ENGLISH TEXTS
English type handling of this gangly youngster who didn’ t win his first race until his season debut in a handicap as a five-year-old in March on his sixth start. Her steady and patience approach was proved right again as he then made his chasing debut two starts later at Auteuil and I was lucky enough to ask her how she mapped out his career there on after.” the feeling he gave us even when he was young was that he was going to be a real staying chaser, it just so happened he was good enough and had enough ability to win over hurdles first but we always felt he’ d be better over further which we now know to be true. After his chasing win, we aimed him at the Prix Fondeur a very good listed chased for 5-year old’ s in the autumn. But if I’ d have known now back then I wouldn’ t have done that as he was just too weak to run over that trip. He would travel and jump really really well but not really finish out that strongly over the 4,400 meters which left us, not disappointed because he was trying his best but a bit bemused on what to do.” A return for Carberry’ s star to the shorter trip showed just how much ability he had as he romped to a twelvelength victory in a quinte off top weight on heavy ground resulting in a five kilogram rise in the handicap. What followed was a season racing at France’ s other premier jumps track Compiegne which allowed him to race at more of the intermediate trip and grow into himself.“ You wouldn’ t believe me, but he grew 5 centimeters from five to six, so he was now fully grown at 18 hands but still quite weak and he needed that year to build up his stamina and use his speed which he’ d always had and jumping ability. It did him the world of good going for those races and he did very well result in a win in their Grand steeple chase.” This was evidence and further proof that they had a very good horse, so much so that he got an entry in to the King George at Kempton, but it still wasn’ t clear if he was the true stayer, they thought he was.“ We decided after that win to send him for the George Courtois afterwards and it cemented what we had always believed really as he won it giving four kilos in heavy ground to a very good and solid yard stick in Eddy de Balme who had danced every dance and had been third in a grade 1.” With Compiegne conquered as a 6-year-old, all eyes were on the grand steeple chase de Paris but 2023 proved a not so straightforward year for who I call the big friendly giant Gran diose as a splint before his prep race and a unwelcomed sickness made him miss the race. A return in the Autumn and a slightly better prep saw him step up in to the unknown in the Haye Jousselin and finish second to Grandeur Nature.” That was an almighty run as he had to do a lot of the donkey work from the front which wouldn’ t be ideal as he is quite an anxious horse and likes company, but he tried his heart out and James gave him a lovely ride”. That was the last time Reveley has sat on the horse in public as Clement Lefevre was given the role of leading jockey to owner Frederic Hinderze.“ James deserved a huge mention and a lot of credit for the success in Gran diose career as he has helped make the horse what he is. Clement then had the task of needing to get to know the horse, so we decided on two races before the Grand steeple, and he progressed lovely and Clement and him started to gel. I remember driving to Auteuil on the day thinking this horse will run absolutely his best today, I just couldn’ t see him running a bad race and whatever the result is this is as good as he is as he was in the form of his life.” Its’ incredible to think that a feeling four and a half years ago before his first ever race told them he was going to be a staying chaser and then on a Sunday in May as an eight-year-old he proved to them that they were right by winning the biggest steeple chase in France. Sometimes sport doesn’ t always work out s you think it might especially with horses and Gran diose career reflects that with some defeats earlier on and a season they probably didn’ t plan to have but they reached the pinnacle of jumps racing and then
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