Orcada 4yo Chase History: Thinking about Maurice

October, Auteuil

Orcada 4-year-olds' Chase

Group 3, 4-year-olds, Steeple-Chase, 4,400m/2m6f, €95,000

Created in 1963

Last winner: Farnice (g4, AQPS, FRA by Saddler Maker ex Terenice, by Dom Alco), owned by Franck Délibéros & Haras de Saint-Voir, bred by Mr & Mrs Gabriel Vagne, Dominique Vagne, trained by François Nicolle, ridden by Gaëtan Masure.

The race is run in 2020 for the 58th time

The 2019 edition

History

As part of the policy aimed at preventing 4-year-old chasers from coming up against their elders as they had in the past, the Société des Steeple-Chases decided to create a new race during the 1960s reserved for 4 year-olds. Consequently, in the autumn of 1963, a race was created as a trial for the Prix Maurice Gillois and christened the Prix Orcada in memory of a winner of the Grand Steeple-Chase des 4 Ans. Its distance has varied frequently from 2m1f to its actual 2m6f trip.

Orcada

This bay brown male, sired by Vatellor and born to Cicada (Phalaris) in 1940, was bred at the Montaigu stud farm by the perfume-maker Jacques Guerlain. After six victories on the flat and eight over the jumps, he was eventually retired to stud.
He had begun his racing career in the colours of Bernard Valette and under the trainer Georges Gigant. A winner of two races late in the season as a 2-year-old, he demonstrated his great speed at 3 by recording a further two victories over distances of 5 furlongs and 1 mile, ridden by Alec Head at Maisons-Laffitte. After being trained over the hurdles, he fell when making his debut in the Prix Finot, won on his second outing and finished the year with a fifth place out of fifteen starters in the Grand Prix des Trois Ans which was won by the great champion Wild Risk. At 4, Orcada began to focus on steeplechasing and after success in the Prix Joseph de Gontaut Biron at Auteuil, he was sold to a new owner, Henry Aubert, who entrusted him to Henri Gleizes, his usual jockey who had just also obtained his trainer’s licence. In these new silks, Orcada fell in the Prix La Périchole but went on to garner five victories in seven attempts: the Prix Duc d'Anjou, the Grand Steeple-Chase des 4 Ans, the Prix Elseneur, Prix Fezensac and Prix Richard Hennessy. As a 5-year-old, Orcada only tasted victory in one minor steeplechase at Auteuil, as well as finishing fifth in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, albeit far behind the winner, Boum. At 6, Orcada ran over the jumps just once, without success, but he did manage a victory on the flat, carrying 60.5 kilos in a mile handicap.

His career as a stallion began at the Manoir de Sévigny stud before continuing at Ecajeul. He sired Signal (uterine brother of Puissant Chef), the winner in 1953 of the Grand Prix du Printemps and Prix La Rochette. He also figures in the pedigree of an exceptional jumps horse, as his daughter Encore Une was the maternal grandmother of the great Al Capone II.

Orcada and Maurice Gillois

16 horses won both the prep race and the Autumn championship of the 4yo chasers: Belmonte (1964), Bayonnet (1983), Cyborg (1986), Katko (1987), Redaely Jolie (1988), As des Carrés (1991), Cumberland (1994), Positron (1995), Madalka (1996), Mandarino (1997), Bipbap (1998), Le Chablis (2002), Cyrlight (2004), Or Noir de Somoza (2006), Long Run (2009) & Kauto Stone (2010).

Owners

• Henry de Blonay (3 wins): Seawell (1965), Alygard (1966) & Le Vermandois (1972).
• Daniel Wildenstein (2 wins): Video Tape (1982) & Tamarix AC (1989).
• Mrs de Moratalla (2 wins): Ucello II (1990) & Bilbao V (1993).
• Claude Cohen (2 wins): As des Carrés (1991) & Hespoir d’Aurélie (1999).
• Sean Mulryan (2 wins): Cyrlight (2004) & Or Noir de Somoza (2006).
• Mrs Patrick Papot (2 wins): Vanilla Crush (2013) & Paulougas (2016).

Trainers

• Guillaume Macaire (7 wins): Positron (1995), Bipbap (1998), Prince des Ifs (2003), Long Run (2009), Vanilla Crush (2013), Kobrouk (2015), Edward d’Argent (2017).
• André Adèle (5 wins): Seawell (1965), Alygard (1966), Morgex (1968), Le Vermandois (1972), Fortfion (1973).
• Bernard Sécly (5 wins): Laurenza (1981), Katko (1987), Nimrouz (1992), Cumberland (1994), Madalka (1996).
• Jean-Paul Gallorini (3 wins): Speedy Gangster (1979), Tamarix AC (1989), Irouficar Has (2014).
• François Nicolle (3 wins): Farlow des Mottes (2012), Eludy (2018), Farnice (2019).

Riders

• Jacques Ricou (4 wins): Prince des Ifs (2003), Loulia (2008), Irouficar Has (2014), Paulougas (2016).
• Philippe Chevalier (3 wins): Tamarix AC (1989), Madalka (1996) & Mandarino (1997).
• Christophe Pieux (3 wins): Sleeping Night (2000), Or Noir de Somoza (2006) & Kauto Stone (2010).
• Kevin Nabet (3 wins): Kobrouk (2015), Edward d’Argent (2017), Eludy (2018).