Grande Course de Haies: Paul’s Saga stops L'Autonomie

Saturday, October 17, 2020, Auteuil. - The great favourite of the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil (Gr1), run over a 3m1 1/2f trip that she'd never done, L'Autonomie (Blue Brésil) was unable to extend her series of eight consecutive wins. She led the race as usual, but Catherine Coiffier's homebred mare swerved heavily to her right at every jump, and she passed in front of the stands against the outside rail. Meanwhile, the 6-year-old mare Paul's Saga (Martaline) was bidding her time and only made her move to go into the last two jumps. She took the upper hand only 100 yards out to win by ¾ length. The sectional timing inaugurated at Auteuil today shows that the two mares have covered about twenty yards more than the third-placed Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy), who nevertheless finished ten lengths behind them. This "tracking" system also teaches us that the strides of the favourite were shortened in the home straight while her rival accelerated progressively from the end of the backstretch up to the post, reaching her longest strides in the run-in.

Trained by David Cottin for Gérald Laroche, who leased her to her breeders Philippe Ouvry and the Ecurie des Vives Terres, Paul's Saga is a sister to the very good Siljan's Saga (Sagamix), winner of the Grand Prix de Deauville (Gr2) and several times placed at the best level, for a total of nearly €1.3m in earnings. Winner of the Grande Course de Haies de Printemps Handicap Hurdle race (Gr3), Paul's Saga quickly found her place in the elite since she won the Léon Olry-Roederer Hurdle race (Gr2) after the Carmarthen Hurdle race (Gr3) last Autumn and also took the second place in the Grand Prix d'Automne Hurdle race  (Gr1) back then