Compiègne: L'Autonomie hits the ground running

September 21, 2021, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). - A year after winning first up in this very Compiègne Hurdle Race (Gr3), over 19.5 furlongs, the best French hurdler L’Autonomie (Blue Brésil) did not miss her appointment. Now unbeaten in 4 races this year, the Catherine Coiffier homebred took the lead with a lap to run, taking over the usual leader Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy) earlier than usual. She then pondered until the last straight and took off between the last two hurdles to win comfortably by 6 lengths over Polirico (Cokoriko), who beat Galop Marin by a nose for second place.

The AQPS outsider Folsom Prison (No Risk At All) long fought for a place on the podium  for his first test at this level but finally gave in to finish 4th at 2 1/2 lengths.

No 5-year-old was in this field, bearing in mind that only 2 of them -including the 3rd placed Gem- took part in the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (Gr1) in May.

L'Autonmie has now passed de million euro mark, plus almost €160,000 for her breeder Catherine Coiffier, who owns 100% of the mare. Last May over the same course and distance, and the same ground condition (4.1) for her Spring comeback in the Hypothèse Hurdle race, the mare took over Galop Marin in the final 5 furlongs only. She won this time in 3’’3 more than in the Hypothese, but the difference was made early, in the first 900 yards (56’’8 for L’Autonomie in the Hypothèse, 1’01’’ here). She covered the last 5 furlongs this time in 1’9’’6, against 1’10’’5 in May. Galop Marin went faster when he led that day than the mare in the Compiegne.

On average, Galop Marin needs 151 strides to cover 5 furlongs, while it takes 160 for the mare to do so, but in the final stage, they tend to cover the same ground as the big chestnut pays the toll for leading asx the mare takes off.