The road to the 2026 Grand Steeple opens with the Clermont-Tonnerre

This Saturday, Auteuil reopens after its winter break. And from this curtain-raiser, a leg of the Grand Steeple Masters will be the highlight of the card: the Prix Robert de Clermont-Tonnerre (Gr.3). Run over 4,400m, featuring the water jump in front of the stands and the inner steeplechase course, which notably includes the big open ditch, this contest promises to be both spectacular and highly informative with a view to the 2026 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr.1). We will see Kolokico again, runner-up in the 2025 Grand Steeple, as well as the five-year-old Crown du Berlais, who ranked among the best four-year-olds over the big fences. Also lining up are the first two home from the Grand Prix de Pau (Gr.3): Exupery, trained at Pompadour by Fabien Lagarde, and the ever-improving Kapaca de Thaix. Very unlucky in the Béarn showpiece, Kilomètre Illimité is a high-class jumper whose brother, Grandeur Nature, won the Prix La Haye Jousselin (Gr.1). His advanced fitness and natural ability make him a potential winner. Kentucky Wood makes his seasonal return but is proven at Auteuil and on heavy ground. Lastly, Interdit de Jeu has gone through the cross-country discipline, which has helped his connections teach him to breathe properly. In the autumn of 2025, he landed three handicaps over the Auteuil fences – a rare achievement. Continually improving, Interdit de Jeu now steps up to test himself against the Auteuil elite. As an aside, it is interesting to note once again how many regions are represented in this Prix Robert de Clermont-Tonnerre through the horses’ training centres: Corrèze, Sarthe, Charente-Maritime, Allier and Manche, among others.