EVE Saha, originally from Finland but with a soft Irish accent, has worked with horses, both trotters and thoroughbreds across five different countries. These days the 47-year-old is one of the most experienced grooms in the Fabrice Souloy yard in Normandy.

Fabrice Souloy (57) has trained over 1,300 winners including 25 Group 1 races. ‘Ecurie le Tremont’ is home to two out of the first four in the betting for tomorrow’s €1,000,000 PMU Prix d’Amérique, which the French proclaim as the world championship for trotters.

The fancied runners are both eight-year-olds, the liver chesnut stallion Gu d’Heripre and the mare Ampia Mede SM. (The ‘SM’ is an Italian touch, where owners proudly add the initials of their stable). Gu d’Heripre (14/1 at the moment) will be driven by the up-and-coming Francois Lagadeuc while the mare (4/1 latest) will be driven by Franck Nivard, bidding for his sixth win in the race.

Eve first came to Ireland in the 1990s when a Swedish family used Ballykeane Stud in Wicklow to rear and break trotting yearlings. “Mister Lavec, Enjoy Lavec, Kramer Boy and Full Account were just some of the top-class horses we started in Ireland.”

Back and forth

Eve has been back and forth many times since the first venture and as well as her Finnish/Irish brogue she has an 087 phone number and an Irish bank account!

She also worked for a while with Prunella Dobbs, well known between the flags.

“If only harness racing were bigger in Ireland, I don’t think I would ever have left, I loved the place,” she states wistfully. “I became great friends with the trotting trainer Ger Kane and family, also Inga and Lorcan Darcy who work with Connemaras and point-to-pointers in Gorey.”

You don’t talk about Connemaras and point-to-pointers on the eve of the great race, so let’s see what stable secrets Eve will divulge:

Dan Carlin (DC): Do you look after the two contenders?

Eve Saha (ES): Not personally. I have six that I do, none of them are world beaters. Luca Taruchi does Gu d’Heripre, Sebastian Gervais looks after the mare.

Dan Carlin (DC): Gu d’Heripre was touted as the next big thing a few seasons back?

Eve Saha (ES): He has been third in a Prix d’Amérique as a young horse. He injured a fetlock in the paddock since and we thought his career was over, but he’s back and trotting well.

He won the Prix de Bourgogne to qualify for the ‘Amérique’. He has also fathered a few foals (Artificial Insemination is a big thing in France) and his first crop are now three.

DC: What is Ampia Mede SM like to be around?

ES (laughs): She can be sour, she would bite people passing her box if she got a chance. I think she is stronger than Gu, and I was surprised that Gu beat her in the Bourgogne.

Ampia was second in this race last year. She has to be covered up in her races, but has some sprint. Gu d’Heripre could race near the lead if he has to.

DC: Tell us a bit about the training?

ES: We don’t jog much at all but we do fast work twice a week. In between fast work they live out in paddocks.

Both horses have a similar routine. On the easy days we work on deep sand, like a thoroughbred gallop. They might go 6 x 600 metre spurts at a 1.30 to the kilometre rate. On the hard work days, we use a harder surface, a 1 kilometre straight. We could go 1.25, 1.16 and 1.13 rates with the last 600 metre piece as fast as the horse wants to go.

DC: What equipment do the two horses wear?

ES: Both wear very little. They both use an open bridle and ear plugs. Gu sometimes goes without a head check and he wears a martingale. Ampia wears hind trotting boots. We tried Gu without shoes, but he really needs them. Ampia will race with the shoes removed.

(Note: The removal of shoes for race days has become a major factor in French trotting. Experts are generally agreed that if a horse can hold his gait while deferré (unshod) there is a discernable speed advantage. The printed programme now indicates which horses are shod or unshod - a bit like ‘blinkered’ in the thoroughbred world).

DC: How do you rate your chances?

ES: They deserve to be in the top rank. Ampia won over 2,100 and 4,100 metres last season – she is more versatile. This year a lot of the fancied horses have dropped out. Horsy Dream is out, San Moteur picked up a freak injury, Etonnant is said to be fighting an infection.

Even so, there are load of good horses in there. The favourite, Idao de Tillard, will take a lot of beating. He is a monster of a horse. Of course, the Bazires have last year’s winner, Hooker Berry, and also Jushua Tree, who is only five but well thought of.

DC: You had your own stable in Finland. You have worked in Bologna, Italy. Have you any ambitions still to achieve?

ES: I actually own a three-year-old who was weaned in Wexford. Hopefully he will race this year, and it would be some buzz if he turned out a good horse.

He is by Orlando Vici out of an Italian mare by Lemon Dra. The dam’s sire was stolen in Italy and could not be found. I suppose the case was a bit like Shergar.