A high-class Murat

Auteuil will host one of its finest spring meetings this Saturday. The steeple-chasers — horses jumping a variety of obstacles throughout the course — will take centre stage. In the Prix Murat (Gr.2), part of the Grand Steeple-Chase Masters series, we will see Kolokico, runner-up in the 2025 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr.1). He will be making his seasonal reappearance, though he has been in training for several weeks.

Winner of the Prix La Haye Jousselin (Gr.1), Toscana du Berlais is a likeable horse who always gives his all. Alongside Toscana du Berlais, the Charente-based Chaillé-Chaillé/Pamart team will saddle Bon Garçon, winner of the Prix des Drags (Gr.2). The leading 4-year-old steeple-chaser of spring 2025 and winner of the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (Gr.1), Lanivtsi will make his comeback while taking on his elders for the first time.

Kivala du Berlais faces a stiff challenge as he makes his chasing debut directly against top-level opposition in this Prix Murat. Karré d’As, winner of last year’s Prix Fondeur (Gr.3), is likely to animate the race from the front. Kapaca de Thaix was one of the standout performers of the last Pau meeting. As for Martha Cannary, trained in Dragey — just a few kilometres from Mont-Saint-Michel — by the young Océanne Ellart, she finished second in the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure won by Lanivtsi.

The 4-year-old steeple-chasers will use the Prix Fleuret (Gr.3) as a prep race for the 2026 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure. It will be the first time they tackle the 4,400m trip, which could prove decisive. The race promises plenty, with a potentially thrilling clash between Duc de Roche, runner-up to the absentee Nador, and Métronomique, unbeaten in three starts over fences but set to discover Auteuil for the first time.