12 June 2021
Photo scoopdyga.com
June 12, 2021, Auteuil racecourse (Paris). - Fifth group race on this last big meeting of the season at Auteuil, the Questarabad 4-year-olds' Hurdle race (Gr3) has become a consolation race after the Alain du Breil 4-year-olds' Hurdle race (Gr1). It played this role perfectly this year by consecrating Raffles Face (Authorized), trained by François Nicolle. He had finished third in the big 4-year-old championship over hurdles. Ridden by Gaëtan Masure, who won his second high-level success of the day after Polirico's victory in the La Barka Hurdle Race (Gr2) an hour earlier, the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede homebred overcame a brave Hurrick des Obeaux (Saddex), one of the revelations of the season in this young generation. Bred, owned and trained by Nicolas Devilder, the AQPS Hurrick well deserved this second place at three lengths, six lengths ahead of the expected main challenger, True Tiger (Jukebox Jury), again cautiously ridden after his fourth place in the Alain du Breil won by Hermès Baie.
Raffles Face was bred by his owners in Normandy. They also raced his dam North Face (Falco), winner once, over hurdles at Clairefontaine, in five outings. She was herself bred by the Ecurie D, that is Jean-Pierre Dubois, whose breeding also won this Saturday at Auteuil through La Boétie and Feu Follet. Raffles Face is the second foal out of the mare, who has since given birth to his full sister in 2018, unraced and now out of training, and then a colt by Spanish Moon born in 2020.