Fourteen will go to post for the Anjou-Loire Challenge on Thursday as France celebrates Ascension Day, but Dragey-Ronthon trainer Patrice Quinton will need some divine intervention to topple Josef Vana from a second consecutive Crystal Cup.

The Czech set out his stall for this year’s Challenge from the opening race in late August, and has withheld all challengers, despite not running in any of the three races in Britain or Ireland. By gaining a minimum 1pt for running Gap Pierji, Quinton must accumulate 10pts to overtake his Czech rival, meaning his two runners must finish first and second.

Neither Gold Allen nor Shawninigan are slouches, but both are exposed in this company, and a more obvious challenge to favourite Miss Laura may come from Gabriel Leenders with Gentilhomme, 3 times a winner at Fontainebleau since October, including most recently in the listed Grand Cross in March, leg 10 of the Crystal Cup.

The race offers a truly international flavour as three of the four foreign entries have stood their ground, the fourth, Subset, opting for the shorter Prix Georges Bonsergent earlier in the card. Gap Pierji has been a regular competitor in the Challenge, having run at Merano, Fontainebleau and winning at Wroclaw. This looks a better standard race than he may be used to, although he lacks nothing in courage and grit.

Ireland is doubly represented by two candidates who figured prominently in the banks race that is a feature of the Punchestown Festival. Three By Two represents Denis Murphy, and J J Slevin enjoys his first ride at Lion d’Angers, whilst Vital Island, at 13 an elder statesman in this company, is still showing plenty of zest for racing, and will be the mount of amateur, Barry Stone. Three By Two was putting in her best work when a fast-finishing third to Busselton, ridden by Slevin, in that Punchestown race.

Bingo de l’Aunay merits his place here on the back of a fourth place to Roi Mage in the listed Grand Cross at Compiegne last November. He’s not run against this standard of field since, whilst Hawax ran a remote sixth in this race 12 months ago, but ran Miss Laura to a 4l second here in April, in receipt of 8kg. Espoir was a remote 10th in that race, and whilst a winner several times over, looks over-faced in this company. the third in that race, Wal Cassandre, produces his best on this course, and looks capable of running into the minor placings.

Jean Yves Toussaint runs Gemini d’Ax, who has yet to finish over any distance exceeding 4,600m, albeit a winner here in early April with Wal Cassandre and Shawninigen behind. Will he stay over an additional 3,000m? A surer stayer is Adsum, who has ground to make up on Miss Laura in that key Lion d’Angers race over Easter.

Miss Laura is a worthy favourite, but the unique demands of Lion d’Angers and the sheer volume of obstacles make this a race as much for the entertainment as betting value.

This Spring’s Crystal Cup draws to a conclusion with an intriguing race for the longest of the 12 legs, and with the destination of the Crystal Cup still in the balance.

At 7,300m, or a little over 4m 4f, this is the longest race in France, on a par with the Grand National, yet the number and variety of obstacles means the race is not run at the fearsome pace of the Aintree contest. At 50 fences, this is 20 more than in Liverpool, and jumping and dexterity are at a premium.

The 19 entries include representatives from the Czech Republic and Ireland in pursuit of the coveted Anjou-Loire Challenge, and Patrice Quinton, three times a winner of this race since its introduction in 2005, has a strong hand to take the trophy back to Normandy. And with 7 points to make up on leader Josef Vana, a strong performance from two runners could just sneak the Crystal Cup too.

Vana and his leading owner, Scuderia Aichner, have embraced the Crystal Cup from the start, running horses in no less than 6 of the 11 races to date, so it’s no surprise to see the valiant Czech still out in front. He’s represented by regular traveller Gap Pierji, but this looks a tough ask for the Czech.

Whilst French horses have been less willing to travel abroad with a full cross country calendar to occupy them at home, the challenge has come from another outpost of the Crystal Cup, in Ireland. Gavin Cromwell’s two winners at Cheltenham with Stumptown arguably put up the best performance across the Crystal Cup, but Quinton, whose foreign sorties have been limited to Waregem and Merano, could still reel back the competition for the home team.

Shawninigan, winner of this race back in 2023, has struggled to find winning form since, finishing behind Miss Laura, Gamsoul and Gold Allen in a shorter contest here in late April. This race looks the key to the performance of many of the entries.

Gold Allen, the second of the Quinton three, is twice a winner of Corlay’s Grand Cross last year and in 2022, Roi Mage winning the 2023 race. He’s been campaigned just once this year, in the same prep race behind Miss Laura in late April. He’ll strip fitter for that outing.

The third candidate, Hello de Sivola, was a distant fifth to Hip Hop Conti at Pau in February on heavy ground, and got up close home to beat Uniketat in Strasbourg’s big cross country feature over Easter. Conditions here may be rather quicker however.

Miss Laura, 10 year old mare trained by Philippe & Camille Peltier, has enjoyed an ideal prep for this race, in which she finished a 10l fourth last year. She comes into this race on the back of a narrow second at Saumur, and the Class 2 Prix Bourgeanneau de Mathet here at Lion d’Angers after Easter, a race in which Hawax, Wal Cassandre, Adsum, Gold Allen, Gamsoul, Louis Malpic, Forza Conti and Shawinigen were all behind. She deserves a favourite’s position.

Gabriel Leenders also has an outstanding record in this race, winning in 2018, 2021 and the following year. He fields Gentilhomme, running on  a hat-trick since winning the Fontainebleau leg at the end of March, where he had Gamsoul 7l back in third, and where Gap Pierji never ran any sort of race. He’s likely to have champion rider Felix de Giles in the plate.

François Nicolle brings Hemevoici to this race, fresh from his triumph at Auteuil at the weekend, but the cross country genre is not his forte, and there are more obvious winners than this. the same goes for Bingo de Launay, who has been running consistently without finding the number one spot.

Espoir comes here on the back of two wins at Saumur, in one of which he had Miss Laura behind. However, he was in receipt of 6kg at the time, and now has to cede 2kg to the mare. This looks a cut above his grade.

The third in this race last year was Forza Conti, another with ground to make up on several others from that April race at Lion d’Angers. Her jumping has let her down in 2 races this year, and 50 fences may test the rider partnership to the full.

And so to the Irish challenge. A gripping finish to the la Touche Cup at Punchestown early in the month saw Three By Two running in strongly at the close to finish a length behind winner Busseltown, with previous La Touche winner Vital Island 9l further back. At 13, Vital Island retains a zest for the game long gone in many others, and nothing should be read into his last run in France, at Craon in September ’23, when he ripped off a plate in running. Denis Murphy, trainer of Three By Two, brought Another Jewel across to win this in 2010.

The third Irish candidate, Subset, was well back in that race, and is also entered in the shorter Prix Georges Bonsergent. It’s difficult to make a case for him at this level.

Final declarations are on Monday, but the destination of this year’s Crystal Cup looks set to go right to the wire.

Enjoyment of racing is often as much in the anticipation as in the event itself, but once again, Punchestown’s banks course produced a race to savour in the Mongey Communications La Touche Cup yesterday.

The race had been slated as a chance for 2024 Grand National second Vanillier to finally get his head in front in a big race, and in so doing, put pressure on Crystal Cup leader Josef Vana by closing the gap to a point or two. But neither Vanillier nor the other contenders had read the script, and it was long time second, Busselton, who made a memorable afternoon, capped by a double in the later mares hurdle, for Joseph O’Brien, who saddles Scorthy Champ in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.

Busselton, who had tracked leader Vanillier from flagfall, was left in front when Keith Donoughue was unseated from Gavin Cromwell’s favourite at the 12th, and made the best of his way home. He was joined and briefly headed at the last by 2023 Kerry National winner Desertmore House, before finding more to win by 3/4l, Three By Two a neck behind in third. Vital Island put in a seasonal best to finish 10l back in fourth.

This 4m1f contest, which holds a place in punters’ hearts way more than its prize fund might suggest, has a habit of producing winners to warm the heart. The past three winners have been aged 15, 11 and 14, encouraging the thought that the race – the longest in the Irish calendar – re-enthuses horses that have lost a little speed, or their enthusiasm for the game. As yesterday’s result indicates, not just in the placed horses, it enables horses to run well above their official rating.

Busselton underperformed at Cheltenham in March, having never featured, but JJ Slevin took much closer order here for a better view of the 31 unique fences. It was his first victory in the race, the same for his trainer.

Joint owners Ronnie Bartlett and Justin Carthy are no strangers to top level success either, and the idea of following the Crystal Cup appeals for this top-of0the-ground performer.

From a Crystal Cup perspective, the race dampened the prospects of a tussle for the Trainers’ Championship. A strong performance from Gavin Cromwell’s pair even in Stumptown’s absence would have put pressure on leader Josef Vana, who stole a march in the early autumn races, and has yet to be headed. In the event, second string Peaches and Cream could do no better than finish sixth, enabling Cromwell to leapfrog Patrice Quinton into second place with the Lion d’Angers leg to come.

Quinton still has plenty of opportunity to topple the Czech trainer however, as the leaderboard indicates. He saddled 3 of the 10 runners in the 2024 Anjou-Loire Challenge, and win or placed efforts from one or more would be sufficient for a Frenchman to regain the Crystal Cup.

In the meantime, laud the achievement of Busselton, and record the fact he has been well beaten by Stumptown, the Challenge’s leading horse in 2025 on several occasions.

By approximately 3.50pm on Thursday, Josef Vana may well be regretting his decision not to extend his European Crystal Cup adventures beyond mainland Europe, as a strong challenge from Gavin Cromwell in the Mongey Communications La Touche Cup could readily close the gap or even supersede the leading trainer positions.

Cromwell’s Vanillier and Peaches And Cream are two of the 16 runners declared, and Vanillier has an outstanding chance provided his Aintree exertions have not left their mark. Keith Donoghue, who is 2-2 from cross country rides in Crystal Cup contests on Stumptown at Cheltenham, takes the ride in Stumptown’s absence. A win for Vanillier with a start for Peaches And Cream would put Cromwell within a point of Vana, with every incentive to travel to Lion d’Angers on May 29.

Vanillier is the class horse in the race, alongside Martin Brassil’s Desertmore House, whose form figures on the face of it look less than inspiring. However, he’s been competing in illustrious company this term, and this drop in class could be the tonic required to rediscover the winning thread, absent since the Kerry National in September 2023.

Stealthy Tom, Busseltown and The Goffer make up the weight of the opposition. Stealthy Tom is 13lb better in than when a well-beaten third to Vanillier here in February, and trainer Enda Bolger is a banks specialist, but that moniker can also be lent to several other trainers in this field. Stealthy Tom is no Risk of Thunder, three time winner of this race 20 years ago.

Busseltown can run better than his performance at Cheltenham suggests, where he was going backwards from mid-division at the business end of the race and was pulled up.

Eight year old The Goffer has been growing his banks experience this winter with runs here, at Cheltenham, and most recently at Aintree, where he was third to Gentleman de Mee in the Randox Topham Chase. He has ground to make up on Vanillier even so.

The remainder look exposed in this company, albeit a majority already know their way round the 4m 1f course. Denis Murphy fields 4 of which the most interesting is Fralimonto Bilbery, but he, like Richard o’Keefe’s Transprint, ran in Tuesday’s Kildare Hunt Ladies Cup, so may be withdrawn if their exertions have taken a toll.

Peter Maher has left in Jet Fighter and Subset, who both by rights should be running in a lower class renewal of this genre.

Which leaves Tony Martin’s Read To Return, Benny the Duke and 2023 winner Vital Island. This race has been won by a 15 year old, so at 13, age needn’t be a barrier to the last of these necessarily. It’s difficult to make a case for Benny The Duke on current form, and he may be here for the craic.

One opposes Tony Martin at one’s peril, but even that allowing, there are more obvious candidates to have come from this yard, and the market may give as good an indication as any to his chance.

Early entries for the penultimate leg of this year’s Crystal Cup are poised to provide a scintillating climax to this year’s European cross country challenge, with Stumptown heading an all-Irish field for the €40,000 Mongey Communications la Touche Steeplechase on day two of the Punchestown Festival next Thursday.

The two time Cheltenham cross country winner was last seen pulled up 3 out in the Grand National after no luck in running. He is one of three entries for Gavin Cromwell, who has every chance of overtaking Josef Vana at the head of the Trainers’ leaderboard, particularly with a good performance from one or more of his runners. Stumptown though will be saddled with a welterweight of 12st 7lb, 9lb higher than any of his rivals, which may be a tall ask.

Vanillier and Peaches and Cream may represent the Cromwell stable if the Punchestown race comes too soon after Aintree. Vanillier ran with distinction at Aintree, but couldn’t match his previous year’s second place. A more relevant line of form is his 8 1/4l third to Stumptown at Cheltenham, having nearly taken the wrong course early on, costing several lengths.

But the 4m 1f contest is far from just a Cromwell benefit. The Calentra yard of Gordon Elliott includes four familiar entries: Coko Beach, Conflated, Chemical Energy and the Goffer, the latter of which ran an eye-catching race into third in the shorter 2m 5f contest over the Aintree fences a day before the National. Coko Beach has good form over this course, but was beaten here in February by Vanillier when giving 10lb. He can reverse form on that basis.

Conflated will need to improve over these obstacles to figure, although he has been running at the highest level over regulation fences in this and previous seasons. Chemical Energy has ground to make up on Stumptown and Vanillier on Aintree and Cheltenham form.

French Dynamite hasn’t found the sweet spot since winning a Grade 3 chase here in October, and is untested over this extended distance.

Tony Martin has form over these obstacles, and may run Read To Return with Maxine O’Sullevan in the plate. Although rated under 120, Martin is a master at concealing a horse’s true rating until the money is down, so the market may tell the chances for his 8 year old better than the form of his Easter win at Fairyhouse.

A clutch of pointers make up the middle order of the entries list, few of which have a rating. With a choice of engagements across the five days and four cross country races of the Festival, a watching brief is best, although as last year’s result illustrated, no pointer should be ruled out. Indeed, the 2023 winner Vital Island is back for another tilt on the back of a recent success at Lingstown, but at 13, others may have faster legs when it comes to the business end. Trainer Richard O’Keeffe may be better represented by Transprint, 4 years his junior, who was a close third in the shorter Kildare Hunt Club cross country 12 months ago.

The drop in class may suit Desertmore House from Martin Brassil’s stable. The 10 year old winner of three of his 10 chase starts will appreciate the lower calibre of competition from listed status races over the course of the winter, most recently pulled up in the Irish National at Fairyhouse over Easter.

Denis Murphy has entered four, of which the most interesting is 7 year old Fralimonto Bilbery, who hasn’t been out of the frame in 5 runs this winter, but he is held on Lingstown form by Vital Island, and none of these are of the calibre of the higher rated candidates in the race. Empire Builder and Iroko d’Airy are the other two, likely with multiple engagements. Threebytwo was narrowly held by Singing Banjo in this race 12 months ago, but is held by Vanillier of previous Punchestown form earlier this season.

One should never rule out any Enda Bolger – trained animal in this race, especially one owned by champion owner J P McManus. Stealthy Tom is held on form through Vanillier here in February and Stumptown in November, and looks on the downgrade, but banks races can bring about a resurgence of form, and Bolger is a master at rekindling enthusiasm.

Another pointing handler of note is Peter Maher, whose two entries include Jet Fighter and Subset. Subset’s unprepossessing series of Ps belie a win over these obstacles in 2023, whilst this looks a bit hot for Jet Fighter.

Final declarations take place on Tuesday.