ENGLISH TEXTS
dam the time before. The unknown quantity in the race was the 5-year-old by Masked Marvel, Kif Kif Bourricot. Supplemented for the race he was having his first start for Gabrial leenders in a Grade three steeple chase and it was proved a great choice by his young trainer as he won going away by three and a half lengths to Kaadam who was carrying 4 kilos more. Kif Kif Bourricot certainly deserved his chance in a race of this caliber having won his previous three steeple chases, one at Auteuil leaving former listed winner King Conti in his trail and two at Pau. It was his final win of the three at Pau that made you step back and think this could be a lot better than your average horse as he tackled the 4,700m trip with easy on heavy ground beating Rosario baron by over 6 lengths. However, the performance he produced at Auteuil when taking the scalp of kadam all be it on his reappearance, must have had connections dreaming of the big day on the third Sunday in May. The jockey, former champion Felix de Giles couldn’ t help but show his delight for winning the race and spoke very honestly about the horse being a big young horse still both mentally and physically and he is still learning every time he goes out and races. You could see that as De Giles had him second last out of the six runners that went to post, he was determined to get him to switch off and get into a rhythm over the bigger obstacles. With the least amount of experience from the six runners these would be the biggest obstacles he would have ever faced. With a circuit to go he has moved in to second place behind the short priced favorite Kaadam but his jumping remained faultless throughout and sailed over the rail ditch and fence on his first try to quicken clear and win in the style of a good horse. He will certainly be one to watch if he turns up in any of the upcoming prep races. Anyone likes a good build up to the main event. Whether it’ s the opening band before seeing the main event or a new comedy act before the star of the show, it wets the appetites and opens your eyes up to new possibilities. That is what’ s great about these prep races that are now in the Grand steeple chase masters’ series to help single out the stars but also open your eyes to newcomers like Kif Kif Bourricot. All of the grand steeple chase master races are held at Auteuil so with two down there is two to go. First the Prix Murat a grade 2 over 4,400 meters on the 30 th of March so by the time this is published the winner will already have had his name in lights but on entries we could see Kif Kif Bourricot go again, taking on the first winner of the master series Kashdam, returning favorite Goliath du Rheu and two former grade one winners in champion
Rosario Baron and Kolokico who was Emmanuel Clayeux’ s first ever grade one winner. The fourth and final prep race in the grand steeple chase masters’ series is the Prix Ingre a grade 2 steeple chase again over 4,400 meters. It will be on the 26 th of April, just under a month before the Grand steeple chase de Paris on the 18 th of May. Two horses that I will be hoping to show their face in that race and near future are the two gladiators that went head-to-head last year; Grandeur Nature and Gran diose. Grandeur Nature was a worthy advisory taking grade one honors in the 2023 Prix Haye jousselin but 2024 was the year of Gran Diose who took both the Grand steeple chase de Paris by a short head and cemented his champion status by dominating the Haye jousselin with a 5-length demolition job. It is Gran diose where we focus our attention to and deservedly so. This 18-hand giant has been nursed and handled carefully by trainer and regular morning rider Louisa Carberry ever since his debut now 5 years ago in a conditions hurdle at Angers. I remembered it well as I rode in the race and finished a place behind him, so like the jockeys that rode in the two grade one’ s last year I know what his back end looks like. With a focus on the three- and four-yearold careers of French horses, Carberry took a more typical
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