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News In Brief of French Racing and Trotting - 16th November 2022.
This week, the News In Brief includes Alpinista, winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), six-year-old stallion King Edward and the first Qualifying race for the 2023 Prix d'Amerique.
Flat
Alpinista, winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), has been retired. Scheduled to next race in the Japan Cup (G1) an injury has led to the immediate retirement of the Champion mare. Owned by Swedish-born Kirsten Rausing, Alpinista's win in the Arc was her sixth successive Group One victory over 2400m. She will be based at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket owned by Rausing. Alpinista retires having won ten of her fifteen starts for a total of £3.3m in prizemoney.
Despite Alpinista not making the journey, France will still be represented with three-year-old Onesto – winner of the Grand Prix de Paris (G1), six-year-old mare Grand Glory – Prix Jean Romanet (G1) victor in 2021 and three-year-old Simca Mille – successor of the Prix Niel (G2). The German invited runner is Tünnes – German St Leger (G3) winner and a half-brother to Torquator Tasso (winner of the 2021 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and third in this year's race).
Jumping
Now a six-year-old King Edward saw his first foals arrive in 2022 receiving a good response from breeders. In 2023, the stallion will stand at Haras des Rouges Terres. King Edward is the first Group winner out of the Montesson line to enter stud in France having won the Prix Duc d'Anjou. He is by top stallion Martaline. Further within in the pedigree Kotkie is the fourth dam. She produced two of the best horses to grace French jumping, namely Kotkijet who was by Cadoudal and Katko by Carmarthen. In the Kotkie line there are nearly thirty black type winners over hurdles, making her the producer of major hurdle races. King Edward is a grandson of Kotkita (by Subotica) and she was a winner of the 2001 Prix Cambacérès (G1) and the dam of Kotkikova (by Martaline) winner of the 2015 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure (G1).
Following development of osteoarthritis, Le Berry has been retired. During his career he was trained by David Cottin and won eleven of his fifteen outings. An authoritative winner of the Prix Finot (L), Le Berry completed his three-year-old season with a fifth in the Prix Georges de Talhouët-Roy (G2). At four he began to shine achieving six starts for six wins including the Prix Orcada, Prix La Périchole (both G3) and the Prix Maurice Gillois - Grand Steeplechase (G1). Le Berry then returned winning the Prix Ingré (G3) targeting the Grand Steeplechase de Paris (G1) but could only manage fifth after having led for the greater portion of the race. His final attempt at G1 level was in the Prix La Haye Jousselin finishing third. This year he won the Prix de Ranville at Compiègne in September when first-up for ten months. His final race was in the Prix Héros XII (G3) running fifth.
Trotting
It was Nathalie Henry's first time in competition at the Marseille-Vivaux racecourse last Monday week. She won in the saddle on Hello de Ligny trained by her brother Yannick. For Nathalie this was her 399th victory. After putting her career on hold from 2015 to devote to her family, she returned to the racetrack in June 2021 with the target of reaching 400 career winners. This was achieved at Vincennes the following day when she won in the saddle on Intrigue Jénilou for trainer Alain Robin.
This Sunday will see the first Qualifying race for the 2023 Prix d'Amerique to be held at Vincennes on Sunday 29 January. The Prix de Bretagne (Gr.2) has received 34 nominations. Etonnant will now make his Winter Meeting debut in the Prix du Bourbonnais (Gr.2) on 10 December, a race he won last year (defeating Face Time Bourbon).