20 March 2021
Photo scoopdyga.com
Saturday, March 20, 2021, Auteuil racecourse (Paris). - A second step on the way to the €820,000 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1) after the €140,000 Prix Robert de Clermont-Tonnerre (Gr3), run on March 1st, the €135,000 Troytown Chase (Gr3) gave potential entries a mean to race on the outer chase course at Auteuil, featuring the greatest obstacle of the Parisian racecourse the rail-ditch-and-fence.
It was also the race picked up by David Cottin, trainer of Ajas (No Risk At All), for a comeback of the Pau Winter Meeting champion, as he won the Grand Prix Chase (Gr3) and finished second later in the top Pau Hurdle race, a Listed race. The market was nevertheless focused on galleo Conti (Poliglote), 2nd in the "Clermont-Tonnerre" while the main danger was supposed to be Figuero (Yeats), even though he'd been away for 111 days.
Third on March 1st, Poly Grandchamp (Poliglote) once again held his ground in the head group, shadowed by Ajas and Lou Buck’s (Buck’s Boum), until the latter lost ground at the rail-ditch-and-fence. The brave leader, trained by François Nicolle, never let go, event when he was joined at the 2nd last jump by Ajas and Galleo Conti. In the end, he would be the last to give way to Ajas, who beat him by less than a length, while Carriacou (Califet) finished well in 3rd at a bit more than a length. Galleo Conti was next at 3.5 lengths, beating a rather disappointing Figuero in fifth.
Next stops on the road to the Grand Steeple are on April 10, for the €210,000 Murat Chase (Gr2), and then the €140,000 Ingré Chase (Gr3), on April 30, the €820,000 Grand Steeple being run on May 23. Other ways lead there too, but these are the main ones.
Ajas had previously made a North European campaign until last spring. Since then, he has finished nine times first and four times second, over both hurdles and fences.
His dam Seraglio (Singspiel) won a bumper in Market Rasen before entering stud. She is a sister to several all-weather and hurdle winners.
Ajas's older sister, the only one to date according to the France Galop website, Goddess Frija (Kapgarde), now 8, did not find a buyer last November at Arqana at € 25,000, even though she was in foal to Zarak. She had won at Pau over hurdles and Moulins steeplechasing, and in 2020 gave birth to a colt by… No Risk At All!