Prix Ferdinand Dufaure : Lanivtsi gives young jockey Gabin Meunier his first Group 1 win

Prix Ferdinand Dufaure

Lanivtsi gives young jockey Gabin Meunier his first Group 1 win

Aboard Lanivtsi (Great Pretender), Gabin Meunier earned his first Group 1 victory on Sunday in the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure, delivering a perfectly judged ride in the slipstream of favourite Altura (Goliath du Berlais), who led the field until the home straight. The young jockey then launched his partner along the inside rail, and together they bravely held off the late challenges from Martha Cannary (Goliath du Berlais) and Lecœurdeshommes (Jeu St Eloi) on the outside.

For the training centre at Dragey, in the stunning bay of Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche), it was a magnificent one-two finish, with both the winner and the runner-up trained there: the winner by the experienced Dominique Bressou, a former top jockey turned successful trainer, and the runner-up by the very young Océanne Ellart, who only started training at the beginning of the year!

Official result
 

PRIX FERDINAND DUFAURE
1st LANIVTSI (G. Meunier)
2nd MARTHA CANNARY (E. Bureller)
3rd LECŒURDESHOMMES (L. Zuliani)
Time: 5’30’’10. Margins: 1 1/4 - NK – 3/4.

Quotes

Dominique Bressou, trainer of Lanivtsi, 1st (Dragey, Manche)
“I’m very happy. He had already shown us plenty of ability at three when he debuted and won on the flat. Then he had a small issue in the spring. We treated him and he came back. He’s a horse with a future. He still has room to improve because he’s still working hard at the obstacles. This win comforts us after yesterday’s defeat. No one is to blame. Maybe we were beaten by a better, younger horse. Racing has its ups and downs, and you have to accept defeat.”

Océanne Ellart, trainer of Martha Cannary, 2nd (Dragey, Manche)
“This second place feels like a win. When I entered her in this race, everyone thought I was crazy. But I was right, and I can’t thank the owners enough for their trust. I still can’t believe it — it’s incredible! I’ve only been licensed since January 15, can you believe it... What motivated me to run her today? She’s always been consistent, she always finishes her races strongly, and today she showed she belongs at this level. In the home straight, she took a few bumps, and despite that, she showed great courage. Now she’ll go for a break before coming back in the autumn. Maybe in the Maurice Gillois!”

François Nicolle, trainer of Lecœurdeshommes, 3rd (Saint-Augustin, Charente-Maritime)
“We’re starting to get him back. Lucas gave him a great ride. The horse jumped pretty well. He made a mistake at the Pavillon and I thought, here we go… But he recovered well and finished strongly. I believed in him. He made another small error at the double rail, because they were all bunched up. But I’m very pleased. We’re seeing again the horse we had high hopes for early in his career. We’ll see him again in the autumn.”