Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil: L'Autonomie higher than ever

22 May 2021

L'Autonomie gagne la Grande Course

Saturday, May 23, 2021, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). - Second last October when beaten favourite in her first attempt to win the €350,000 Grande Course de haies d'Auteuil (Gr1), at only 5, after 8 straight wins at the top of her hurdling game, L’Autonomie (Blue Brésil) completed her return to the top in the most spectacular way: by 30 lengths. On very soft ground, the mare stuck to the mud lover Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy), who took her far ahead of Paul’s Saga (Martaline), who herself was leading the field by several lengths. Once again, she veered right on a few occasions. Slowly moved out by Angelo Zuliani in the back straight, the mare bred by Catherine Coiffier again accelerated in the last turn to take over Galop Marin, and fled home on her own. It was a complete triumph, as thirty lengths behind her, a tiring Galop Marin was losing the second place et Paul’s Saga, and the 3rd place to a convincing Gex (Khalkevi).

According to the sectionals, L'Autonomie took 3.7 to over 10 seconds to her opponents in the last 5 furlongs. She also galloped 777 strides to cover the race's 25.5 furlongs, while the other runners needed all more than 800 strides to cover the same ground, bearing in mind that the winner ran 5,077 metres, which is more than every other runner.

It was L'Autonomie's third win this term after her season romp in the Hypothèse Hurdle Race (Gr3), confirmed by a second consecutive win in the Léon Rambaud Hurdle Race (Gr2).

L’Autonomie is out of L’Automne (Kahyasi), winner of one single flat race in 18 attempts and claimed for € 12,000 by Catherine Coiffier after finishing seventh in her last public appearance. Her own dam L'Authie (Linamix), a sister of the Royal-Oak (Gr1) 3rd Cléty (Sillery), finished third in the Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle Race (Gr1) and notably gave La Canche (Le Havre), a Listed-placed over the flat.

After L'Autonomie, L'Automne gave a Diamond Boy colt sold for € 30,000 to John Daniel Moore at the Arqana summer sales in 2018, and another foal by Diamond Boy born in 2018. She was presented at the Arqana sales of February 2015 full of L’Autonomie but had not reached her reserve price at € 7,000. L’Automne also gave birth to L’Autocrate (Kamsin), born in 2020.