29 November 2020
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, November 29, 2020, Auteuil. - Winner six weeks earlier of the €570,000 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1), after a three-month absence and a fall at Compiègne, Docteur de Ballon (Doctor Dino) won the 134th edition of the €360,000 La Haye Housselin Chase (Gr1) in the end of a breathtaking sprint. 23 years after the same double achieved by Al Capone II, seven-time winner of the event to which this edition paid tribute, the 8-year-old gelding bred in the West of France by his owners Monique and Robert Gasche-Luc has revived old memories of the Al Capone, a little jumper always cautious on the Auteuil biggest fences, but able to sprint to the post when his rivals were getting desperate for a breather.
At the end of a 3m3 1/2f trip led by Cobra de Larre (Discover d´Auteuil), Docteur de Ballon was still sixth to jump the double barrier, the penultimate obstacle of the race. At that point, the 5-year-old Feu Follet (Kapgarde) who had taken over in the final turn seemed in the best position to win, even though he was under pressure as his main rival in this promotion, Figuero (Yeats), was looming wide. At the last hurdle, Docteur de Ballon seemed too far to catch the leaders, but the Luisa Carberry-trained bay gathered himself to sprint and he managed, after an impressive effort, to join a brave Feu Follet, passed by a length and a half in the last fifty yards, while Figuero was staying on well in third, beaten by a neck. The two horses had just taken the same places in the Grand Steeple, but in reverse order. A third 5-year-old, Bébé d´Or (Poliglote), finished fourth, at eleven lengths.
Docteur de Ballon is the 26th horse to win the two biggest chases of the French program.
Docteur de Ballon's dam, Nile Breeze (Phantom Breeze), ran 65 times from 3 to 9 years old, won 7 races over jumps, including two chases run at Enghien. Docteur de Ballon is the first of her four foals to date, two of which have won. A 4-year-old Barastraight filly is in training with Louisa Carberry but she has failed five times over hurdles - she was pulled up on October 2 at Nantes ...
Going back further, we find a second dam, Nile Turgeon (Turgeon), co-bred by the Gasche-Lucs and winner at Auteuil for her hurdling debut in March at 4, out of the Wildenstein homebred Nile Palace (Crystal Palace), the second dam in particular of Scarlet Row (Turgeon, the same crossing as Nile Turgeon), a second in the Maurice Gillois 4yo Chase (Gr1) who also gave birth to the champion chaser Politologue (Poliglote).