17 May 2018
Photo scoopdyga.com
France Galop had now united all Auteuil Spring Gr1s into one weekend and this new Festival is on this Saturday with the French Triumph Hurdle, the Prix Alain du Breil (Gr1), leading the way. A frequent flyer to the Parisian course, Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins saddles three horses in the 4yo hurdling championship, including Cheltenham Festival’s equivalent race 2nd, Mr Adjudicator (Camacho).
On Sunday, a fascinating renewal of the €820,000 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1), the French Gold Cup, is on with 14 runners including another Mullins raider, the seasoned Frenchbred Djakadam (Saint des Saints), who hasn’t returned to France since he was moved to Mullins’ yard, back in 2012. The 9yo has since become one of the most regular players in the top Anglo-Irish chases and he will act as a familiar newcomer, if such thing is possible, on Sunday, facing the likes of Grand Steeple winners Milord Thomas (Kagarde) and So French (Poliglote), but also a formidable home guard led by a strong young generation of chasers.
There is a 4yo Gold Cup on the agenda too in the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure Chase (Gr1), where the best young jumpers of the country gather to share €320,000.
Owner Magalen Bryant and champion trainer Guillaume Macaire’s new phenomenon is called Whetstone (Saint des Saints). She’s a sister to So French and Device and she won her last eight races, including four chases.
There is a large party from Britain and Ireland to seize the €350,000 offered in the French Stayers Hurdle, the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (Gr1). Six of the 13 runners have indeed crossed the Channel, including last year’s winner L’Ami Serge (King’s Theatre), trained by Nicky Henderson for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, two very familiar partners at Auteuil, where they rank amongst the most successful owners. The trophy went abroad 5 times out of the 7 last times the race was run and the home team relies mostly on the great mare De Bon Coeur (Vision d’État), trained in Royan by François Nicolle, even though she just got beat for the first time by her stablemate Alex de Larredya (Crillon), who is also sporting Munir's colours in the race on Sunday, and she remains to be assessed over a long distance such as this championship’s testing 2m 5 ½ furlongs.
The ground so far is very soft (4,0) and a glorious weather is expected over Paris (don’t worry though: there’s plenty of champagne on ice). Leave the tweeds behind and shorten your skirts, ladies, for the competition is fierce at Auteuil on Grand Steeple weekend!