The Questarabad 4yo Hurdle Race History

June, Auteuil

Questarabad 4yo Hurdle Race

Group 3, 4-year-olds, Hurdle race, 3,900m/2m 4 1/2 furlongs, €84,000

Created in 1970, as Prix de Longchamp

Last winner: James du Berlais (g4, FRA by Muhtathir ex King's Daughter, by King's Theatre), owned by Simon Munir & Isaac Souede, bred by Jean-Marc Lucas, trained by Robert Collet, ridden by Ludovic Philipperon.

The race is run in 2021 for the 51st time

The 2020 edition

Monday, July 13, 2020, Auteuil. - A top 4yo hurdling contest at Auteuil, the Questarabad 4yo Hurdle Race (Gr3) closes the season before the summer break on the Parisian obstacles. This 2020 edition proved quite heated as three, then two of the favourites were still going well in the latter stages. Finally, James du Berlais (Muhtathir) took 2.5 lengths over Galleo Conti (Poliglote), who was running his first group race, his third hurdle race, and had only run once over the flat this season.

Always well placed and with the first two at the 2nd last jump and the only filly in the field, Seduction (Evasive) secured the third place twelve lengths behind the first two home.

Galleo Conti led the whole race, pushed by Born to Hold (Born to Sea), who then gave in and lost his first hurdle race for his fourth attempt.

Bred in the Vienne by Jean-Marc Lucas, James du Berlais had just taken the second place in the Alain du Breil 4yo Hurdle Race (Gr1) at Compiègne, being only beaten by For Fun. He had earlier needed a few races to find his bearings, took second place in a Listed race at Auteuil, and won after that in the valuable Fifrelet 3yo Hurdle (L). Second for his return in 2020, he easily won a handicap afterwards and was directly geared towards the Alain du Breil by his trainer Robert Collet, racing from then on for English owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, who have now won four of the last five editions of this race!

James du Berlais is a brother of the champion and young sire Goliath du Berlais (Saint des Saints). Their 3-year-old sister Queen of Berlais (Muhtathir) is in training with David Cottin and she has recently finished fourth in the Haras d'Etreham Sagan 3yo Fillies Hurdle (Gr3). A 2-year-old and a yearling by Saint des Saints follow.

History

To honour the memory of Questarabad, a champion over the hurdles at Auteuil, an important race was named after him in 2013: the former Prix de Longchamp, which was run in preparation for the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil.

A Prix de Longchamp Hurdle race was held at Auteuil as far back as 1883 when the Société des Steeple-Chases (jumps racing’s governing body) wished to demonstrate its solidarity with the Société d'Encouragement (its flat racing counterpart) that had run the neighbouring Longchamp Racecourse since 1857.

However, the Prix de Longchamp, which until 2012 featured on Auteuil’s spring card, has a different origin. In 1961, when 4 year-olds were excluded from the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil, a race was created for them with the title of the Grande Course de Haies des 4 Ans which, in 1986, would become the Prix Alain du Breil contested on the same day as the Grand Steeple. By way of preparation for this important event, the 4 year-olds had the Prix de Chantilly in late May (at the start of Auteuil’s summer meeting), an event open to both colts and fillies. When an abundance of entries (twenty-one) in 1970 required the competitors to be split into two groups, the decision was made to separate the sexes. Consequently, the Prix de Chantilly was allocated to the fillies, while the colts were assigned to a new event christened the Prix de Longchamp. So it remained until 1977, whereupon the Prix de Chantilly was scrapped and the colts and fillies ended up facing each other in the Prix de Longchamp, made a mixed event to serve as the last trial before the Prix Alain du Breil. In 2018, it was moved after the Alain du Breil and became a last chance for the best 4yo hurdlers to compete in the Summer at Auteuil.

Questarabad

Questarabad was one of the most talented horses to soar over the hurdles at Auteuil in the last two decades. Ardent racing fans admired the fluidity of his jump, which was a rare quality in such a tall horse. Bred by Jean-François Colas, Questarabad was born on 8th May 2004 in Nérondes, in the Cher department. On the family’s Terres Noires estate, the breeder succeeded in producing a champion from a Selle Français dam, Miss des Terres Noires, by crossing its descendants with French stallions that were known to produce good hurdlers: Mont Basile, Royal Charter and Astarabad successively.

An A.Q.P.S. (“other than thoroughbred”) halfbred, Questarabad was trained by Marcel Rolland and made his debut as a three-year-old in the autumn at Fontainebleau in a race for gentlemen-riders, which he won with ease. Following this victory, he was bought by Mme Roger Polani, who joined forces with Philippe Goutmann and his trainer. At the end of November, again at Fontainebleau, Questarabad galloped to victory six lengths clear of the field in the Prix Jacques de Vienne, the main event for A.Q.P.S horses.

As of 2nd February 2008, the date he made his debut at Auteuil, Questarabad focused his talents on hurdles, racing on just one racecourse and with one jockey – youngster Régis Schmidlin, who was born in 1985 – until his accident on 25th April 2011, which led to the horse’s death soon afterwards on 4th May. During his career, he ran in twenty-four races and won fifteen, was placed in nine and pocketed 1,519,290 Euros for his owners. Out of these fifteen wins, thirteen were group races, including four Group 1: the Prix Renaud du Vivier as a 4-year-old; the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil and the Grand Prix d’Automne as a 5-year-old; the Grand Prix d’Automne for a second time as a 6-year-old, and the Prix Léon Rambaud as a 7-year-old. In this final race, just after the last hurdle Questarabad shortened his stride and was overtaken by another horse. He bravely clung on to second place but, once past the post, his jockey pulled him up and unsaddled him. The vets diagnosed a fractured cannon bone. Questarabad underwent an operation during which he was fitted with a metal plate and seventeen screws, but he broke his plaster cast in the clinic and had to be put down on 4th May.

Questarabad and Alain du Breil

16 horses managed to win both the Questarabad and the Alain du Breil championship. They are Dom Helion (1974), Beau Dad (1976), Teofilo Ottoni (1979), Video Tape (1982), Noellibre (1986), Marly River (1987), Kadalko (1992), Cagney (1993), Villez (1996), Lina Drop (2006), Rendons Grâce (2009), Salder Roque (2010), Roll On Has (2014), Blue Dragon (2015), Footpad (2016) and Prince Ali (2017).  

Owners

• Wildenstein Family (4 wins): Video Tape (1982), Bleu Roi (1990), Villez (1996) for Daniel, Nom d’une Pipe (2001) for Sylvia.
• Simon Munir & Isaac Souede (4 wins): Footpad (2016), Prince Ali (2017), Master Dino (2018), James du Berlais (2020).
• Magalen Bryant (2 wins): Salder Roque (2010), Blue Dragon (2015).

Trainers

• Jean-Paul Gallorini (6 wins): Isabey (1988), Bleu Roi (1990), Villez (1996), Nom d’une Pipe (2001), Ceasar’s Palace (2011), Roll On Has (2014).
• Willie Mullins (4 wins): J’Y Vole (2007), Hurricane Fly (2008), Blood Cotil (2013), Footpad (2014).
• Guillaume Macaire (4 wins): Saint des Saints (2002), Esmondo (2012), Prince Ali (2017), Master Dino (2018).
• Guy Chérel (3 wins): Rendons Grâce (2009), Salder Roque (2010), Blue Dragon (2015).

Riders

• Cyrille Gombeau (4 wins): Topkar (1994), Royale Athenia (2005), Rendons Grâce (2009), Salder Roque (2010).
• Christophe Aubert (2 wins): Discover d’Auteuil (1995), Villez (1996).
• Thierry Majorcryk (2 wins): Nom d’une Pipe (2001), Ceasar’s Palace (2011).
• Ruby Walsh (2 wins): Hurricane Fly (2008), Footpad (2014).
• Vincent Cheminaud (2 wins): Roll On Has (2014), Blue Dragon (2015).