The Greatest Day of the Year at Auteuil, the Temple of the French Chasers and Hurdlers!

On Sunday, Auteuil will experience its biggest day of the year. The day every jumps racing fan waits for. The day when the temple of the Butte Mortemart rises to another level and becomes the centre of the jumping world. With the Défi des Haras – Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at 4:05pm, Auteuil is preparing to deliver a complete spectacle, blending top-class sport, emotion, history and a true popular celebration.

The Grand Steeple is the Everest of jump racing. Six kilometres of effort, twenty-three legendary obstacles, the Rivière des Tribunes, the fearsome Rail-Ditch-and-Fence, packed grandstands, a pre-race parade and an atmosphere no other racecourse can replicate. Here, you do not simply win a race: you become part of history.

This 2026 edition promises to be outstanding. Fourteen runners will line up for the ultimate championship of French jump racing. Fans will once again see proven champions such as Gold Tweet, Toscana du Berlais and Sel Jem, but also exciting contenders capable of setting the race alight, including Kolokico, Le Petit Cheval and Kivala du Berlais. Around this legendary contest, the entire jumping world will gather at Auteuil on Sunday.

And this Grand Steeple also tells another story: the growing power of Chantilly in French jump racing. In a record-breaking year, several trainers based at Chantilly’s training centre will saddle runners in the Grand Steeple, proving that Europe’s leading training centre no longer shines only on the Flat, but also at the very highest level over jumps.

The day will begin at 1:22pm with the Prix Maréchal Foch, a spectacular leg of the world championship for gentleman riders and lady riders over Auteuil’s steeplechase course. An unmistakably international flavour will launch the afternoon in an atmosphere already charged with excitement.

At 1:58pm, attention will turn to the younger generation with the Arqana Prix Aguado (Gr3), one of the major stepping stones for future hurdling stars. Huron Bleu, Roi Danaos, Don Dandy and Nom d’un Chien represent an extremely promising crop of three-year-olds. It is often a race that reveals the champions of tomorrow.

The excitement will rise another level at 3:15pm with the Prix Alain du Breil (Gr1), the great spring hurdle championship for four-year-olds. A prestigious contest featuring the likes of Leopard du Berlais, Delmegan, Edamura and Selma De Vary, trained by Willie Mullins. Speed, rhythm and horses still improving with every run: everything is in place for a superb sporting spectacle.

Then comes the moment all of Auteuil awaits: 4:05pm, the start of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. The silence before the tapes rise. The crowd on its feet. The horses launching themselves into more than six kilometres of battle. A race that goes far beyond horse racing and stands as part of French sporting heritage.

And the celebration will continue after this highlight with the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (Gr1) at 5:30pm, the championship race for four-year-old steeplechasers. A spectacular contest in which Métronomique, Shannon Maestro, Duke Senam and Mélisse du Mathan will attempt to establish themselves as the leaders of their generation.

But Sunday at Auteuil is about far more than racing alone. The racecourse will host a huge countryside-themed weekend designed for families and the wider public: tree climbing, a straw-bale maze, pony rides, PonyCycle®, treasure hunts, photocalls and free entertainment will transform the racecourse into a full-scale adventure playground.

And to crown the day, Miss France 2026, Hinaupoko Devèze, will be at Auteuil on Sunday to meet the public and take part in this great popular celebration of jump racing.

Sportingly, emotionally and visually, no other race meeting compares to the Grand Steeple weekend. On Sunday, Auteuil will be far more than a racecourse: it will be the stage for the greatest day of the year.