€355,000 Maurice Gillois 4yo Chase (Gr1): White smoke for Amy du Kiff

Sunday, 12 November 2023, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris) – Driven by an ambitious Jazzy Senam (Jeu St Eloi), the 83rd Maurice Gillois 4-year-old Chase (Gr1) was a particularly lively contest. The favourite, Juntos Ganamos (Martaline), winner of the Ferdinand Dufaure 4yo Chase (Gr1) in the spring, led the chase, but after a few awkward jumps, he fell in the 2nd last turn. Far behind the front runner, who had taken a significant lead up to that point and had not negotiated the main open ditch well, he left room for Amy du Kiff (Kapgarde) and Winteriscoming (Balios), who began their side-by-side approach. Jazzy Senam, in fact, never faltered, but Amy du Kiff dug deep to catch her between the last two jumps and eventually prevailed in the run-in. He won by four lengths at 15/1 without thoroughly shaking off an incredibly brave Jazzy Senam. Thirteen lengths behind, Jost (Buck’s Boum) took third place over Winteriscoming, who finished fourth eight lengths adrift.

This was the fourteenth race for the 4-year-old, who began racing in March at 3 with a seventh place in the Rush 3yo Hurdle race at Auteuil. Moving to steeplechasing in the autumn after four hurdle races without victories but with good placings, Amy du Kiff lost his maiden status at Fontainebleau on his second attempt in the discipline. Back over hurdles at the end of the season, he won in this speciality in May in a Listed race at Auteuil. He returned to steeplechase this autumn, and after a fourth place, he triumphed in the Bayonnet 4yo Chase (L) before trying his luck against the very best for the first time.

Bred in Normandy by Pascal Noue at his Haras de la Hêtraie, Amy du Kiff was sold under the name Jewell du Large for €20,000 at the Arqana summer sales in June '21 to Chauvigny Global Equine. He now races for his purchaser, associated to Écurie Nosat, Écurie Kerisel, SARL Arion, and Éric de Saint-Pierre. He is the second of four foals out of his dam Yellowstone Cay (Yeats), bred and owned by Berend van Dalfsen who ran nine times in claiming hurdle races, thus earning most of her €32,000 in earnings, and was claimed by Pascal Noue. She ended her competition on a 'pulled-up' note at Auteil in a Listed hurdle race. She had won three claiming races over hurdles.

Pascal Noue has bred her four times to Kapgarde, twice after Amy du Kiff, and none of her other foals have yet raced.