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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.

 

An intriguing contest awaits spectators tomorrow as the Anjou-Loire Challenge completes this year’s Crystal Cup at Lion d’Angers with the longest race of the series at 7,300m (4m 4f). 12 runners will face the starter in an all-French field.

Patrice Quinton fields three in a bid to wrest the Trainers’ title from Josef Vana Jnr. Just 4 1/2 points separate them in pursuit of the €10,000 Trainers’ bonus, although the winning owner, Scuderia Aichner, looks unassailable.

Iquem d’Erable has been knocking on the door all winter during a busy campaign at Pau, but uncharacteristically fell last time out on this course a month ago.

12 year old Chez Pedro Ire is another filling the places these past few months over shorter races of a lower quality. He was a distant seventh at Craon in September when competing in Listed company.

7 year old mare Hello de Sivola comes here on the back of a threesome of third place finishes at Pau, then here last month in a race where he led until 3 out, in a race won by Forza Conti. Harry Brown and Hermine d’Allen were also in that race, so Hello de Sivola is at least held by the winner and Harry Brown on that form. Whilst Quinton is mob-handed, there are others with stronger credentials.

Elcond’or Forlonge represents Jean Planque and owner Philippe Noirot. He too comes here on the back of a string of runner-up berths, the most recent being a 2l second to Travel de Belair in the Fontainebleau leg of the Crystal Cup in late March. A repeat of that performance would put his bang there.

A repeat of his Lion d’Angers performance would also have Forza Conti among the favourites here, but his running before that victory could, at best, be described as inconsistent.

Hermine d’Allen was third in that Lion d’Angers contest won by Forza Conti, but his most impressive performance of the winter is a 3l third to Hemevoici in the Grand Cross de Lignières. He’s one of few in this field to have run over the longer trip, that race being 6,000m.

A more probable winner looks like the nine year old mare, Miss Laura, who comes here looking for her 6th consecutive win, after successes at Le Pertre, Ploermel, Segré, and twice at Saumur. Trainer Philippe Peltier knows what is required to win this race. Peltier fields Harry Brown as well, who may well be in the shake-up after his second to Forza Conti over the same course last month.

The field is headed by Eric Leray’s Ever Forget Me, a winner here last month, and coming here with a  credible record of winners at Durtal and Saumur since last November. he has the beating of Iquem d’Erable and Hawax on that form. Hawax was a faller here last month. Alexandre Orain takes the ride.

On that form, Espoir won’t be far away from Ever Forget Me, as the nine year old gelding was a 12l second to her at Durtal in March, but she’s also held by Miss Laura on Saumur running of a month ago.

Etoile de Pilori was a narrow second to Ever Forget Me at Lion d’Angers a month ago, and may be thereabouts too.

On paper, this year’s la Touche, leg 10 of the 2023-24 Crystal Cup, looked a shoo-in for Coko Beach, 10lb in on any of his rivals, and with the benefit of course experience and a creditable 11th in the Grand National behind him.

But as so often is the case on this eclectic course of banks, ditches and fences, what looks simple on paper doesn’t always play out. Punters who’d backed the horse down to 5/4 favouritism were comfortable with their decision as Coko Beach was prominent or led much of the way, but he was never allowed to assert completely, and it was the 14 year old Singing Banjo who played the best tune as he joined the lead two out, doggedly seeing off Three For Two and Coko Beach for the minor placings in a thrilling finish, just 3/4l separating first and second, 3 3/4l back to third.

Singing Banjo was one of two previous winners of the race in the field, having won in 2021, the other being last year’s winner Vital Island,  who pulled up when his chance was gone two out.

Owner, trainer and rider Barry Walsh, told Racing TV,  “He really comes alive with these cross-country jumps. He just loves it. He was second for us at Cheltenham at the November meeting in 2021. He just gives you a great thrill.”

There was keen interest from others among the runners to explore other cross country options, bearing in mind the narrow calendar of events during the Irish season. Forays to France are a growing trend among entrepreneurial Irish and British trainers, and among this genre of cross country horses, the prizes are that much more attractive on the Continent.

Take nothing away from the second horse either. Three By Two had run in the Ladies Cup on the Tuesday of Punchestown, beaten 7 1/4l into fourth behind Knockiel Synge in another good quality cross country (See 1:47 below)

An all – Irish cast will face the starter in the Mongey Communications La Touche Cross Country, making up leg 10 of the Crystal Cup, this Thursday at Punchestown.

19 entries have distilled into 15 runners for this year’s unique 4 miler over the banks and ditches of Punchestown, headed by Coko Beach, already a winner over a shorter trip here in February as part of his preparation for a tilt at the Grand National, in which he finished a 33l 11th to I am Maximus. On his rating alone, Coko Beach has 10lb in hand on his nearest rival.

Coko Beach is one of two entries from Cullentra for Gordon Elliott, the other being The Bosses Oscar, whose sparing prep this spring has been a 6l second to Winged Leader in an open point-to-point at Castletown.

The Enda Bolger – J P McManus axis of power is never to be underestimated in this type of race, and Bolger has won it many times. Entry Stealthy Tom has not made the cut, but by contrast, his other candidate, Birchdale is a winner of a banks race over 3m here in November when beating Vital Island, and ran a close third, beaten 2l in a Listed chase at Leopardstown earlier this month.

Gavin Cromwell, whose forays to the UK have proved so successful this winter, has entered two. Stumptown, winner of a valuable handicap at Cheltenham on New year’s Day, was pulled up in the Ultima during the Festival, but has since returned to form with a 1 3/4l third in a handicap at Cheltenham in mid April.

He may also run Fameaftertheglory, whos is well held by Coko Beach on their running in the banks race at Punchestown in February, but whose best performance may have been a 5 1/2l third to Latenightpass in the December leg of the Crystal Cup at Cheltenham.

Peter Maher is no slouch with his cross country runners, and sent 2 to Pardubice last October. Neither runs here, but Subset is a winner over this course, having won a banks race at last year’s Punchestown Festival. His form since has been in and out, whilst Blast of Keoman is held on that same running from 2023, and also by Vital Island in this race two days later.

Richard O’Keefe has been a regular visitor to Crystal Cup races this winter, and returns to defend his La Touche record  12 months on, where he beat Stealthy Tom into second. He was running creditably at Craon before ripping off a shoe, and weakened two out in the December leg at Cheltenham where some highly rated horses made up the placings. His only two wins under Rules have been here at Punchestown, so he’s not easily ruled out.

De Nordener has been carrying all before him in open point-to-points, winning four this winter, but was no match for Winged Leader in an open at Quakerstown in late March. He has taken a softer option in the shorter Ladies Cup on Tuesday.

Of Cieran Murphy’s pair, Enjoy d’allen is held by Coko Beach on February form here over the banks, but got the better of Vital Island on their December form at Cheltenham. Second preference Michael’s Pick has something to find on The Bosses Oscar and Vital Island.

It’s difficult to make any case for Singing Banjo from Barry John Walsh. His best form was a second to Stealthy Tom in a banks race over 12 months ago, whilst Streets of Doyen has no cross country form, and Three By Two is held by several of the other entries. He ran on Tuesday, finishing a 7 1/4l fourth to Knockiel Synge in the 3 miler.

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Running in parallel with the Crystal Cup, the Trophée National du Cross produces the best cross country horses in France, as judged across a series of 15 races concluding in December.

The T N C has rarely been a medium for foreign competition; indeed the population of cross country trained horses in France is more than sufficient to fill its races. That trend was broken by the brave attempt by the Czech-trained Gap Pierji to improve upon his Fontainebleau third in the Grand Cross de Strasbourg at the eponymous racecourse on Monday.

Eight runners lined up to face the starter in this 5,200m (3m 1f) challenge of 29 fences, including the winners of 11 races. Indian file was the order of the day in the early stages, with no-one keen to force a pace in the sticky ground. Baptiste Leclerc was happy to dictate the pace of the race on Ivresse d’Estruval with favourite Jack Lux for the Clayeux/de Giles axis handy.

The curious route which criss-crosses the all-weather trotting track and has many sharp turns does not lend itself to a fast-run race. To that end, fallers are mercifully rare, although we lost Inouie Tiepy and James Reveley at the 18th. At this pivotal stage, little more than 5l covered the field, with Gazee de Bedon, Baby Business and Gap Pierji queuing up for their opportunity to pick off Jack Lux and Ivresse d’Estruval in front.

Jack Lux all but lost his advantage at the 26th, blundering away his chance with a mistake that had de Giles on the buckle end. This handed the lead to Ivresse d’Estruval, chased down by Halco de Sarti, whose effort faded as Leclerc sprinted clear in the final 200 yards.

The first three are all candidates worthy of a Crystal Cup adventure, and we’re likely to see them at winter venues like Pau. The sporting Scuderia Aichner, owners of Gap Pierji, picked up €1,560 for their sixth place position.