Final flourish at Auteuil
Auteuil Racecourse will bring the curtain down on its first-half campaign this Saturday, May 30, with the fixture brought forward by half an hour in a bid to spare horses the worst of the late-afternoon heat. The feature event will be the Prix des Drags (Gr2), formerly the traditional consolation for the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1), but now very much a target race in its own right.
The courageous Le Philosophe, equally effective at Compiègne and Auteuil, over hurdles as well as fences, will be one of the headline acts carrying the colours of champion driver-trainer Jean-Michel Bazire. Nicely treated at the weights, Lacokokeldy, who races for Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie, has the class to make her presence felt in this company, alongside the talented Impressive, highly regarded since his early days, as well as the progressive Pickland and La Marche Bleue.
In the Prix Hypothèse (Gr3), theoretically the consolation for the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (Gr1), the ever-popular Kyrov will be the main attraction. Consistently fighting out the finish at both Auteuil and Compiègne, he once again holds strong claims, just like Zarakhan, whom he recently defeated, Cœur d’Amour, arguably more effective at Compiègne, Sorceleur, who has adapted well to French racing after beginning his career in Britain, and Lowell, a young hurdler with plenty of upside.
The Prix La Périchole (Gr3) will showcase some of the best 4-year-old chasers around, headed by recent Listed scorer Volcana du Berlais and his runner-up The Robbers. Mister Sun, most impressive last time out, faces a real test at this level, while Good Girl de Faust will attempt to make amends after suffering bad luck in the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (Gr1).
In the Prix Questarabad (Gr3), Edamura is the horse to keep firmly onside. This magnificent individual, with his strikingly expressive head, came down in the Prix Alain du Breil (Gr1), but has the ability to sign off his spring campaign in style. Standing in his way are several promising 4-year-olds, including Nicos Invicta, Kill Pass, Shabrack and Novak.