18 May 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
A race that demands that horses jump a total of 23 fences over a distance of 6,000 metres, which equates to seven minutes spent on the racecourse, the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris is a legendary event in its own right and a race which has crowned great champions for almost 150 years at Auteuil racecourse. To win this Group 1 event (the level of excellence of this race), calls for an exceptional partnership between horse and rider, and one which is in perfect harmony. Without this chemistry, there can be no victory!
18 runners in the Grand Steeple Chase de Paris 2023 : Cards HERE
A look at the main personalities involved in the 2023 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris
- TRAINER - Emmanuel Clayeux: responsible for the favourite (Vaumas - Allier)
Emmanuel Clayeux will be saddling one of the favourites of the race, Gex. This is a feat in itself for a professional trainer who is still seeking a first Group 1 victory 16 years after obtaining his licence.
The trainer is based at the long-established family farm at Vaumas, in the Allier region. His father, Dominique, is now a breeder, having previously been a permit holder. Emmanuel Clayeux began his career as a pre-trainer (a professional specialising in educating young horses before they go into training with a licensed professional), and Guillaume Macaire, the record man regarding the number of Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris winners trained (seven), made extensive use of his services. He became a public trainer in 2007 and, the following year, he landed his first group win via Étoile d'Ainay in the Grand Prix de Pau.
In 2022, on only his 13th career start, Gex finished second in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. He was a brilliant winner of this year’s Prix Murat, the benchmark Grand Steeple prep. Given that his regular partner, James Reveley, is injured, Bertrand Lestrade will ride him in the Grand-Steeple, having teamed up with him for the first time in the Prix Murat. Gex's owners are Lord Daresbury, the former chairman of Aintree Racecourse, the home of the Liverpool Grand National, the world's most famous steeplechase, and the Cyprès family, who are among France's leading jump racing breeders. They have the distinction of having bred the outstanding Al Capone II, whose statue adorns Auteuil racecourse.
- TRAINER - Isabelle Pacault, keeping it in the family (Maisons-Laffitte – Yvelines)
Iabelle Pacault knows all about the Grand Steeple-Chase of Paris! She became the first woman to train a winner of this race thanks to Carriacou in 2019, and her champion will again be in the line-up this year. She will in fact saddle two runners.
Isabelle Pacault set-up at shop at Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines). She also has frequent recourse to using the power of the sea, when it comes to maintaining the physical (legs in particular) and mental well-being of her horses, as she frequently sends them to an area near the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel for a break. Carriacou was born not far from there, at the Haras de Mirande, Sartilly (in the Manche region): an establishment founded by Isabelle's father, Jean-Claude Evain, which she took over after his death in 2003, with the support of her four brothers.
Carriacou is an 11-year-old, and this valiant customer hadn’t raced for a year before he made a thunderous return in the Prix Hubert d'Aillières, over hurdles, which prompted Isabelle to yet again tackle France's greatest jumps’ race. He will be ridden by the young jump jockey Gabin Meunier. Having just turned 21, he will be riding the horse for the first time [in public].
Isabelle Pacault’s second runner in the race is Metasequoia, and another graduate of the Haras de Mirande. He carries the colours of the Papot family, who are regularly to be found at the top of the jump owners’ rankings in France. A 6-year-old, Metasequoia has very few miles on the clock, and he will be tackling the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, and more pertinently a group 1 race, for the first time. Curiously, Metasequoia has never won at Auteuil, but his power-packed finishes invariably excite the pulse, and his superb second place in the GSC Masters - Prix Murat (Group 2), three and a half lengths in arrears of Gex, entitles him to aim for victory. He will again be ridden by Lucas Zuliani. The latter is another young jockey who has yet to taste victory in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.
When it comes to her runners, the experience tends to a very intense one for Isabelle Pacault, and, on Sunday, her emotions will be severely tested: as her daughter Anne-Sophie, a fine rider in her own right before setting up as a trainer at Maisons-Laffitte, will saddle Bandero in the same race. Effectively, this means that the dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship will become adversarial at the racecourse on Sunday!
THE STATE OF THE TRACK
Edouard Boutolleau, Auteuil racecourse manager:
“Following the readings taken on Thursday morning, we expect the ground to be very soft at the weekend (the penetrometer scale is expected to measure between 4.0 - 4.1). The weather forecast remains uncertain as it changes every day. In principle, we won't have any more rain until the end of the week. We will have to water as the track will dry out due to a combination of a northerly wind and the effect of evapotranspiration. We are watering the course daily so as to keep the ground soft. The running rail will be in its usual place on the Auteuil turn. On the Passy turn, relative to the steeple-chase course, it will remain in its usual place on Saturday and Sunday, because we are only staging five races over fences at the weekend. Relative to the Passy turn on the hurdles’ course, the running rail will be moved six metres further in-field on Saturday before reverting to its usual place on Sunday.”
WHAT THE MAIN PLAYERS ARE SAYING
- Hector de Lageneste and Guillaume Macaire (the training partnership based at La Palmyre, Charente Maritime)
(Quotes from the Zoom conference organised by France Galop's press team)
- Spes Militurf
« Spes Militurf doesn't really have the profile of a Grand-Steeple horse, but given the amount of prize money he has won, the possibilities for him aren’t infinite. We had thought of bypassing the Grand-Steeple with a view to tackling the Prix des Drags (Gr2). However, we might as well head to the Grand-Steeple, which will provide the horse with something of a test. In the case of Spes Militurf and Altesse du Berlais, we are going there as challengers, in order to pick up what we can. Analysing his fifth place in the Gr3 Prix Ingré, Spes Militurf didn't run too badly. The problem was that he started to tread water when things got serious. He needed the race and was also short of work. We're running him in the Grand-Steeple, and if we're seventh, then so be it, it doesn't matter. We'll tell the jockey not to be unduly hard on should the horse struggle at the business end. Kilian Dubourg will ride him.»
- Altesse du Berlais
« Altesse du Berlais is a Gr1 winner. She had a winter break following a rest period spent at a stud. Because of a virus which affected the main yard of our stable, she bedded-in at another yard [within the same stable]. She should have arrived at La Palmyre a little earlier, but we were very scared that she would get sick, especially as the mare has already had a problem with her lungs. There was only a gap of a fortnight between her return race (over hurdles) and the Prix William Head (Listed), The mare is well and she can have her say. The mare limbered up on Tuesday morning, having completed the serious part of her preparations last week. Baptiste Le Clerc will ride Altesse du Berlais. The withdrawal of some of the good horses changes nothing when it comes to our approach to the race, as the leading contenders are still in place. There is a very constructed logic to the way in which they have been prepared for the race. Gex, above all, has the best profile, as does Franco de Port. These are the two standout horses which, theoretically speaking, appeal most as winning prospects. However, they are by no means the only permutations.»
- Emmanuel Clayeux (a trainer based at Vaumas, Allier)
- Gex
« The preparation of Gex has gone without the slightest hitch. The most serious part of his preparation is complete, and the horse is fine. He has had enough time between his two races, and had the preparation which he needs, having also been freshened up. Now it's time to head to the racecourse! But we are not alone! Gex is a laid-back type, but on those occasions when hs work has been more demanding, he has acquitted himself well. Obviously it's a plus to have Bertrand [editor’s note: Lestrade] in the saddle given that James [editor’s note: Reveley] is currently sidelined. I would have been upset had I been forced to change jockeys yet again. We are lucky to have partnership which is well acquainted with each other. The jockey is more experienced than the horse, so that's a plus. In this kind of scenario, Bertrand knows how to handle the pressure and everything that goes with it...»
- Isabelle Pacault (a trainer based at Maisons-Laffitte, Yvelines)
- Carriacou and Metasequoia
« This time last year Carriacou was retired, and I couldn't have imagined running the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris with Metasequoia! I took Carriacou back into training because he was getting bored in retirement. I was a bit surprised when he won last time because I hadn't been hard on him in his work. He showed that he still has the appetite for racing! The horse knows his job by heart, and he will be ridden by the young Gabin Meunier, who has got to know him in the morning as he divides his time between my stable and that of my daughter. Metasequoia is in good condition but I hope that he will have the required maturity for such a race. I feel that he is ready to give of his best! He will be ridden by Lucas Zuliani. I am very proud that my daughter Anne-Sophie will also be having a runner. If I’m to be beaten, I would prefer to be beaten by her, but watch out, as I'm not going into the race thinking of defeat in the first instance.»
- Willie Mullins (an Irish-based trainer)
- Quotes emanating from the Zoom conference organised by France Galop's press team
- Franco de Port
»We were pleasantly surprised by Franco de Port's performance in the 2022 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. When we left Auteuil last year, we decided to aim him at this race yet again. We always thought he was a horse for the Arkle Chase and short distance steeple-chase races. But, in the final analysis, the longer the distance, the better he gets. He's a horse that can race freely, but the French fences have had a calming effect on him. He's improved, too. Paul Townend will ride him. I chose a French pathway, when it came to his preparation, which entailed contesting the Prix Ingré because I had been monitoring what Guillaume Macaire was doing. He often runs [his horses] in this race as a stepping stone to the Grand-Steeple. So I did the same thing. I hope it will work out because travelling over from Ireland twice, on such a short turn around, worries me a bit. I'd rather have a six week gap between the two races.
Since 1919, the year of Troytown, no Irish-trained horse has won this race, and you have to go back to 1962 to find a British-trained winner. It has always been my dream to win this race! However, we are also focused on Cheltenham and Punchestown. To go for the Grand-Steeple, you need a horse that's tough enough to race over 6,000 metres at this time of year... and that's tough!»
- Carefully Selected
« Carefully Selected is a big stamp of a horse, and a typical Irish steeplechaser. We have given him a lot of time. He won a Grand National prep at our local racecourse (Gowran Park) on heavy ground. He is very calm. We decided to let him take his chance. He has had leg problems and has been sidelined for three years [at one point in his career]. He should be ridden by Danny Mullins. He's been trouble-free this season, has lots of stamina and is a good jumper. The horse hasn't run much, and as he likes long distances, we looked for races over 4,800m for him, and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris was always on his agenda. He just had to stay healthy. If the rains materialise and the ground is soft, he would have a much better chance.»
- François Nicolle (a trainer based at Saint-Augustin – Charente Maritime)
(Quotes emanating from the Zoom conference organised by France Galop's press team)
- Poly Grandchamp and Starlet du Mesnil
« Poly Grandchamp has not tackled the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris very often. This will only be his second attempt. Previously he was probably a notch below his rivals. An 11-year-old, he has every right to take his chance in the light of his performances. He knows Auteuil racecourse better than his own box. He stays the distance, that's for sure. If the ground is sticky that won't bother him. The horse was very well, and lively to boot, before the Prix Ingré. He’s in top condition going to D-Day. He is very well in his coat, and in a happy frame of mind. He's a Poly Grandchamp that I hadn’t been familiar with previously.
Starlet du Mesnil is a 6-year-old. She’s familiar with the obstacles at Auteuil, and is an exceptional jumper. This is the year to head to this particular race! The only problem I have with her is the distance. As it's the first time that she will be tackling it. I don't think she will mind as she likes to track the pace. I don't like to run 5-year-olds in the Grand Steeple, as horses take a long time to recover from what is a very tough race. We didn't go for this race last year with Starlet last year, but she will be running in it this season. She will be a 7-year-old next year, and I don't know if Madame Devin will want to keep her in training or retire her to stud. This race has been her goal for the season.»
Reversation on France Galop Live website:HERE
Press Contact France Galop :
Héléna Dupuy – hdupuy@france-galop.com – 06 30 41 85 89
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