9 April 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Saturday, April 8th, 2023, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). - Gex (Khalkevi) finished second in the Group 1 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris last year. But on 8 April at Auteuil, he won the penultimate leg of the Grand Steeple-Chase Masters, the €235,000 Murat Chase (Group 2), in style. Gex turned on the style and he should go straight to the big event!
Trained by Emmanuel Clayeux, based at Vaumas in the Allier region, he triumphed in front of his co-owners, Andrée Cypres (his co-breeder) and Lord Daresbury, a well-known figure in Britain. As an amateur, Lord Daresbury was a champion amateur rider, having won 270 times in the saddle, even taking part (against professionals) in the legendary Grand National over fences at Aintree. Fast-forwarding to 2023, the co-owner of Gex oversees the running of this racecourse! Gex is his first very good horse as an owner.
As a Francophile, he likes to buy young horses in our country. Gex was bred by the Cyprès family, like the mythical Al Capone II and the famous El Paso III, two winners of the Grand Steeple-Chase in Paris. Gex's trainer, Emmanuel Clayeux, has twice trained horses to achieve podium finishes, but he has never won the big event proper.
What they said...
Bertrand Lestrade (Royan, 17), jockey of Gex, 1st
"It was a fast run and fluid race. The horse is very well made and he had made a very good return over hurdles. I'd like to take this opportunity to say hello to James Reveley [Gex's regular jockey, currently injured]. I tried to do a good job. We'll see who's going to run in the Grand Steeple, and the riding plans. Gex will be one of the leading contenders in the Grand Steeple-Chase. Down the backstretch, I was in a difficult position. As I wanted to see if there were any horses behind us that would go on. When I saw that this was not the case, I delayed my run as much as possible. Because I don't think that he's a horse that quickens in one fell swoop over 200m: he picks up steadily. He then responded well to my urgings all the way to the post. Horses, like Gex, have such a raking stride that you don't necessarily get the impression that you are going fast. On the contrary, Docteur de Ballon, the last outstanding chaser I rode, really gets low to the ground. Gex is different: as he’s more like a steamroller that wears down all his rivals."
Emmanuel Clayeux (Vaumas (03), trainer of Gex, 1st)
"On his last outing, in the Prix Hubert d'Ailières (L), Gex wasn’t fully wound up That said, he did run well. Today, on the other hand, this race was an objective in itself. We did everything we could to ensure that he was cherry ripe for this. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll run him in the Prix Ingré (Gr2). We'll go straight to the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1) instead. Of course, I could still change my mind. But I’m getting to know the horse more and more. He jumped flawlessly. I even think that this is the first time in his career that this has happened to him! His jockey, Bertrand Lestrade, was riding him for the very time. I told him that he was an easy horse to ride, but that he could very quickly get into sloppy mode over the obstacles. When you ride Gex, you mustn't hesitate to keep him up to his work throughout."
Isabelle Pacault (Maisons-Laffitte (78), trainer-breeder of Metasequoia, 2nd)
"We have never backed him up so soon and, on his last outing, he may perhaps have been may have been feeling the effects. So we waited 40 days before tackling the Prix Murat. And I think that he's earned his ticket for the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. It's great’s what he's done. I'm very happy and very proud of him. He jumped very well. We will be monitoring the plans of others carefully, but he should head straight to the big race."