The countdown to the Prix d’Amerique is on; will Nuncio face Bold Eagle?
November 18, 2017,by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior Newsroom Correspondent
The countdown is on. The Grand Prix de Bretagne at Vincennes on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 19) is the first of four prep races for the Grand Prix d’Amerique, the biggest trotting event in Europe, to be raced on Jan. 28.
Bold Eagle will try to win the prestigious race for the third time in a row. Only four trotters have managed to accomplish this feat. They are:
Uranie 1926-1928
Roquepine 1966-1968
Bellino II 1975-1977
Ourasi 1986-1988
Bold Eagle is one of 15 trotters who will race in the Prix de Bretagne Sunday afternoon (Nov. 19). He has not raced since he was second to the gelding Aubrion de Gers in the UET Masters Trot final at Vincennes two months ago. As Aubrion du Gers is a gelding, he is not allowed to race in the big Grand Prix races.
Only four foreign trotters will take a chance in the Prix de Bretagne. There are Day or Night In of Sweden, Uza Josselyn of Denmark and Shadow Gar and Olmo Holz of Italy.
And what about Nuncio?
He was pre-entered in the race Monday, but on Wednesday Stefan Melander withdrew him. The final declaration was Thursday at 12 noon.
Only Melander knows if Nuncio is going to continue his racing career or be retired.
Just this week Nuncio underwent a fertility test at Menhammar stud while Melander has been visiting the United States.
The distance in the Prix de Bretagne is the same as in the Prix d’Amerique: 2.700 meters or a 1-11/16 mile with a standing start. The total purse is 120,000 Euros or $142,000.
The top three finishers qualify for the Prix d’Amerique as they will do in the next prep races. The prep races are:
Prix du Bourbonnais on Dec. 12
Prix de Bourgogne on Dec. 31
And Prix de Belgique on Jan. 14
The winners of the Criterium Continental (for 4-year-olds) and the Prix Tenor de Baune (5-year olds) will also earn a spot in the Prix d’Amerique.
A total of 18 trotters can race in the Prix d’Amerique. The preliminary field includes:
1 Day or Night In – Johan Untersteiner
2 Shadow Gar – Pietro Gubellini
3 Uza Josselyn – Alexandre Abrivard
4 Best of Jets – Tony le Beller
5 Charly du Noyer – Yoann Lebourgeois
6 Ave Avis – Matthieu Abrivard
7 Olmo Holz – Christophe Martens
8 Booster Winner – Mathieu Mottier
9 Valko Jenilat – Eric Raffin
10 Belina Josselyn – Jean Michel Bazire
11 Akim du Cap Vert – Franck Anne
12 Bird Parker – Jean Philippe Monclin
13 Billie de Montfort – David Thomain
14 Bold Eagle – Franck Nivard
- Bold Eagle scratched from Grand Prix de Bretagne (Sunday, November 19, 2017)
After two warm-ups prior to the Grand Prix de Bretagne on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 19) at Vincennes in Paris, France, French Triple Crown winner, Bold Eagle, had to be scratched from the race. The 7-year-old stallion still exhibited signs of lameness in his left front hoof after battling an abscess.