Runners for the Grand Cross de Fontainebleau are now declared, and an initial entry of 14 has reduced to eight, but a splendid eight at that. We are in for a treat of a race. Winners of 40 races between them and €1,240,515 in prize money, a clash of generations sees new pretenders try their mettle against the older generation.
Patrice Quinton, who has few peers in this particular genre of the sport, has retained two of his three entries, led by Gold Allen, winner of the marathon Anjou Loire Challenge at Lion d’Angers last May, and the ten year old would be a popular winner for his elderly owners. Clement Lefebvre takes the mount in preference to the stable second string.
Carrying 2kg less, relative newcomer Encore Une Belle is yet to win over cross country obstacles. There’s a first time for everything however, and she has been running with credit into the minor placings over the winter, most recently over Fontainebleau’s shorter 4,600m course earlier in the month. This is her first time over this extended distance, perhaps hoping to blunt the finishing speed of her rivals.
French steeplechasers start early so by gallic standards, the 11 year old Miss Laura is in the twilight of here career. But what a career though, with 17 wins from 43 runs, her strike rate is impressive. In this, her eighth season of racing, she has only failed to win in one season. This is her opening bow of 2026 however, but she’s won first time out after the winter break before, and the trainer combo of Philippe and Camille Peltier will have her primed to continue where she left off, particularly as she is handily weighted against horses she’s beaten before whilst giving weight. Matthieu Chailloleau comes in for the ride.
The field is headed by Klitchko de Belair, who has been running admirably at this level since winning at Craon last June. He was a 3l second to Roi Mage in Craon’s Grand Cross last September, and had Jade de la Roque 13l in arrears when winning Compiegne’s Grand Cross in November too. Those two victories have won him a penalty of 7kg extra, but at just 7, he has a few years on some of his rivals here that are more exposed, and as the only representative of the Lageneste-Macaire stable, he merits strong consideration under stable jockey Kilian Dubourg.
It’s difficult to make a strong case for Hemevoici, whilst Elcond’or Forlonge is back running over longer trips after a spell over shorter distances. In three previous attempts over distances in excess of 5,000m, the 10 year old gelding won once, fell once and was pulled up in the other contest, so we know he’ll stay but is he up to this higher class of race? He’s the sort who may well scrape a place, particularly with Cravache d’Or rider Felix de Giles in the plate.
Of the remaining two, Desert Storm looks out of his depth, but Cape of Love has not finished out of the frame in four races around Fontainebleau this winter, and the winning distances have been short each time. This is a first step up to a longer distance which may bring his stamina into play for trainer Christian Dubourg.
See the full field here