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Placenet provided a suitably international launch point to this year’s Crystal Cup in the opening Grand Steeplechase de Flandres at Waregem in front of 35,000 spectators.

Owned by English pair Caroline Tisdall and Geoffrey Thompson, and trained by David Cottin, the winner defied top weight in the handicap to win by 4l, Gino des Dunes, for Patrice Quinton in second, and Czech raider, Volkov Jelois, 2 1/2l back in third.

A promising 22 entries had whittled down to just 7 starters for the €100,000 contest, but nevertheless  provided a thrilling start to the unique Crystal Cup series, which concludes at Lion d’Angers in late May 2025.

Quinton was trying to win this race for a remarkable 11th time, but found one too good in Placenet, who spent last winter competing in England under David Pipe, before returning to France in the Spring, prepping for this race with a 7l third in holding ground at Dieppe in a listed chase.

Josef Vana Jnr, who supplied three of the 22 original entries, has made clear his intention to retain the Crystal Cup he won for the first time earlier this Spring. French-bred Volkov Jelois is one of a team raiding steeplechases outside Czechia, securing him double points for running outside his own country.

Cheltenham-based sports tour operator Venatour has launched a fresh set of racing tours for Jump racing enthusiasts as Official Travel Partner to the Crystal Cup.

The firm has assembled impressive itineraries for short breaks in Belgium, France, and Italy as a precursor to further tours to other legs of the 2024-25 Crystal Cup Challenge.

Aimed initially at British & Irish racing enthusiasts, the tours will encourage a wider perspective on European Jump racing. Marc Blackford, Director of Horseracing Travel at Venatour, remarked, ”We are really excited to have partnered with the Crystal Cup. Not only does this series of jump racing offer fantastic racing and an excellent atmosphere, they are also located in lovely locations offering the opportunity to combine racing with a few days away. Following our hugely successful racing tours to Waregem, Merano and Velka Pardubicka last year, we soon realised the Crystal Cup offers unique experiences that our guests thoroughly enjoyed. We already offer fantastic racing trips around the world and to add the Crystal Cup Series to our calendar is fantastic”.

Peter McNeile has been leading the commercial development of the Crystal Cup with the re-admittance of Punchestown for the 2023-24 season made possible by the cancellation of Cheltenham’s Festival cross country.

He added, “We’re all delighted to work with Venatour to develop a following around these eclectic races. There is more and more interest in racing on the Continent, not least as so many of our horses in training are now bred in France, and many trainers are plying their trade successfully in France, if not necessarily beyond. The variety of steeplechases and venues across our 7 participating countries is wonderful to enjoy, and we look forward to welcoming many guests, and to encouraging as many Continental racegoers to make a return trip across the Channel.”

This year’s Crystal Cup may be concluded, but the calendar of French cross country races is well and truly underway, the latest of the Class 1 chases in the  Trophée National taking place on Sunday at Rostrenen in Brittany.

The €52,000 fifth leg of the 15 race series may not go down as its most memorable as another Papot – owned horse was making rather larger waves for his trainer, Daniela Mele in Auteuil’s Prix Alain de Breuil, the big Spring 4 year olds hurdle. In fact, no conclusions can be made at all from the 6l victory of Gold Allen over Great du Large.

It was clear from the off of the 5,800m chase that nobody was anxious to make the running in the sapping conditions. Runners were still standing at the start nearly 5 seconds after the starter had dropped his flag; any longer and he would have been enjoying an aperitif in the stewards’ room between races. Romain Juilliot eventually opted grudgingly to make it at a pedestrian pace, with Special du Rocher and Gold Allen close up.

And so it continued around this compact course and its twists and turns. Great du Large was running left down his fences, and the pace was modest enough for Esteban Metivier to have to pick up the pace himself on Gold Allen, who last completed at Craon’s Grand Cross in September 2022.

The pace remained very steady until they turned into the back straight for the final time, when the increase in pace caught out a few in the jumping department. A mistake by Barcarolle at the 7th last had him on the floor, whilst Special du Rocher also landed flat-footed.

Czech trainer Josef Vana Jnr was on hand on Thursday to see Ever Forget Me win the Anjou-Loire Challenge in front of a record crowd at Lion d’Angers, and deny his nearest rival, Patrice Quinton, the chance to snatch the Crystal Cup. This first Czech victory in the 12 years of the Crystal Cup pan-European challenge marked out the very real possibility of horses outside France succeeding in this unique challenge.

A cheque for €25,000 was awarded, shared between Vana and his owner, Scuderia Aichner, owners of Gap Pierji, the leading horse in the Series, who has competed in 3 Cup races, without actually getting his head in front.

From left to right: Bram Vanderwalde (Waregem), Henri Pouret, Frédéric Landon, (France Galop), Mario Pirone (Merano), Josef vana, outgoing Président Alain Peltier, Unknown, Hugues Crosnier (Craon), Jean de Cheffontaines, Andre Martin (Lion d’Angers)

“This has been our first time competing across Europe,” he told the crowd. “I’m delighted to be here to pick up this prize. It’s been a very nice challenge. We do a job we love.”

The Vanas had travelled 14 hours to reach Lion d’Angers to pick up their prize, a feat almost as sporting as the endeavours of Gap Pierji, and are already assessing the programme for 2024-25.

The success of Gap Pierji has stimulated plenty of interest from other stables in Britain, Ireland and in one instance from the USA, illustrating just how realizable it can be to win this extraordinary challenge comprising 11 races. What was once an exclusive domain of France has now opened the way to more intense competition from further afield.

The 20th year of the France Sire Anjou-Loire Challenge, the world’s longest steeplechase, produced a fairytale result for 89 year old owner Victor Blot and his wife when Alexandre Orain rode a textbook race to win the €100,000 chase on Ever Forget Me.

The 7,300m (4m4f) race over 50 obstacles criss-crosses back and forth across the picturesque Isle Briand course adjacent to the Oudon river, and it would be a brave rider not to have walked the course beforehand if unfamiliar with this racecourse.

Ever Forget Me came into this race on the back of a successful winter, with victories at Saumur, Durtal and at Lion d’Angers over a shorter 5,300m last month. Sent off favourite, Orain’s instructions from trainer Eric Leray might have replicated Tim Forster to all his riders in the Grand National: hunt round the first circuit. That’s exactly what he did, hacking round at the rear of the filed until the 44th obstacle, when Orain sent him up to join the lead. From the fifth last, Ever Forget Me never saw a another rival, winning by 1 1/2l from ther Patrice Quinton – trained Hello de Sivola.

As always, this marathon steeplechase provided the enormous crowd, estimated at 20,000, with a great spectacle. Iquem d’Erable, Hawax, Hermine d’Allen and  Forza Conti set off in front to a cheer almost as loud as that that receives the flagfall for Cheltenham’s Supreme Novices Hurdle, and made the running until the 22nd. Espoir was a faller at the water (24th), whilst Chez Pedro unseated Stephane Paillard at the next, the Contre-Haut.

Runners set off to a massive crowd
Photo: Jean-Charles Briens

The field bunched up after the 40th obstacle, and Orain chased Ever Forget Me up to the lead at the fifth last, tracked by the other favourite, Miss Laura. Up the Piano – three steep steps unique to Lion d’Angers – Ever Forget Me and Miss Laura looked to have the race between them, a length apart. Over the last, Miss laura’s effort died out, and Olivier Jouin conjured up a tremendous run from Hello de Sivola, but Orain had left enough in the tank to hold the advantage to the line. Forza Conti was a further 8l back in third.

Owner Victor Blot enjoyed great success with Archy Bald, a five time winner of Craon’s Grand Cross from 1996 on. The one-time chicken farmer and local politician was thrilled to find himself another top flight cross country performer. Trainer Eric Leray focused on supervising his horse, leaving his wife to oversee presentations. Describing Ever Forget Me’s effort as a “long travail”, she was fulsome in her praise of the team effort that is required to get a winner of this standard.