THERE was no luck for the British challenger Top Ville Ben in the Grade 2 Léon Rambaud Hurdle at Auteuil on Sunday.

Phil Kirby’s Grade 1-placed gelding faded out of contention well before the home turn in a race run on ground that looked a lot faster than the given ‘very soft’.

He was pulled up before two out as the mare L’Autonomie returned to her best form, beating Paul’s Saga and Galop Marin by eight and six lengths.

The 2020 season didn’t quite end up according to plan for the champion hurdling mare L’Autonomie who had won eight in a row between June 2019 and last October 2020, including the 2020 edition of this Grade 2 contest.

She was then sent off odds-on favourite but only finished there quarters of a length second to Paul’s Saga in the rescheduled Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil Hurdle. She again was a bit disappointing finishing third next time out in November in the Grade 1 Grand Prix d’Automne Hurdle behind Galop Marin, whom she had beaten twice previously.

On Sunday, the daughter of Blue Bresil won her second Prix Léon Rambaud in a decisive fashion. She made the running and was steered to the outside rail going off the bend, not to let Paul’s Saga through and she dominated on the run-in to score by eight lengths.

The Francois Nicolle-trained six-year-old will return in 27 days for the Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil Hurdle race, back in its traditional May slot.

The Prix du President de la Republique Chase, a Grade 3 handicap known as the French Grand National and worth €225,000, went to Fanfaron Spécial.

At the last, it was between Fanfaron Spécial (by Gentlewave) and the Sophie Leech-trained Enfant Roi and the former went away on the run-in to win by a length and a half.