Saint Godefroy keeps marching in

Sunday, February 6, Pont-Long Racecourse (Pau). - With twelve races on the card, including three main events, thousands flocked to the last Sunday meeting of the season at Pau racecourse, and many more were undoubtedly following the events unfold on their Equidia TV screens. The show kept its promises, thanks in particular to the favourite Saint Godefroy (Doctor Dino) classy display in the Grand Cross de Pau Reverdy (L), which he won ahead of his stablemate Otchoa Rouge (Diamond Boy) and Lucky Net Love (Network), beaten by 3.5 and 8.5 lengths respectively.

Trained by Patrice Quinton, Saint Godefroy wears the colours of Maud Quinton and won his sixth consecutive success, the third this season.

Ridden by Félix de Giles, winner of the same event last Winter aboard Uniketat, Saint Godefroy travelled in the leading group throughout the 6,300m/3m of the event, led mainly by one of his main rivals on paper, Blason d 'Or (Nidor). Yet the latter fell on the flat in the final bend while galloping alongside Lucky Net Love - the following inquiry did not affect the finishing order.

Saint Godefroy won his first race for his third outing, chasing et Durtal in November 2019, at 4, after almost a year out. It was his first test on the steeplechase. He immediately confirmed at Pau in the same discipline, then was beaten before taking the fifth place for his only outing at Auteuil, more than 30 lengths behind Doctor Kaleo in the Cousin Pons Chase, in March 2020 over 2m3f, a relatively short distance by French standards. Nine months later, he took part in his first cross country at Pau and finished second, beaten a short head by Grillon d'Estruval. He was never headed again and is now approaching €150,000 in earnings. His dam Astrid Weus (Smadoun), also bred by the Godefroy family, was unraced. Saint Godefroy is her only runner to date, her most recent foal being a gelding by Castle du Berlais, born in 2021.

If Saint Godefroy is a Pau specialist, the 135th Grande Course de Haies de Pau (L) winner Berjou (Holy Roman Emperor) had never run on the course before today. Trained by David Windrif, he had to skip the Grand Prix de la Ville de Nice Chase (Gr3) at Cagnes-sur-Mer due to a foot problem, which resulted in this emergency plan that went pretty smoothly. After looking a little tight outside the field early on, the 8-year-old gelding owned by Christian Trecco, Gerome Salussolia and David Windrif, otherwise bred by Franklin Finance (Gérard Augustin-Normand), was the best finisher in an ultra-competitive last dash, despite his rider Nicolas Gauffenic losing his whip in the heat of the final struggle. He thus beat the leader and favourite Hêtre Rouge (Saddex), who gave in in the very last metres and also lost his place on the podium in favour of Gaboriot (Muhtathir) and Manon des Sources (No Risk at All). The latter also came from Cagnes, where she finished third in the Grand Prix, where Berjou was absent. 8-year-old Berjou is now approaching €650,000 in winnings!

The Prix Antoine de Palaminy 4yo Chase (L) went to the mare Morgan Has (Great Pretender), who dominated from start to finish under for her breeder Hamel Stud and trainer François Nicolle. She had only just managed her successful debut in the discipline, and at Pau, after three unsuccessful hurdle races.

The last meeting of the Pau Winter meeting is due on Wednesday, February 9, with eight jumps races on the card.