Duc d'Anjou 4yo Chase History

March, Auteuil

Duc d’Anjou 4yo Chase

Group 3, 4-year-olds, 3,500m/17.5f, Steeplechase, €150,000

Created in 1941

Last winner: Karre d'As (f4, FRA by Balko ex Bonne Passe, by Maresca Sorrento) owned by Patrice Détré and Philippe Cottin, bred by Magalen Bryant and Philippe Cottin, trained by David Cottin, ridden by Charlotte Prichard.

The race is run in 2025 for the 83rd time

The 2024 edition

Saturday 9 March 2024, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). – The filly Karre d'As (Balko) put an end to a series of three second places in steeplechase and opened her chasing record for her comeback after 119 days off at the end of a long lead over the €150,000 Duc d'Anjou 4yo Chase (Gr3)’ 2m1 1/2f trip. Owned by Patrice Détré and Philippe Cottin, also co-breeder of the AQPS filly with the late Magalen Bryant, Karre d’As was timely ridden by Charlotte Prichard, who had kept something in the final phase to hold off Chanteur du Bourg (Chœur du Nord), long held in her wake with seemingly plenty in his sleeves. The favourite Kaadam (Saint des Saints) gave his rivals back four to six kilos. He wasn’t fluent on a few occasions, and despite an excellent final effort, he had to settle for 3rd place, less than two lengths behind the 2nd. He beat the filly in their last meeting, in the Prix Congress 3yo Chase (Gr2), on November 11th.

A winner over hurdles on her debut at Compiègne almost a year ago, Karre d'As finished second three times chasing after that, including two first times at Compiègne again.

She is the first foal out of Bonne Passe (Maresca Sorrento), winner of two races in 22 attempts, in a steeplechase (at Pau) and a cross-country (at Blain), before entering stud. She was followed by a Reliable Man filly, who is also in training with David Cottin, and a 2-year-old colt by Moises Has. The 2nd dam, Iroquoise II (Dom Pasquini), also won a couple of cross-country races for the Cottin family.

History

When, in 1941, the Société des Steeple-Chases de France decided to create a special race card for 4-year-olds, the name Duc d'Anjou was given to an important steeplechase reserved for Auteuil early in the season. Why Duc d'Anjou? Simply because, in 1932, he had been the last 4-year-old winner of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, which, from then on, was closed to younger competitors.

The race is now the first steeplechase of the Parisian season for 4-year-olds on their way to a tilt at the Ferdinand Dufaure 4yo Chase (Gr1), the highlight of their season.

The race has been cancelled on two occasions (1948 and 1981).

Duc d'Anjou

Bred at the Vaucresson stud by Victor Duret, Duc d'Anjou (bay sired by Sandy Hook and foaled in 1928 by Dives II by Chambertin) was sold as a yearling at Deauville for 16,000 F to Edouard Wormser, who placed him in the care of George Mitchell. Castrated at age 2, he ran four times in claiming races that autumn without being placed. At the age of 3 and with a new trainer, Daniel Lescalle, Duc d'Anjou scarcely did any better in his first six outings on the flat, which were marked merely by one second-placed finish at Le Mans. In June, he started over the hurdles at Auteuil in the Prix Wild Monarch, finishing unplaced out of nineteen starters, followed by two more sorties at Auteuil, which produced a further failure and a fall. Daniel Lescalle then gave up on Auteuil and, also being a jockey, decided to ride his protégé himself. In six races, three in the provinces and three at Enghien, the duo recorded one victory over the hurdles at Vittel in July and another at Enghien in late October in what was only Duc d'Anjou’s second steeplechase outing. One month later, on 26 November, Edouard Wormser placed Duc d'Anjou up for sale at the Chéri sales in Neuilly, whereupon he was bought for 25,000 F by Léon Tacquet. A former notary from Lens and a real racehorse enthusiast, the latter entrusted him to Maurice Adèle.

At 4, Duc d'Anjou was reunited with Auteuil where, in three weeks ridden by Raymond Trémeau, he proved to be a promising jumper, winning successively over the hurdles on 31 March in a steeplechase on 7 April and then coming fourth in another steeplechase on 14 April despite a major error at the bullfinch. Next, drawn by the 80,000 F on offer to the winner, Duc d'Anjou lined up at Groenendael in Belgium on 1 May to contest and win the Grand Steeple-Chase de Bruxelles (3 miles 2 furlongs). With this still patchy track record, Duc d'Anjou went to post in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris on 19 June. The highest ever number of starters (twenty) and, in particular, his young age did not augur well for him, as no 4-year-old had won the big event for two decades (Ultimatum in 1913), but his hot form still saw him installed as the sixth favourite (12/1). Indeed, it was his sharpness and bravura that brought Duc d'Anjou victory when held up by an error at the hurdle next to the talus, and he fought back manfully to take the lead by a head over Strélitz, who had just overtaken the favourite El Hadjar.

But could such a mammoth effort by a young horse have been Duc d'Anjou’s undoing? Possibly because the rest of his career was decidedly brief, consisting of three races in the autumn of 1932 and then seventeen in the spring of the following four years: 1933 (five), 1934 (three), 1935 (three) and 1936 (six). These twenty jumps races produced two wins and four places, with fourteen finishes out of the placings. The high points of this sad end to his career were, as a 5-year-old, a success in April in a steeplechase at Auteuil and a second win in May in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Bruxelles ahead of the excellent Yarlas. At 6, a third attempt at the top Belgian race resulted only in a fourth-place finish, while in his final race on 26 June 1936, Duc d'Anjou finished last of the six starters in the Prix Newmarket. Six months later, his owner, Léon Tacquet, passed away.

Incidentally, after the fatal fall suffered by Jean Luc at Enghien on 20 May 1933, Léon Tacquet commissioned a picture from André Marchand showing him wearing his colours (dark red jersey, an old gold cross of St Andrew, black cap), as it was he who had ridden Duc d'Anjou in his victory in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Bruxelles in 1932. This work was presented as a gift by Léon Tacquet to the Société des Steeple-Chases de France.

Owners

• Mrs Patrick Papot (3 wins): Rubi Ball (2009), Saint Palois (2012), Losange Vert (2021).
• Henry de Blonay (2 wins): Blaps (1962), Ramage (1967).
• Daniel Wildenstein (2 wins): Paiute (1977), MarathonDancer (1982).
• Jean Dasque (2 wins): Tito l’Effronté (1989), Kesteven (1992).
• Jean-Paul Sénéchal (2 wins): Lutin Ville (2003), Le Tranquille (2011).
• M.L. Bloodstock Ltd (2 wins): Playing (2007), Laskaline (2013).
• Magalen Bryant (2 wins): Laterano (2014), Whetstone (2018).
• Jacques Détré (2 wins): Santa Bamba (2008), Buddy Banks (2016).

Trainers

• Guillaume Macaire (10 wins): Parika (1994), Positron (1995), Dom Paris (1999), Tango Royal (2000), Balko (2005), Santa Bamba (2008), Buddy Banks (2016), Edward d'Argent (2017), Whetstone (2018), Goliath du Berlais (2019).
• Jacques Ortet (7 wins): Kizitca (1996), Nousha (1998), Line As (2001), Escort Boy (2002), Rubi Ball (2009), Saint Palois (2012), Laterano (2014).
• André Adèle (5 wins): Blaps (1962), Spirou (1963), Ramage (1967), Carabas (1970), Fortfion (1973).
• Guy Cherel (4 wins): Odeillo du Mathan (2006), Playing (2007), Kriss William (2010), Laskaline (2013).
• Georges Pelat (3 wins): Bosnap (1959), Paiute (1977) & Svinesund (1978).
• Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé (3 wins) : Cyrlight (2004), King Edward (2020), Latino des Isles (2022).
• Henri Gleizes (2 wins): Orcada (1944), God Keep You (1951).
• Jean Sens (2 wins): Le Capolin (1945), Voladero (1965).
• Noël Pelat (2 wins): Royal Aeton (1950), Tina II (1964).
• Jean Doumen (2 wins): Spinoza (1952), Le Titien (1961).
• Marcel Plaine (2 wins): Quel Gosse (1960), Le Val d’Or (1971).
• Jean Dasque (2 wins): Tito l’Effronté (1989), Kesteven (1992).
• David Cottin (2 wins) : Juntos Ganamos (2023), Karre d'As (2024).

Riders

• Christophe Pieux (6 wins): Kizitca (1996), Nousha (1998), Line As (2001), Escort Boy (2002), Lutin Ville (2003), Rubi Ball (2009).
• Philippe Sourzac (4 wins): Parika (1994), Positron (1995), Dom Paris (1999), Cyrlight (2004).
• Cyrille Gombeau (3 wins): Luzcadou (1997), Odeillo du Mathan (2006), Laskaline (2013).
• Bertrand Lestrade (3 wins): Whetstone (2018), Goliath du Berlais (2019), Losange Vert (2021).
• Henri Gleizes (2 wins): Livingstone (1942), Orcada (1944).
• Jean-Paul Ciravegna (2 wins): Ramage (1967), Fortfion (1973).
• Denis Leblond (2 wins): Marathon Dancer (1982), Alcodor (1984).
• Cyrille Gombeau (2 wins): Luzcadou (1997), Odeillo du Mathan.
• Jacques Ricou (2 wins): Balko (2005), Santa Bamba (2008).
• David Cottin (2 wins): Saint Palois (2012), Laterano (2014).