11 November 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Saturday, November 11, 2023, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). – The titleholder in the €390,000 Prix Serge Landon – Grand Prix d’Automne Hurdle (Gr1), the 6-year-old Thélème (Sidestep), was favourite at 3/10 to retain his crown. The race was led by Ine Anjou (Balko) and La Chenevière (Montmartre), with the representative of JDG Bloodstock Services just behind. Midway down the back straight, La Chenevière fell, leaving Ine Anjou alone to contend with Thélème, who had drawn alongside to negotiate the final turn, with the 5-year-old Vae Patron (Manduro) trailing them. Bravely, Ine Anjou would offer a stout challenge until the last hurdle. Still, the favourite inexorably pulled away to win with ease by ten lengths, with Ine Anjou never threatened for the second place by Vae Patron, who finished third, four lengths behind.
This was Thélème’s fifth Group 1 victory.
JDG Bloodstock Services, the owner of Thélème, represents the heirs of James Gordon. Thélème had been presented as a yearling at the Osarus sales in 2018, where he was bought back for €3,000. He is out of Utopia Jem (Okawango), a mare sold for €5,000 in December 2019 at Deauville, whose fifth foal, a Whipper filly born in 2021, was sold for €15,000 in December 2022 at Deauville to BLM Bloodstock, that is Bertrand Le Métayer, representing JDG Bloodstock.
Utopia Jem was privately sold for €80,000 to Cava Associates at the Arqana Autumn sales on November 17, 2022, in foal to Goliath du Berlais (a filly was born in Maine-et-Loire in April, declared by the Irish farm Grangeclare Stud), while her colt weanling by Doctor Dino was purchased for €160,000 by Bridge Consignment Ltd.