Cagnes Jumps meeting's finale

Sunday 5 January is the penultimate jumps meeting of the Winter at Cagnes-sur-Mer, near Nice by the Mediterranea, but it is the traditional grand finale of the short seaside season at the Hippodrome de la Côte d'Azur. Four Grands Prix are on the card, including the Grand Prix de la Ville de Nice – Bernard Sécly (Gr3), which pays tribute to one of the most famous trainers in France, who conditioned amongst others great champions Katko and Al Capone II.

It is the local "Grand Steeple".

With a € 140,000 purse, the race brings together fourteen runners this year over 4,600 metres, or 2m7f. The favourite will be Berjou (Holy Roman Emperor), owned by Christian Trecco, Gérome Salussolia and the horse's trainer David Windrif. He was bred in France by Franklin Finance, that is to say Gérard Augustin-Normand. He ran for the Normandy owner over the flat before being claimed by Marseilles trainer Christophe Escuder, who kept him for six months, until his connections claimed him, in January 2018. Berjou is now 6 years old and trained over jumps by David Windrif, he proved very successful as he finished second in the Prix Léon Rambaud Hurdle Race (Gr2) at Auteuil then third in the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil (Gr1). He then failed three times in the second semester of last year at Auteuil but clearly regained his form on the Riviera. He has just won his two winter races at Cagnes, including the last prep race for the Grand Prix, the Prix du Comté de Nice Chase (L), over 2m5f.

On this occasion, he defeated seven rivals including Myboy (American Post), Achour (Limnos), winner of this Grand Prix in 2019 and still subject to a four pounds handicap, Fou du Brésil (Blue Brazil), Great Parade (Great Pretender) and Gothatir (Muhtathir), who will all line up for a revenge on Sunday. Second at less than a length with at level weights last time out, Myboy will this time carry 4lbs less than the favourite.

The other runners have followed alternative routes towards this big race. The Grand Prix winners show that this is not necessarily a bad idea ...

Three other major events, all Listed races, are on the card on Sunday at Cagnes. Nine runners line up for the Grande Course de Haies de Cagnes (L), a € 75,000 race. Winner of the last prep race, Normandy Invasion (Air Chief Marshall) finds four of his rivals here, along with Capharnaum (Le Triton), who won two consecutive handicaps this winter at Cagnes for Écurie Centrale, and three of the four first in a handicap chase run on Christmas Eve on this same course. The 4 year olds, less than a week after their birthday, also have their Grands Prix on Sunday. In the €65,000 Prix Christian de L’Hermite Chase (L), the favorite will certainly be Rockadenn (High Rock), who is undefeated in three outings this winter at Cagnes, two of which are steeple chases. Over hurdles, the €60,000 Prix André Massena Hurdle (L), whose winner will take almost as muych as Saturday's Tolworth Novices' Hurdle (Gr1) at Sandown, nine youngsters meet at the start, four of whom won last time out, but none as impressively as the unbeaten Gloria d'Anjou (Marresca Sorrento), trained by upcoming young trainer Gabriel Leenders for the Écurie Mustang team.

The jumps card at Cagnes will be followed by a trotting meeting, giving racegoers the opportunity to follow 14 races between 11:40 am and 7:30 pm! The last meeting of the obstacle meeting takes place the next day, Monday, January 6.

Racing will return to the scenic racecourse from January 13 for the flat meeting, which will take us for nineteen days until February 22 ...