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An eventful edition of the France Sire Anjou-Loire Challenge saw cross country king Patrice Quinton deliver a memorable 1-2 in France’s longest steeplechase, and with it, steal the trainer’s prize for the Crystal Cup from under the nose of long time leader Josef Vana.

Fourteen runners faced the starter in front of packed stands and a boisterous Ascension day holiday crowd at Lion d’Angers for this 7,000m (4m 4f) challenge of no less than 50 obstacles. Jumping is very much the name of the game here, with the variety of fences typified by the Piano, a sharp stepped incline unique to this particular course, and traversed in both directions, up and down.

The crowd sent off Gabriel Leenders’ Gentilhomme favourite on the back of his win in Fontainebleau’s Grand Cross back in March, but he, along with eventual winner Gold Allen, were anything but prominent until late in the race. The early running was made by Hawax, with the hard pulling Bingo de l’Aunay, and Irish challenger Vital Island handy. But experience shows this is the sort of race where winners are consistently dropped out for the first two-thirds of the race.

Gold Allen has the legs on Shawinigen to land the Anjou Loire Challenge 2025 © JCB Photo

Of the strong foreign contingent, Gap Pierji was the first to call time, falling at the sixth, the two Irish challengers pulled up at 36th and 40th. From just after midway, Damien Thomas kicked Espoir into the lead, and course winner Miss Laura took closer order with 2023 winner Shawinigen.

Heading out on the final circuit with just six fences remaining, Espoir set sail for home, Hawax, Wal Cassandre, Shawinigen and Gold Allen in touch, Miss Laura having unseated Matthieu Chailloleau at the final bank, the 44th.

And t looked like the gallant 11 year old might hold on as they entered the final straight, but Gold Allen and Clement Lefebvre came with a wet sail to pick off the leader approaching the second last, running on to a comfortable 10l win over stablemate Shawinigen, Wal Cassandre a further 3l back in third.

The challenges of the two Irish runners never materialized, although initial entry Subset looked to have made a good call in opting for the shorter Prix Georges Bonsergent, where he was held a length to second place by Poker Ballon.

The Quinton 1-2 turned the Crystal Cup leaderboard upside down. Scuderia Aichner were assured of the leading owner prize by dint of their runners in more than half the races, and Gap Pierji’s win in Wroclaw. However, their trainer, Josef Vana, winner of the Crystal Cup in 2024, had led to the very end, and Quinton needed 9pts from his two runners to topple him. That he did this in style with the first two is typical of the stable, who do so well in this unique European challenge. The final standings give the Frenchman a 3pt cushion over Vana, who will surely be back to try again from August this year.

Patrice Quinton receives his trainer’s prize from the crystal Cup committee (L to R Guillaume de Saint-Seine, President France Galop, Frederic landon, Jean de Cheffontaines, Unknown and Andre Martin, President of Lion d’Angers© JCB Photo

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.