendar and competition will provide more opportunities for the youngster. His first race in France will be at Deauville in the Listed Prix de la Vallée d'Auge on Saturday 6th.
Trotting
Next Saturday at Enghien will see the running of the only Group race over 1609m for older horses held in Paris – the Prix de Washington. Two runners confirmed are Galius and Hohneck. The latter – arrives on the back of an all the way win at La Capelle also at Group Two level. His season target is the Critérium des 5 ans and European Championship also restricted to five-year-olds. Lofty heights are being aspired to going forward including a tilt at the Prix d'Amerique and the Elitloppet.
Winner of the Prix René Ballière (Gr.1) at Vincennes on June 26 – at the expense of Etonnant – Vivid Wise As, will have his next race in the Grand Prix de Wallonie (Gr.1) in Mons, Belgium. The horse has recovered well from this last outing and with both horses targeting the event, it is being set up to be a match race between the two again. Since March they have met four times and the score is two wins apiece. Following the Mons contest, Vivid Wise As will run in the Grand Prix du Department of Alpes-Maritimes (Gr.2) at Cagnes-sur-Mer on August 27, a race he has won three times. For Etonnant, he was the most successful French horse during the first half of the season and has freshened in a paddock of Franck Leblanc's. Factors that may prevent him competing include the weather and any prospect of fires in the district.
At Axevalla in Sweden last Sunday, the StoChampionatet, a Group One for Four-year-old fillies, saw twelve competitors entered with five by French sires. Felicia Zet (Ready Cash), Global Collection (Brilliant), Great Skills (Ready Cash), Chatty Kronos (Bold Eagle) and Kashmir River (Django Riff). The race was won by Great Skills who had previously strung together five successive victories before failing in the Swedish Oaks. She is the daughter of French stallion Ready Cash and won over the 2,640 meters from the autostart establishing a new record for the event running 1'12''5.
Driver Philippe Masschaele recorded his 2,000th winner (1,237 in France and 763 in Belgium) last week at Biarritz, at a summer festival in which he has achieved consistent success for many years. Earlier in his career he was a Champion rider under saddle dominating the mounted races in the first part of the twenty-first century. Now he only races in driven events.
Patrick Terry is the latest trainer to achieve 100 winners for the season with Franceville notching up the century at Biarritz in a feature race. For Terry, this result was achieved quicker this season than in 2021. This is quite a large operation with 140 horses across four different training centres engaging eighteen employees. This year has seen 20% more starters with prizemoney earned so far amounting to more than €2,000,000, and with last year as their best, the stable is set to break the €2,700,000. Patrick Terry is now the third trainer to land 100 winners this year after Thierry Duvaldestin (now at 119) and Laurent Abrivard (at 105).
Last Monday at Plessé, Jacques Bruneau won his 500th race (488 driven and 12 mounted) when Hémine scored. His biggest successes to date have been the heats of the Grand National du Trot (Gr.3) with Jibon Tivoli in 2002 at Saint-Malo and Oyola in 2008 at Graignes. He won a G3 at Vincennes Bajazet in 2014. As a trainer he has achieved almost 750 winners including the Prix de Cornulier (Gr.1) in 2002 with Hutin Tébé.
Jumping
Winner of three of his four races, Paradiso won the Prix Wild Monarch (L) and Prix Aguado (Gr3) for trainer David Cottin. Not seen since the spring he was being targeted for an autumn return following health issues however connections were not pleased with his pre-race training and have decided to retire him to stud.
