26 April 2021
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, April 25, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). - The 2020 season didn't quite end up according to plan for the champion hurdling mare L’Autonomie (Blue Brésil). For her first season against older foes, the Catherine Coiffier homebred 5-year-old first took the elite squadron by storm, taking to 8 the tally of her consecutive wins between June 2019 and last October 2020. She won the previous edition of this Léon Rambaud Hurdle Race (Gr2), for instance. Yet, she was unable to beat Paul’s Saga (Martaline) in the €275,400 Grande course de Haies d’Auteuil Hurdle Race(Gr1), moved to the Autumn. And she finished "only" 3rd next time out in the €275,400 Grand Prix d’Automne Hurdle race (Gr1). Was she declining for good? Her first two races this term, however, completely reassured her fans, and she won the Prix Léon Rambaud (Gr2) for the second time in such a decisive fashion that she is once again the undisputed queen of Auteuil. She lad the race as usual, only more patiently, and was steered resolutely to the outside rail going off the bend, not to let Paul's Saga steal that edge once again, and dominated in the run-in to score by 8 lengths. The brave Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy) stayed on, as usual, to take 3rd place, six lengths down the road ...
Optimism is well back in L'Autonomie's team, 27 days before a new attempt in the €350,000 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil Hurdle race (Gr1), back in her traditional May slot.
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.