25 April 2020
Photos scoopdyga.com
Saturday, April 27, 2019, Auteuil. - The 7-year-old gelding Docteur de Ballon (Doctor Dino) and the mare Dalia Grandchamp (Kapgarde) took Saturday at Auteuil the first two places of the Prix Ingré Chase (Gr3), beating the odds in this last prep race towards the Zeturf Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1).
Jumping the last hurdle, Crystal Beach (Network) looked like the winner, adding another mark to his record after his Prix Murat (Gr2) win last time out, but the JDG Bloodstock gelding, trained by Marcel Rolland, had to give way to the two outsiders who came in late to take over.
Successively, Milord Thomas (Kapgarde) and Crystal Beach had led the race, always "pushed" by Saint Goustan Blue (Blue Brésil), who unseated his rider at the rail-ditch and fence, and then Le Costaud (Forestier). Trained by Louisa Carberry the West, the winner is owned by his breeder Robert Gasche-Luc, associated with Michel Boulay.
Docteur de Ballon was running on Saturday for the eleventh time. He was ridden for the second time by Felix de Giles, who was already replacing the injured Peterjon Carberry for his winning comeback in the Prix Jean Granel Hurdle race (L). He is the first foal out of Nile Breeze (Phantom Breeze), who has since given Surdoué de Ballon (Turgeon), whose sire Turgeon, who died last week, is also his damsire.
Feu Follet (Kapgarde) was never far from the front-runners but he looked in trouble at the last hurdle, which he jumped alongside L'Autonomie (Blue Brésil), still in the lead, Laterana (Saint des Saints), trying again at the highest level, and moreover Polirico (Cokoriko). Only then did the Guillaume Macaire-trained Goliath, owned by Pierre Pilarski, made a difference to finally leave a resolute Polirico to take the second place five lengths down in front of Laterana and L'Autonomie.
This is Feu Follet's sixth win in eight races. He is out of Folle de Toi (Sageburg), a mare bred by stable D (Jean-Pierre Dubois). She ran eight times without success over the flat and Feu Follet is her first foal. She has since given two fillies also by Kapgarde, including an unraced 3-year-old in training with Guillaume Macaire, then a Triple Threat colt. She is herself a sister to Fou et Sage (Sageburg), second in the Prix d'Indy Hurdle race and then the Prix de Pépinvast Hurdle race (Gr3) behind the champion Bonito du Berlais.
And then ...
With this second consecutive victory, Docteur de Ballon became one of the favourites of the Zeturf Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1), his next race. However, he unseated his rider that day at the rail-ditch-and-fence, just like Crystal Beach. Second in the Drags Chase (Gr2) after that, he has not run since but he is still training with Louisa Carberry. His older brother Surdoué de Ballon also, like the 7-year-old Adorable de Ballon (Barastraight), winner of a handicap chase one month before this race. Fripon de Ballon (Spider Flight), now 6, won his first race for his trainer-owner Dominique Rétif in October at Argentan over hurdles.
The other runners did not have great success thereafter. Besides Crystal Beach, the second-placed Dalia Grandchamp did not run again on last term, Milord Thomas quit altogether after another failure, Storm of Saintly took second place in a Listed race in September, Le Costaud took the wrong course at Merano while Saint Goustan Blues, pulled up in the Ingré, won once, in a Listed Hurdle race at Auteuil on July 2 ...
Winner of the Amadou Hurdle, Feu Follet confirmed in the Alain du Breuil Hurdle (Gr1) before going chasing: he managed to win a race in Compiègne after several high-level mishaps at Auteuil. On the other hand, the fourth-placed L'Autonomie won her next five races including the Renaud du Vivier Hurdle (Gr1) in the Autumn. She also beat her elders for her comeback this season.
Winner of the Grande Course de Haies de Printemps (Gr3) on this day, Paul's Saga has become one of the best French hurdlers since he beat Galop Marin in the Autumn in the Carmarthen Hurdle (Gr3) before losing to him in the Grand Prix d'Automne Hurdle (Gr1), then winning the Léon Olry-Roederer Hurdle (Gr2).