7 March 2021
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, March 7, 2021, Auteuil. - The last six winners of the Juigné Hurdle race (Gr3), the annual start of the best hurdlers at Auteuil, were all five years old, and four of them were 5-year-old mares. Either Galop Marin (Black Sam Bellamy) or Paul's Saga (Martaline) were supposed to break the series, but it was Polirico (Cokoriko), a 6-year-old gelding, who emerged as the undisputed winner. First led by a runaway Tenerife Sea (No Risk At All), the 2m2f-race had not yet fulfilled its mission as they were approaching the 2nd last hurdle. They were still six in contention then. The 5-year-old mare Loradame (Muhtathir) looked like she could take her chance after leading the field, but Polirico, who had always travelled close to her, was on the move. On the other hand, Galop Marin and even Paul's Saga were lagging while Becquarainbow (Tin Horse), the favourite amongst the young ones, was also unable to build any real challenge. More precisely, Polirico was not slowing down because basically, nobody was able to keep up with him, not even a conservatively ridden Paul's Saga who ended up 2nd best at 2.5 lengths, with Loradame a further length down the field.
This win was also a welcome reward for Polirico's gifted rider Gaetan Masure, who had been kept away four months by an injury before this very day at Auteuil.
Bred in Burgundy by Thierry Cyprès, Polirico made his comeback here, like 6 of the entries, after four races at Compiègne, including three chases. An impressive winner of the €200,000 Congress 3yo Chase (Gr2), also second in the €250,000 Alain du Breil 4yo Hurdle race (Gr1) six months later, he unseated his rider the following autumn in the Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle race (Gr1) at the last hurdle. He was still second behind L'Autonomie when it happened. On that day, he was also wearing cheekpieces for the first and so far last time. Unseen a whole year after that, he returned with that odd series at Compiègne, which started with a victory in a modest chase in September and ended with a "pulled-up" over hurdles in November.
However, this time, glimpses of the up-and-coming youngster we discovered three years ago came back into the memory of Auteuil fans, times when he was one of the first offspring of the sire Cokoriko to perform brilliantly at the top level.
Polirico is the second foal out of Polimère (Poliglote), a winner over the flat under the same colours as Polirico's, that of France Galop vice-president Jacques Détré, and then beaten several times in claimers, but never claimed, to finally end her career on a fall at Senonnes for her only attempt over obstacles.
At stud, it was to be a different story. She gave, in addition to Polirico, Villa Navarre (Saint of the Saints), twice a winner over jumps, Polisud (Lord of the South), winner of two hurdle races last Winter at Pau, Villa Florentine (Jeu St Eloi), a Lyon-Parilly chase winner steeple, and finally a colt and a filly by Cokoriko born in 2019 and 2020.