Prix Cambacérès - Grande Course de Haies de 3 ans - Huron Bleu Regains the Lead

48H DE L’OBSTACLE – Auteuil

PRIX CAMBACÉRÈS – GRANDE COURSE DE HAIES DE 3ANS

Huron Bleu Regains the Lead

Huron Bleu suffered his first defeat on his previous outing in the Prix Georges de Talhouët-Roy, when he finished behind his stablemate and fellow Papot family representative Varsovie.

In the Prix Cambacérès – Grande Course de Haies de 3 Ans (Group 1), Varsovie fell at the first hurdle, leaving Huron Bleu without his main rival. Owned by the Papot family, trained by Dominique Bressou and ridden by Gabin Meunier, the colt dominated the race in emphatic fashion. He finished seventeen lengths clear of Navy du Seuil, who caught Nom d’un Chien on the line to take second place.

This was a first Prix Cambacérès victory for Dominique Bressou, who trains at Dragey-Rothon in the Manche department.

Official Result

1st HURON BLEU (G. Meunier)

2nd NAVY DU SEUIL (L. Philipperon)

3rd NOM D’UN CHIEN (A. Zuliani)

Winning margins: 17 lengths, ¾ length.

Reactions from the Connections

Dominique Bressou, trainer of Huron Bleu (1st), based in Dragey-Rothon (Manche)

“It’s wonderful, once again! The horse jumped extremely well. Gabin Meunier rode him with more patience than last time. I think that on this kind of ground, you need to wait a little longer than you would on good ground. I’m delighted that Gabin has won a Group 1 for the yard.

“Above all, this is a team effort. You cannot reach this level on your own. There is also all the work put in by the exercise riders every morning. I am simply the trainer: I try to find the right races and make the right decisions for my horses. But the jockey also plays a vital role. This really is a collective victory.

“The decision to stay on the inside was deliberate, as the horse has a slight tendency to lean to the left. We did not want him drifting across the track, which is why Gabin kept him close to the rail.

“This is my first Prix Cambacérès, although I have now built up quite a record! I think that he and Varsovie are among the two best three-year-olds I have ever trained, both in terms of their precocity and their performances. They are two exceptional horses, both physically and in terms of ability.

“We have not made any decisions about next year yet. Let us get through the winter first, and then we will see.”

Mickaël Seror, trainer of Navy du Seuil (2nd), Chantilly (Oise)

“He is a very determined horse. When he spotted the horse in second place after the final hurdle, he went after him. We won the race among the rest of the field, because Huron Bleu was in a class of his own.

“I think we still have a few adjustments to make regarding his attitude. On his previous outing, he may have raced while slightly unwell. Today, he used up some energy early in the race. He then found himself behind Saint-Savin, who made a mistake and rather disrupted his race. The horse went from one extreme to the other in the space of a single obstacle, and from that point onwards we were reacting to events rather than dictating them.

“But he has this remarkable ability, whenever he turns into the home straight and sees horses ahead of him, to give everything he has to catch them. That is very encouraging for next year.

“I would also like to highlight the work of our jockeys. In my yard, we are fortunate to work with riders who respect their horses and understand that, when a race has not gone to plan, there is no point in being hard on the horse. It is better to treat him with respect so that he can come back stronger next time. That is a philosophy that is very important to me.

“The main area we need to improve is his behaviour in the early stages of a race. He is normally a very relaxed horse, but since his previous outing he has tended to become a little keen over the first 1,000 metres.

“I also think he will be better suited by slightly less testing ground. Today, his natural ability enabled him to cope with the conditions, but they are not necessarily his preferred conditions.

“Next year, we will probably keep him over hurdles, although we are not ruling anything out. He has already been schooled over fences and jumps very well. We will see how things develop.

“We also have Jardin Paturle in the other discipline. To have two horses ranked among the top three of their generation in their respective disciplines is already a wonderful achievement.”

François Nicolle, trainer of Nom d’un Chien (3rd), Saint-Augustin (Charente-Maritime)

“The horse ran extremely well on this heavy ground. Angelo had told us that he would be much better suited by these conditions. He was very sharp over his hurdles, much more so than last time.

“I think he is improving with every race. He is still a little immature, but he should develop into a very good four-year-old. I even think he will be among the best of his generation.

“We are now going to give him a break until next year. He has already given a great deal and will continue to improve with time. He is a good horse.”