Enghien 16/04/10

Historically, Enghien (or Enghien-Soisy as it bills itself in contradiction to almost everyone else) was the prime jumps track in France, until somebody built Auteuil in protest. Ironically, it is now the newer track that has a certain antique charm, whereas Enghien, which stages trotting as well, has been very much brought up to date, and is as pristine and shiny as any track you care to name. Entrance is a whopping 3 Euros (half price for the over-60s), and the main stand hosts a cavernous betting hall for refreshments, France-Galop souvenirs and racing from other meetings. The track layout is typical for French jumping, hurdles and chase courses on a multitude of loops, with the race distance variations dependent on which loops are taken when. Presumably provincially based riders that rarely visit the place simply do not make the running and follow the local experts. And that seemed a good idea on the day, when all seven winners raced fairly prominently for much of the race but only one managed to make all or nearly all of the running. As for the obstacles, some of the hurdles, which are not much smaller than the fences, can be part of the chase course, and there tends to be as many hurdles to jump in a given distance as there as fences as well. The main idiosyncrasy of Enghien however is right in front of the stands. Not only do they have a water jump there, but also the last hurdle. Twenty yards from the winning post. Instead of the world's shortest run-in, they have assembled a team of unemployed lock-keepers who, once the field has crossed that flight, winch it up and pivot it round to become part of the running rail.

The fence and hurdle before the stands. It is not an optical illusion, there is not much between them

Another local eccentricity is in the parade ring, where when it is time for the jocks to get on board, they form an orderly queue and jump into the saddle as their horse passes the nominated point. It is not the method that stood out, just the idea of jockeys doing anything in an orderly fashion...

And talking of fashion, there are always those eager to know what attire the stylish Parisien racegoers are sporting this year. Oversize binoculars are popular, as are battered hats that may once have been a trilby. Those pursuing a more radical angle are adding a broken medical crutch and slippers. For those attending the fashion focussed meetings of the summer, you have been informed.

Going: Tres Souple

Race 1: Prix de Bethune, Juvenile Claiming Hurdle [2m 0.5f]

1: Our Prince     2: Tryanon     3: Great Fouquet

Winner owned & trained: Guy Cherel,  ridden: Jean-Christopher Gagnon

This race - E10,560 to the winner - was a challenge for trainers to pitch their runners correctly, with the claiming prices ranging from ten to twenty thousand Euros, and riders with less than 35 winners allowed to claim a very handing 4 kilos (9 pounds). The latter condition meant that only one of the twelve was not claimer ridden, and that horse was on offer at more than 50/1. Picking the winner was not easy, as eleven runners had hurdle experience, but seven had fallen or pulled up last time. Our Prince had completed all three hurdle runs, and was one of the pre-race eyecatchers. He stalked the front running Tryanon most of the way before going on two out and winning with some ease his jour de gloire est arrivee, with the long time leader just clinging on for second. Racing debutant Puma D'Anjou looked well beforehand, but was a little green at times. He ran well until fading from the second last.

Tryanon takes the lock-gate hurdle, from Our Prince and Great Fouquet. The big screen shows that the field is not as spread out as the picture implies.

Race 2: Prix Acreon, 4 year old fillies Chase [2m 1.5f]

1: Saphina De Kerser     2: Sophonie     3: Sauveterre

Winner owned: Ecurie Des Dunes,  trained: Patrice Quinton,  ridden: Jerome Zuliani

Claiming riders only were able to take off 2 kg in this race, so there were less of them in evidence. The conditions limited it to fillies that had won less than E15,000 in chases, with a kilo of penalty for every E3,500 earned, but they were competing for a handsome prize fund of 48,000 Euros, a fraction less than half going to the winner. Saphina De Kerser was a short priced favourite on the opening show, but gradually eased out to 4/5. That lack of public support did not demoralise her enough to allow for defeat on what looked to be her chase debut, although Sophonie (previously one out of one) gave her quite a scare by not surrendering when headed half a furlong out and Sauveterre was not far behind either. Whilst the winner was clearly in fantastic condition for this race, in terms of raw looks, Sauveterre would no doubt attract a claim or two if ever running down at that level. In fourth was Vineuil, who had pulled up in both her other chases, so therefore deserves a hearty pat on the back for not just finishing, but competing seriously. And picking up a nice E4,560 in doing so.

Sauveterre (4) and Sharianne lead at halfway, narrowly from Daliarose (7) and Suze De Sivola. The stalkers are Vineuil, Sophonie, Saphina De Kerser and Mademoiselle Lino.

Race 3: Prix La Bate, Juvenile Fillies Claiming Hurdle [2m 0.5f]

1: Clea Du Berlais     2: Karstad     3: Smalkie

Winner owned:Jean-Marc Lucas,  trained: Robert Collet,  ridden: Alexis Poirier

Despite the impression given by the runners that are sold to the UK, French racing is not over-run by horses that are Collonges, Du Berlais or De Sivola, but a smattering were on show and this race fell to Clea Du Berlais, the third winning favourite on the spin, and all of them perhaps not as short priced as might have been expected. In this case the clear form edge was because Clea Du Berlais had managed a second whereas the oppo had a less than convincing record of being able to put one foot in front of the other and had completed only 10 of their 22 hurdle starts between them. She won  very comfortably in the end, although there was something likeable about the way that Karstad stayed on into second at the expense of the weakening Smalkie. Darli Girl was also rallying and had every chance of a place when falling two out - an obstacle that proved a bit of a bogey throughout the day.

Race 4: Prix De Manneville, 4 year olds Handicap Chase [2m 1.5f]

1: President Noir     2: Princechouar     3: Turn Next

Winner owned: Claude Cohen, trained: Laurent Postic,  ridden: Sebastien Leloup

With three wins already over fences, Princechouar was the early favourite, showing 4/5 against 9/2 for President Noir, but the money all went one way, and they were about 7/4 and 5/2 by the off. After a couple of errors on the far side of the course, Princechouar looked beaten, but he stuck at the job gamely, whilst President Noir maintained a comfortable edge in front, and managed to extend his lead in the home straight, ambling up the run-in with a suitably Gallic expression of false modesty about him. How to motivate a horse? Put a wolf in the saddle! This was another race where the conditions gave a clue as to the competitors history. Worth E50,000 (24,000/12,000/7,000 for first, second and third), it was open to runners with chase winnings of less than E15,000 in the current year. Those parameters suggested that Princechouar's hat trick had been gained at a significantly lower level, and even after that run of glory he was receiving a couple of kilos from the winner. 

When racing abroad, some things provoke conversations that would have never taken place on a British racecourse, and the presence of Levi Angevin (finished sixth) resulted in consideration of whether twelfth century religious considerations would have permitted any of the Angevin dynasty to have been Jewish. The conclusion was "probably not."

President Noir is where he started and finished - at the front. Scothy Luck (7) and Soir De Lune form the second rank, as Princechouar has a paddle alongside Levi Angevin. Pure Alcohol (2) and Sourire De Chenet both have a bit to work on.

Race 5: Prix Largo, conditional jockeys' Claiming Chase [2m 1f]

1: Cathelie     2: Red Gard     3: Jakiloup

Winner owned: Jerry Planque,  trained: T Trapenard,  ridden: Alain de Chitray

Another winning jolly, and another close run thing, as Cathelie was all out to hold Red Gard at bay. When Red Gard hit the second last, it appeared to have sealed the race for Cathelie, who was travelling much the better, but the runner-up found a lot more under pressure and might have got up had there been a few extra yards. Jakiloup made early errors and tended to jump out to his right, which left him well behind the first two and working hard to cling on to third.

Cathelie heads back to unsaddle, Parkhalkevi trusts her judgement

Race 6: Prix Trembleur, conditional jockeys Claiming Hurdle [2m 1.5f]

1: Samagas     2: Stylish Saint     3: Otrosi

Winner owned: M Boutin,  trained: Y Fouin,  ridden: Jeremy Da Silva

Another claimer in which the form was mostly a judgement of who had been beaten least embarrassingly. Mat Man had won a chase last year, but was making his 2010 debut (ran OK to be fifth at a long price) and Otrosi had won a hurdle this year, only to be beaten twice since. The winner had flat form of 74080 and had pulled up on his only try over hurdles. This did not prevent a facile victory at about 5/1, which implies that this was quite a jump down in grade from the earlier races. Daikoku, in the same ownership as the winner, and obviously named after a place in New Zealand that was a Welsh penal colony, was staying on in a possibly place gaining fashion when he blundered two out and produced a spectacular unseating of the rider. Stylish Saint was listed as owned by Mrs Arthur L Moore, which cannot help but make a connection with the Irish trainer and perhaps her future lies there. The favourite was Vitello, who set off in rear and stayed there on the bridle until the last fifty yards, when he bothered to overtake one opponent. What is French for "not off?"

Race 7: Prix Des Charentes, 4-5 year old fillies & mares Hurdle [2m 1.5f]

1: Myakoda     2: Keep Change     3: Fleche Restee

Winner owned: Jean-Yves Peres, trained: Nicolas Milliere,  ridden: Bastien Bernard

A nice easy sixteen runner race to end with, limited to fillies and mares that had won less than 6,000 Euros in 2010, but offering over 22,000 to the winner, and half that to the runner-up. Comparing the penalty system of a kilo per E3,000 of career hurdle earnings to weights carried suggested that this level of prize money was beyond what most of them hard ever managed. The form hint came from the sixth race as the winner, Myakoda, had gone 0670 on the flat and pulled up on her hurdle debut. The deja vu broke when noticing that instead of 5/1, she was 50/1 plus. The race itself was oddly played out. Keep Change, a three time chase winner, scooted off twenty lengths or more clear, and was still that far ahead on the final bend, despite a bad error at the stands hurdle. Myakoda stayed confidently ridden and adrift having mostly led the peloton, but it did look as if "over confidently" was a better description. After the last, Keep Change was tying up, but only Myakoda came from the pack to challenge, and she led near the line. The others struggled home in a fairly raggedy manner. The favourite, Klyne, fell two out, and might have been able to tag along in Myakoda's slipstream - we shall never know. One correction to emerge from this race was that having thought that jock-in-exile R O'Brien was making a handsome living for himself based on number of rides, the impression was false, as there are in fact two R O'Brien's riding over jumps in France, both Raymonds, and they were fifth and seventh in this. It must make for a fascinating personal rivalry, and on big days do the racegoers sing "Two Ray O'Briens, there are only two Ray O'Briens, two Ray O'Briens?"

And so, the two day extravaganza in France ended, with only one element for suspense left. Having smugly been safely reserved on the Eurostar well in advance of some idiot setting off a volcano in Iceland (the best natural disaster since a trip to Perth & Balcormo Mains resulted in missing the Folkestone earthquake), would the train find the volcanic detritus settling on the line? In a word - No.