View From France ahead of Sunday's card at Auteuil
Jason Kiely speaks to the central characters ahead of a cracking card at Auteuil this afternoon.
Magic Russell the man for the job
Day two of Auteuil’s ’Les 48 heures de l’Obstacle’ meeting takes place this afternoon, a fantastic card of eight races including three Group Ones and over €1.3 million in prize money.
The feature race of the meeting is the Group One Prix la Haye Jousselin and sees eight runners go to post and with ground described as ‘very heavy’ for the 5,500m contest which should prove to be an extreme test of stamina.
Carriacou, winner of this year’s Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris looks certain to see out the marathon trip and heads the market for this afternoons race. Placed third on his comeback run after suffering some major interference in the home straight, the seven-year-old son of Califet comes into the race in excellent condition according to his trainer Isabelle Pacault, who also expressed some concern regarding the heavy going.
“Obviously I wasn’t happy with the incident that happened but aside from that I was very happy with his return run, he was perfect. The horse is coming here ready I think and he seems very well in himself, he will have never have encountered ground this deep so we will have to wait and see if he handles it. There are a couple of horses in against him that like this ground, but hopefully he will manage it ok," the trainer said.
Pacault has once again booked Davy Russell to ride and she believes that the Irishman is the perfect partner for Carriacou, having already steered him to victory in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.
“He is a magician, what else can I say about him. The day of the Grand Steeple he was just incredible, I have never seen my horse so well, sometimes he can pull a bit but with Davy he is perfectly cool and calm. He has never come over to ride him out, we send each other messages on Whatsapp and I let him know when the next race is, I trust him with my horse and it works like that.
"He has so much experience from Liverpool and Cheltenham, he keeps a very level head and for me it’s important that he is never stressed because that transcends to the horse,” said an ever smiling Pacault.
Looking towards the future Pacault suggests that a trip across the water is a possibility for the dual Group One winner, of whom she is also the owner.
“I have already been asked if the horse can go to Cheltenham for the Gold Cup, but for the minute I don’t know, let’s see how this weekend goes first. Its not the same type of race and I don’t want to ask him too much, he is happy here in Auteuil. Maybe I will chat with Davy one day and maybe if he tells me that it wouldn’t be a problem to run there, I’d think about it”.
Bipolaire bids for hat-trick
Champion trainer François Nicolle will be hoping that his stable star Bipolaire can land the Prix la Haye Jousselin for a third time having won the race in both 2017 and 2018, and suggests that the gallant grey is in excellent form.
“Bipolaire looks so well at home, there are no problems for me with how he is, I am very happy with him. His two comeback runs were good, and although the heavy ground is probably not his preference there are not a lot of runners so it is quite a nice race,” said Nicolle.
The Royan-based trainer who disappointingly drew a blank in yesterday’s action expressed that another tilt at the Grand Steeple-Chase in the spring will be on the cards, after finishing second to Carriacou in the most recent renewal.
“I will try to take the same route as last year and try to win the Grand Steeple-Chase in the springtime, we were second last year so we need Carriacou not to run and Davy Russell to stay in Ireland," joked the trainer.
Another champion three-year-old for Rolland?
The Group One Prix Cambaceres (champion hurdle for three-year-olds) is one of the most coveted prizes on the French calendar and often produces a champion such as former winners Long Run, Tidal Fury and more recently De Bon Coeur.
Winner of the race as a trainer three times since 1999, Marcel Rolland saddles the hugely promising Sangennaro. A four length winner of the Group Two Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy on only his second start, comfortably defeating For Fun, Kool Has and Nirvana Du Berlais who all re-oppose again this afternoon.
Chantilly based Rolland is confident in the three-year-old’s ability but has a slight concern over his lack of match practice.
“Since his last race everything has gone perfectly, his preparation has gone as expected and I think all is well with him. It is a touch worrying that he has only ran twice, there are horses in the race that have ran all spring and have a lot more experience than him. It doesn’t happen very often that a horse that debuts in the Autumn goes on to win this race, apart from some exceptionally good horses, so I hope he will add his name onto that list” said Rolland. “I think that the ground wont worry him at all, I think his action should allow him to go well on it” added the trainer.
The ‘Cambaceres’ is renowned for producing top class horses and although Rolland believes that Sangennaro is very talented, he also suggests that his future may be over the larger obstacles
“For the immediate future we will wait and see how performs this weekend, but with regards to long term, he will definitely make up into a very good chaser, he is very big and jumps impeccably, he said.
"If it turns out that he is the best hurdler of his generation after this weekend, we will keep him over hurdles. I think he is very classy indeed and the horses are running well at the moment so let’s hope that the form lasts."
Rising stars both equine and human to shine in Maurice Gillois
The third Group One on the card the Prix Maurice Gillois is one of the most important races of the French year. A chase restricted to four-year-olds that regularly produces a future ‘Grand Steeple’ winner. Previous winners include On The Go, So French, Milord Thomas and also Long Run, and although trainer François Nicolle has not yet won the race he holds the key to this afternoons contest saddling both Figuero and Farnice, the top two in the market.
“They are two very good horses, Farnice won a nice race last time out in great style and Figaero has been running well too and is possibly coming into this race a bit fresher, but for both of the horses preparations have gone perfectly to plan," he said.
"We will have to wait and see about the ground but in any case they are two very exciting horses with big futures ahead of them”," added the champion trainer.
Although she has a bit to find on ratings Thrilling comes into this afternoon's contest in excellent form, the daughter of Network is trained by Guillaume Macaire who has won three of the last four runnings of the race.
Thrilling will be ridden by 17-year-old Baptiste Le Clerc, one of the most promising young riders in France, Le Clerc has ridden 26 winners so far this year from only 72 rides and this afternoon should be the first of many Group One rides for the talented young rider.
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