The final stage of the Grand Steeple-Chase Masters takes place this Saturday at Auteuil!

On Saturday, 25 April, Auteuil will host the final stage of the Grand Steeple-Chase Masters, the series leading up to the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Group 1, on 17 May), the pinnacle of French jump racing. Its name: the Grand Steeple-Chase Masters Prix Ingré (Group 2). Scheduled for 5 p.m., this contest has attracted eleven contenders, all highly experienced over the biggest obstacles at Butte Mortemart.

Trainers Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé and François Pamart, who work in tandem at La Palmyre racecourse (near Royan, in Charente-Maritime), are fielding no fewer than three runners. Runner-up in the Prix William and Alec Head last time out, Kaadam, who was the best of his generation at the age of four, must now prove that he can measure up to the elite. Bon Garçon unseated his jockey on his latest outing, in the Grand Steeple-Chase Masters Prix Murat, and will seek to make amends for that mishap. Lastly, Toscana du Berlais is the most accomplished of the three, having won last year the prestigious Prix La Haye Jousselin (Group 1), the autumn counterpart to the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

This final prep race will also provide an opportunity to see veteran Sel Jem back over the major fences, the winner of the 2022 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

The race meeting will begin with two Listed contests for three-year-olds, the Prix Girofla (1:58 p.m.) and the Prix Go Ahead (2:33 p.m.). Among the fillies, In Between Days, winner of the Prix Auricula, is expected to be the punters’ favourite. Among the colts, Mickaël Seror, the trainer based in Coye-la-Forêt (near Chantilly, in the Oise department), who has so far posted the best strike rate in this age category, will saddle two runners who won on debut, Navy du Seuil and Jardin Paturle.