Racing TV Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (Hurdle) (Grade 1)

HEWICK’S status as the most popular racehorse in the whole of Ireland was further enhanced at Auteuil last Saturday, though in defeat rather than victory, as the local favourite Losange Bleu held off the Co Carlow-trained terrier by a length and a half to land the Grand Course de Haies d’Auteuil.

There is little left to write about Shark Hanlon’s incredible €850 purchase that has not already been consigned to print, but to take on the best chasers in Ireland and the best hurdlers in France in the space of little more than two weeks and go so close on each occasion, having earlier disposed of the best that Britain has to offer at Kempton at Christmas, is a rare feat indeed.

The race itself was a straightforward affair. Losange Bleu, who deserves extra credit given that his trainer, Dominique Bressou, saw his string struck down with virus in the lead-up to the race causing this five-year-old son of Martaline to miss his final prep race, cut out a strong pace with Hewick, jumping with great fluency, and a second of the five Irish contenders, Mahler Mission, both in close proximity.

Gordon Elliott’s Irish Point, the strongest of the raiders on 2023/’24 hurdling form, made a bad mistake at the second flight, landing on all fours, and was never able to get close to the leaders, while the Joseph O’Brien charge, Home By The Lee, came under pressure in midfield early on the final circuit by which point Mr Incredible, the final Irish visitor, was already toiling in the rear.

Given a breather

Mahler Mission drew alongside Losange Bleu beginning the final bend and for a second looked to be going the best, though that was probably simply because the leader was being given a breather by jockey Johnny Charron.

Losange Blue had reasserted come the final flight but Hewick, who had been switched to the outside rail by Jordan Gainsford in search of better ground, kept on battling all the way to the line and, with the pair racing wide apart, it was only in the last 50 yards that it became apparent that Hewick was going to have to settle for second.

Mahler Mission was unable to up his game from the last, losing out on third by just a neck to July Flower, a further length and a quarter behind Hewick, while both Home By The Lee and Irish Point plugged on to be beaten by around seven and nine lengths in total in sixth and seventh positions.

Fantastic performance

Hanlon was rightly proud afterwards, saying: “That was another fantastic performance. Hewick changed legs lots of time down the back straight because, although the ground is close to good, it’s veering towards soft and he likes it fast.

“We’re both happy and sad to go so close but he gives his all every time. We’ll be back again for a third try next year - now he deserves a holiday before we get him ready to defend his King George crown at the end of the year.”

John McConnell was equally effusive in his praise of Mahler Mission’s effort, saying: “The ground was too quick for him and Ben (Harvey) said that he was flat out the whole way round, but it’s great to get him back after his traumatic experience in the Grand National, where he unseated and then completed the course riderless.

“We may bring him back here for the Grade 1 hurdle in the autumn when the ground should be more to his liking.”

Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Chase) (Grade 1)

SUNDAY’S Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris was devoid of international challengers but produced a thrilling spectacle nevertheless.

The front-running hot favourite, Juntos Ganamos, got rid of his pilot, James Reveley, before halfway and thereafter there was rarely much to choose between the 1-2 from November’s Grade 1 Prix La Haye Jousselin, Grandeur Nature and Gran Diose.

In Love, Gold Tweet and, finally, General En Chef, all had a crack at the two leaders in the closing stages but, when stamina became imperative on the run-in, the old rivals drew away with Gran Diose just edging ahead and then holding off the rallying Grandeur Nature by a neck (much to your correspondent’s ire as I had selected them the other way around).

The deciding factor between the duo was undoubtedly jumping: while the giant Gran Diose measured his fences expertly under Clement Lefebvre, who has taken over from Betrand Lestrade as the top locally-born dog in the Auteuil weighing room, Grand Nature made a number of small but costly errors.

Brilliance

The result served to underline the brilliance of the Anglo-Irish wife and husband training partnership of Louisa and Phillip Carberry, the former with her background in eventing and the latter a retired jump jockey with a string of big wins to his name in both France and Britain as well as in his native land. From just a small string, which currently numbers 40, at the unheralded west of France training centre of Senonnes, they have now won three of the last five renewals of the nation’s biggest jump race.

They are a formidable team, who between them have an intuitive ability to bring their horses to concert pitch for the big day, and Louisa was particularly proud afterwards that Gran Diose could not be more different physically from their 2020 and 2021 winner of this race, Docteur De Ballon, who was small and athletic.

She also spared a thought for Reveley, who did so much to mould and educate the winner in his early career, before ceding the ride to Lefebvre at the beginning of this season.

Sunday’s two remaining Grade 1s stayed at home with the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (Chase) going to Kolokico by six and a half lengths for jockey Nicolas Gauffenic and trainer Emmanuel Clayeux, while the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil - Course de Haies de Printemps des Quatre Ans gave jockey Johnny Charron a Grade 1 double over the weekend when Pistache Dore took the prize for trainer Daniela Mele.

REVERTING to flat racing, early last year it looked likely that veteran trainer Andre Fabre had found a new superstar in the shape of the Wildenstein family’s homebred Camelot filly Pensee Du Jour.

Then she blotted her copybook with three modest efforts, in particular in the Prix de Diane, and the shooting star seemed to have fizzled out.

However, now transferred to the ownership of the Wertheimer brothers, Pensee Du Jour appeared to be back to her best at Saint-Cloud on Monday, landing the Group 2 Prix Corrida by a comfortable length and a half with Jessica Harrington’s Village Voice only sixth. The Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is now in her sights.

Thursday’s classic trial the Group 3 Prix Hocquart at ParisLongchamp went to the odds-on favourite, the Aga Khan’s Calandagan, who took the spoils and has the Prix du Jockey Club as his next outing. The son of Gleneagles won by a length and three-quarters under Stephane Pasquier.