Auteuil Saturday

2.15 Grande Course de Haies D’auteuil (Grade 1) 3m 1f 110 Yrds

Ireland makes what is undoubtedly its strongest ever assault on France’s top staying hurdle, the Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil, with seven challengers at Auteuil today. Though a victory for either Gavin Cromwell and his much-cherished dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero Flooring Porter, or the even more popular Hewick, from the yard of the ebullient Shark Hanlon, is perfectly possible, the unstoppable Willie Mullins juggernaut has four representatives in a field of 15 and the master of Closutton may grab his sixth win in the race via last year’s runner-up, Klassical Dream.

The French-bred Klassical Dream will arrive back in Paris fresher than most having run only three times since his last visit and only twice this year.

His record of having won eight of his 15 hurdling starts since leaving his native land in 2018, including seven at the very top level, is little short of outstanding and there is no reason to presume that his powers are on the wane at the age of nine.

Good form

Little more than three weeks ago he beat his stablemate Asterion Forlonge, who reopposes here under the unlikely jockey booking of Nico de Boinville, by half a length to land a third straight Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown, so he is clearly in good form.

The other Mullins candidates are two reverting to the smaller obstacles in Haut En Couleurs, who ran fine races under big weights at both Cheltenham and Aintree, and Kilcruit, whose confidence must have been boosted by a runaway Punchestown handicap success.

Flooring Porter has not been on top of his game this term so is passed over, as is the remarkable €850 purchase Hewick, who may have to handle softer ground than he likes and surely cannot keep silencing his doubters.

The Irish raid is completed by Emmet Mullins’s shock Punchestown Grade 1 novice chase winner Feronily, who was running in a maiden hurdle less than two months ago and is much the least experienced member of this line-up.

Theleme, who has been operating at this level for almost three years and seems to have improved a good deal since his fourth place in this race last year, stands out among the home defence.

SELECTION: KLASSICAL DREAM

Next Best: Theleme

3.05 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Grade 1) 3m 6f

The 104-year wait for an Irish winner of France’s biggest jumps race, the Grand Steep’, is set to be extended for another year at Auteuil tomorrow.

While the Emmet Mullins-trained Noble Yeats is a highly-credentialled candidate following his superb fourth places in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and when trying to repeat his 2022 success in the Grand National, I am far from convinced that this Yeats gelding will cope with Auteuil’s demanding fences, while Emmet’s uncle Willie has yet to train the winner of a French steeplechase of any description.

This 18-runner edition of a three miles and six furlongs race that dates back to 1874 looks like a case of quantity over quality, and Mullins will be buoyed by the fast-finishing third behind Poly Grandchamp that was achieved by his Franco De Port in one of the big trial races, the Grade 2 Prix Ingre, three weeks ago.

Preference

However, that form is probably not strong and my preference is for the winner of another recent Auteuil Grade 2 race winner, Gex, who landed the Prix Murat.

Part owned by Lord Daresbury, the father of British trainer Oliver Greenall, but trained by Emmanuel Clayeux, Gex had Franco De Port back in third when runner-up in this last year and has been trained with this in mind. Willie Mullins’s other runner, Carefully Selected, showed his quality when landing the Thyestes Chase but has jumping frailties. A better bet, each-way, is Rachael Blackmore’s mount, Gessy Raiselle, already a Grade 1 winner and she can make the most of the weight allowances available to five-year-old mares.

SELECTION: GEX

Next best: Gessy Raiselle

4.20 Prix Alain Du Breil (Hurdle) (Grade 1) 2m 3f 110yrds

Given Mullins’ utter domination of the four-year-old hurdle division in Britain and Ireland this past season, it is hardly fanciful to believe that his two representatives, Zarak The Brave and Gala Marceau, can dominate the Prix Alain du Breil, a race he has won twice before. Andrew McNamara also runs Enjoy The Dream.

This theory is given added credence by the absence of the top French member of this generation, St Donats, leaving Losange Blue, the otherwise unbeaten gelding St Donats swept aside in last month’s Prix de Pepinvast, leading the domestic defence.

Zarak The Brave was almost three lengths clear of Gala Marceau when they chased home Lossiemouth at the Punchestown Festival and I expect that order to be maintained.

SELECTION: ZARAK THE BRAVE

Next best: Gala Marceau