Vinncennes, FR — For the first time since 2008, it was a mare that triumphed in the Group 1 race, the Prix de Selection at Vincennes.
The Mottier family’s 4-year-old mare, London, with her trainer Matthieu Mottier in the sulky, won convincingly with a mile rate of 1:55.1 in the classic race, which had a purse for the winner of 108,000 euros.
The Prix de Selection is for four, five, and six-year-old trotters over a distance of 2,200 meters, but the four-year-olds get a 25-meter head start.
The favorite was another Mottier horse, the 5-year-old Keep Going, with Eric Raffin in the sulky, but it had to settle for fourth place.
London is by the relatively unknown stallion Rockefeller Center (sired by Jag de Bellouet), which is standing at stud at Jean Pierre Dubois’s Haras de la Brosse stud farm in Normandy for just 200 euros booking fee and 1,800 euros for a live foal.
Saturday’s program was the last of the winter meeting and also featured two other Group 1 races under saddle.
The Prix Henri Desmontils over 2,850 meters was won by the 8-year-old mare Hirondelle du Rub (sired by Rolling d’Heripre) with Noe Perron, while the Prix des Centaures over 2,200 meters had Jean Balthazar (sired by Alto de Viette) as the winner. Both races had a total purse of 240,000 euros.