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Roi Mage bids for Compiegne repeat against stiff home and abroad opposition

Winners of two Crystal Cup races and nearly €1.15m in prize money have thrown their hats in the ring at the entry stage for the sixth leg of the pan-European cross country series on Monday November 11th, which promises a fascinating showdown.

The €57,000 listed contest runs over 5,400m (3m 2f & 85yds) in what is likely to be testing conditions with a thoroughly international field.

Winner of the Anjou-Loire Challenge, Ever Forget Me heads the entries for octogenarian owner Victor Blot and trainer Eric Leray. He’s run just once since that memorable May day, opening his autumn season at Saumur with a 16l fifth to Miss Laura, behind him at Lion d’Angers, but he may strip fitter for this. Eric Leray may also field Google de Loued, third in the same Grand Cross de Saumur in mid-October, in which Hemevoici was also behind. His jumping may be found wanting, as his form is peppered with F and U in between good performances.

Ever Forget Me shows a clean pair of heels to rivals in the Anjou-Loire Challenge in May ’24. Photo © JCB Photo

He meets Irish raider Roi Mage, winner of this race last year, and since winner of Craon’s listed Grand Cross Louis de Guebriant in early September, for whom this is a stepping stone to the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday. He has the measure of Sweet David, well behind at Craon, on that most recent form, and is a fine illustration of a foreign trainer adopting the Crystal Cup. This looks a tougher contest than 12 months ago however.

Hector Lageneste and Guillaume Macaire are represented by improving 5 year old Fraga Has, most recently winner by a nose from Sweet David at Haras du Pin over this distance. He doesn’t know how to run a bad race and is already a winner at a lower grade at Compiegne. The Haras du Pin race in mid-October was a first step up to the top level, and with a 2kg advantage over the first two, he may prove troublesome as he looks on the upgrade.

Hemevoici is entered by François Nicolle. The 7 year old was well beaten at Pau in February behind Hip Hop Conti, but has since won on this ground at Lignières in a leg of the Trophée Vert, before losing out to Miss Laura at Saumur in mid-October, a race in which Ever Forget Me was a further 5 1/2l further back in 5th.

Gabriel Leenders will likely choose between his two candidates, the 5 year old Sweet David and Gentilhomme, 3 years his senior. Sweet David was well beaten by Roi Mage at Craon, but lost nothing in defeat at Haras du Pin last month, just losing out to Fraga Has. He has every right to be in this field, and there will be plenty of other races for him to win, if not necessarily this one.

Gentilhomme, on the other hand, comes into this race on the back of a hat-trick of wins, most recently at Fontainebleau, in lower grade races. He would need to step up to be a factor despite his impressive form figures.

There’s a lot to like about Great du Large, from the Peltier stable. He was a close-up third in the Haras du Pin race won by Fraga Has, a close second in each of his three previous starts in Trophée Vert qualifiers at Granville, Vittel and Rostrennen, the middle of these by just a head. He is overdue a top cross country success.

Patrice Quinton has entered Winteriscoming, but even he might admit this looks a tall ask for a horse whose recent form has been a little in and out. There are more obvious candidates. the same can be said of Gumpchop, a 3/4l second to Miss Laura at Lion d’Angers in July, but pulled up in Fraga Has’ race at Haras du Pin most recently.

David Satalia’s Why is unproven over this distance, as is stablemate Jereviendrais.

Crystal Cup leader the Czech Josef Vana brings Beau Saonais to this race from promising runs at Merano and Wroclaw in previous legs of the challenge. Fourth at Wroclaw and second at Merano, he is capable of running a big race, as is Iceo Madrik from David Cottin’s, who fell in that Merano contest, but has since regained the winning feeling at Compiegne last month in heavy ground, with Why, Je Reviendrais and Gumpchop behind.

Eric Lecoiffier has entered two, being Silver Horse and Little Winner, but neither looks as if a step up in class will reap a result in this competitive field.

Of the remaining 3 Riskman hasn’t run since enjoying a good winter at Pau, and may need the run; Cote Fleurie is a second runner for Patrice Quinton, but hasn’t run for 12 months. His previous form at this level was respectable, whilst Ironie du Lac is held by Iceo Madrik on their run at Compiegne 2 weeks ago.

Final entries close on Thursday1130 EST.

Gap Pierji leads Czech clean sweep at Wroclaw

In bright autumn conditions, Czech horses filled all the places at Wroclaw yesterday, when Jan Kratochvíl rode a textbook race on Gap Pierji to win from Molly Power, Irreverencieux running on late home to deny Beau Saonois third place.

The victory in the PLN 172,000 (€40,000) contest enables Josef Vana to leapfrog Partice Quinton into first place in the Crystal Cup leaderboard before the challenge oscillates toward western Europe for the remaining seven races.

Nine faced the starter in this 5,000m steeplechase, with the early running cut out by White Wood, with Go Canada and Gap Pierji handy. The other Vana runner, Beau Saonois, forced the pace at the third, but White Wood’s rider was having none of it, regaining the lead as they galloped through the water in front  of the stands.

Mistakes by Sophist, the only home-trained challenger, and Irony, at the bank, jumped just once in the race, put them out of contention, and Sophist was eventually pulled up.

Kratochvíl drove Gap Pierji into a 4l lead five out, extending this as they closed out the race. Pretty King ran on to close the gap to 4 1/2l, with the Veonika Lempochnerová – trained Irreverencieux running on strongly to outpoint Beau Saonois for fourth place.

The Polish race has shaken up the leaderboard, no French or British runner having ventured east. Josef Vana has established a 9pt lead over Patrice Quinton, with 37pts, but the pendulum is likely to swing back toward France or Ireland at Compiegne, destination for several of the recent winners.

Nine face the starter at Wroclaw this Sunday as Czechs dominate

The home-based Nitro, owned and trained by Elvira Porębna, has been withdrawn from Sunday’s Crystal Cup Steeplechase at Wroclaw, leaving just 9 to face the starter.

The withdrawal makes it almost a stone cold certainty that the PLN 172,000 (€40,000) prize will be won by a horse trained across the border in the Czech Republic. The only other Polish – trained runner is White Wood, held on Merano form by Gap Pierji, one of the two Vana runners for Scuderia Aichner. But there’s plenty of other talent lined up from the Czech Republic, including the 5 year old Pretty King, trained by Grzegorz W Wróblewski. Pretty King was bred by Eric Leray in France, himself no stranger to the cross country scene.

Vana must be fancying his chances of usurping Patrice Quinton at the top of the Crystal Cup leaderboard after this sixth leg. A win or second place from just one of his runners would be enough to leapfrog the Frenchman’s 28pt total, given that runners outside your own country earn double points. The Crystal Cup Challenge spans 12 races, with €50,000 of bonuses to be paid next Spring.

Nevertheless, the popular Wroclaw racecourse at Torpartynice is expecting a sizeable crowd for the penultimate fixture of its 12 day season. The racecourse, which first opened in 1907, offers free admission, in itself a guarantee of an inexpensive family day out. The first of 10 races is at 11am.

Pretty King to take Wroclaw prize back to Czechia

Ten entries make up the fifth leg of the Crystal Cup at Wroclow, hard on the heels of last Sunday’s Velka Pardubicka. The PLN 172,000 (€40,000) has attracted 8 candidates from across the border in the Czech Republic to complement two home-trained prospects.

Form on many of these is quite sporadic given the race programme across Poland, the Czech Republic and northern Italy. Nevertheless, the performance of Velka Pardubicka 6th Santa Klara gives a line on several of the runners.

Go Canada, Irreverencieux, White Wood, and Pretty King were behind Santa Klara at Wroclaw at the start of September, Pretty King the best of these 3l behind. The  G W Wroblewski – trained 5 year old has since run a respectable 9l third in a Grade I steeplechase at Merano at the end of September, and a repeat of that performance would have him go close.

Scuderia Aichner and Josef Vana Jnr teamed up last year to win the Crystal Cup, largely on the exploits of one horse, Gap Pierji. They are better-prepared this time around, with several horses running in their distinctive black and yellow. Two entries, Gap Pierji and Beau Saonois, represent the stable this time around.

Gap Pierji has been held back for this race, scratched from the far hotter Velka Pardubicka a week earlier, and this is a creditable chance to add a second win to his 2024 record, following a victory in a €30,000 chase at Merano in June. he travelled to France the following month to finish behind Ivresse d’Estruval, in itself no poor performance as the Lageneste & Macaire – trained gelding is no slouch. Most recently, he was pulled up behind Zubiena in the Merano leg of the Crystal Cup at the end of September.

French-bred Beau Saonois has been running creditably but in modest class races. His last three runs have all been at Merano, the most recent a 3/4l second to Zubiena, the Crystal Cup winner of 3 weeks ago. A good run by either, or both, would put Vana back in the driving seat in the Crystal Cup leaderboard, where he is languishing 9 pts behind Patrice Quinton.

Fresh from his dead-heat triumph at Pardubice, Török Dalibor fields Ironika, who comes here fresh from an 8l win over 4,600m at Pardubice in the third week of September. He has ground to make up on Gap Pierji based on the Merano run in June, in which Irreverencieux was pulled up.

Sophist and Go Canada represent the Poles yard in the Czech Republic, and of the pair, Go Canada has shown more consistent form, with a string of third-placed finishes that suggest a lack of finishing speed. Sophist had Go Canada behind when winning at Wroclaw in April, but that form has since been reversed this autumn.

Jan Faltejsek runs Molly Power, a 7 year old German-bred, but the gelding has a bit to find, and this distance will be well beyond anything he’s tried to date.

The 10 are completed by home-trained Nitro, handled by Eric Porębna, who comes here on the back of a 6l victory at Wroclaw at the start of September

 

Gripping finish produces dead-heat in Pardubice as international challenge fades

The 134th running of the famous Velka Pardubicka produced a heart-stopping result yesterday resulting in the first ever dead-heat in the history of the 6,900m (4m) race.

Sexy Lord, a well-beaten third here in a shorter qualifying race back in August, found the longer trip to his liking under Jan Faltjestek, but the renewed challenge in the final yards by Godfrey, successful here, a winner last time out back in May, under strong driving from Jaroslav Myska, was just enough for the judge to be unable to separate the pair on the line.

French-bred and ridden Dulcar de Sivola, under Thomas Beaurain, was 4 1/2l back in third, and heads to Compiegne next month, where he may meet Roi Mage, winner of the Crystal Cup leg at Craon.

It was a first win in the race for trainer of Godfrey, Török Dalibor, whilst Sexy Lord’s handler Martina Růžičková was enjoying a second victory in Czechia’s most prestigious steeplechase, 8 years on from last time.

The international challenge, led by highest-rated in the field, Coko Beach, came to nought, when Keith Donoughue was unseated four out when travelling well. Streets of Doyen, the other Irish challenger, also unseated Ben Harvey at the same fence.

Courageous challenger Jeremy Pass, trained in the US by Joseph Davies, was pulled up by amateur rider Teddy Davies.

Sexy Lord’s rider, Jaroslav Myska, leads the field on the first circuit

Once again, local knowledge proved invaluable in a race with a strong international challenge, but this unique course, over different types of terrain and configuration, lends itself to horses that have already run over course, and/or distance. All 10 of the finishers had qualified over the course, and it requires either a highly adaptable horse or an exceptional one (or both) to succeed here.

It’s a Czech clean sweep, excepting French rider Thomas Beaurain, fourth from left, who finished 3rd on Dulcar de Sivola

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