4 March 2018
Photos scoopdyga.com
Last year's 4-year-old leading hurdler De Bon Cœur (State Vision) largely dominated her elders, whom she met Sunday at Auteuil for the first time in the Prix Juigné Hurdle (Gr3). Owner Jacques Détré's champ, trained by François Nicolle near Royan, was ridden by Thomas Gueguen, who replaced her usual jockey, James Reveley, unfit to ride after a nasty fall at Fontainebleau on Saturday. Quickly in the lead in a fluid gallop, the 5-year-old mare won by ten lengths over a good Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy), also always pointed amongst the leaders. Her main rival on paper, the 6-year-old previous winner of this race Device (Poliglote) was last pretty much all the way of a tight field and finished well in 4th, although he didn't jump very well the 3rd last hurdle.
The winner completed the 3,600 meters trip in a good time over a "very soft" course.
Owner-breeder of De Bon Coeur, Jacques Détré declared on the podium: "She does not need to work a lot in the morning and could therefore improve again. The Prix Hypothese Hurdle (Gr3, March 25 on 3,900 meters) is a possibility but what matters the most is, she's more relaxed now and that is a good omen for the longer championships."
The big one for the French hurdlers this season is of course the Grande Course de haies d’Auteuil (Gr1), over 3m3 1/2f on May 20, on the Grand Steeple-Chase of Paris (Gr1) card.
We should also see the another prodigious mare in action that day, Perfect Impulse (Poliglote), who won for her return Sunday in the Jean Doumen Hurdle. Trained by Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé on Royan racecourse, she should go on over fences to get set for another tilt at the Grand Steeple, in which she finished second last year.
In Prix Robert de Clermont-Tonnerre Chase (Gr3), the favorite, 2017 Prix La Haye-Jousselin Chase (Gr1) winner Bipolaire (Fragrant Mix) finished a good second to Saint Goustan Blue (Blue Brésil), who led all the way and won by over three lengths. Out for a year from September 2016 to September 2017, 6yo Saint Goustan Blue was bred in Brittany by Albino Bassi and races for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. Trained by Guillaume Macaire, he won Sunday his fourth consecutive victory, for his return just a hundred days after his second success at Group level, in the Grande Course de Haies de Compiegne (Gr3). He had already won at this level in the Prix La Périchole Chase (Gr3) in September 2016.
The next major step on the "classic" route to the Grand Steeple-Chase is the Prix Troytown Chase (Gr3) on March 18, followed by the Prix Murat Chase (Gr2) on April 7, and the Prix Ingré Chase (Gr3) on April 28.