1 March 2020
Photo scoopdyga.com
The two 5yo mares starting in the Juigné Hurdle (Gr3), on Sunday at Auteuil on heavy ground, dominated their elder foes whom they were facing for the first time. The favourite L’Autonomie (Blue Brésil), winner last year of the Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle (Gr1), won by six lengths after leading from the start. She extended her lead in the backstretch, took a long breather in the final bend and even looked under pressure two out, but took off again in the run-in to win easily. Her Renaud du Vivier Hurdle second Cotée Sud (Lord du Sud) finished well again in second, over 7 lengths ahead of the best aged-horse, Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy).
Owned and bred by Catherine Coiffier, L'Autonomie is well en course to seize the French hurdlers' crown, like her stablemate at François Nicolle's, De Bon Cœur, retired last year after following pretty much the same path.
L’Autonomie is out of L’Automne (Kahyasi), winner of a single flat race in 18 attempts and claimed € 12,000 by Catherine Coiffier after finishing seventh for her last public appearance. Her dam L'Authie (Linamix), a sister of the Prix Royal-Oak (Gr1) 3rd Cléty (Sillery), finished third of the Prix Renaud du Vivier Hurdle (Gr1) and notably gave La Canche (Le Havre), a Listed-placed over the flat.
After L’Autonomie, L’Automne gave two Diamond Boy colts. The elder, now a gelding, was sold for € 30,000 to John Daniel Moore at Arqana Summer sales in 2018.
The next top hurdling events on the Parisian racecourse are the €120,000 Hypothese Hurdle (Gr3), over 2m3½f on March 22, the €155,000 Léon Rambaud Hurdle (Gr2), over 2m4 ½f on April 19, before the championship in the €350,000 Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil (Gr1), on May 16 over 3m1½f.
Another 5-year-old tackling the old guard for the first time on Sunday, Figuero (Yeats) won convincingly the Jean Doumen Hurdle for owner Jacques Détré, associated with his trainer François Nicolle and the breeder of the AQPS, Thierry Cyprès. A winner last Autumn of the Maurice Gillois 4yo Chase (Gr1), he waited this time for the last hurdle to take over the front-tunning Achour (Limnos), a brave second.
Trained by Isabelle Gallorini at Royan for Gold and Blue, 5yo gelding Toutezibure (Solon) took the lead in the backstretch in the Rohan Beginners Hurdle, for 4yo and more horses, and he bravely stayed on to win for his second race, 611 days after his debut 9th in a Clairefontaine maiden. He's a full brother to Solonder (Solon), who also won over Auteuil hurdles for the same connections in 2018.