Auteuil’s Festival Sunday

Auteuil’s Festival Sunday

France stages nine Grade 1 races over jumps each year, all of them at Auteuil. This Sunday promises to be arguably the finest day of racing of the year at the Butte Mortemart, with no fewer than four Grade 1 contests on the card, representing the very highest level of the sport.

The action gets underway at 12:48pm with the Prix Fondeur (Grade 3), widely regarded as the unofficial Grand Steeple-Chase for five-year-olds. A particularly strong field has been assembled, featuring the supplementary entries Neverchangedoctor and It’s Win O’Clock, whose connections have paid an additional fee to secure their places in the race. The former is already being touted as a future Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris contender.

At 1:58pm, the four-year-olds will take centre stage in the Prix Maurice Gillois (Grade 1), which will crown the leading chaser of the autumn. Spring champion Métronomique will bid to retain his crown against the fillies Mélisse du Mathan, who could be making her final appearance in France before heading to Ireland, and Victrix du Mesnil. Teen Spirit and Montana Dream will be looking to upset the established order.

At 2:33pm, the leading three-year-old hurdlers will clash in what promises to be a thrilling renewal of the Prix Cambacérès (Grade 1). The race brings together several potential stars of the future, including Huron Bleu, Varsovie and Navy du Seuil, who will face a talented group of emerging prospects in Irrésitiblement, Baghera du Berlais, Saint Savin and Magnum Valley.

The highlight of Auteuil’s autumn season will come at 3:15pm with the Prix La Haye Jousselin (Grade 1), widely considered the autumn equivalent of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. The race will also serve as the feature event for the Quinté+ bet. Defending champion Toscana du Berlais returns alongside his two stablemates, Bon Garçon and Kilomètre Illimité, both of whom showed considerable promise in the preparatory race. Kolokico, runner-up in the 2025 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, will be among the leading contenders, together with Royal Saga, winner of the principal trial, the popular Le Petit Cheval, Feu de Dieu, who impressed in both preparatory races, and Kivala du Berlais, whose full potential over fences has yet to be revealed following his appearance in the Grand Steeple.

The Auteuil Festival will conclude with the Prix Renaud du Vivier (Grade 1), which brings together the leading four-year-old hurdlers. Léopard du Berlais, winner of the 2025 Prix Cambacérès (Grade 1), will be looking to bounce back from a series of disappointing performances. He will face the impressive Guadalquivir, who produced a striking display in the Prix de Maisons-Laffitte (Grade 3), former high-class Flat performer Instant Fragile, the luckless Illyadame, Shabrackand Delmegan, one of the most reliable performers of his generation.