Paris – The big late-summer race day at the Vincennes track in Paris, featuring the three biggest age-group races for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old trotters, drew a record crowd in the beautiful weather.
At one point, officials simply had to close spectator admission because there were more than 20,000 fans on site. And the spectators were treated to top-class harness racing.
The Criterium des 5 Ans, contested over 1 3/4 miles, was won impressively by Lumella Leman with Benoit Robin — an outsider at 20-1 who set a new race record of 1:53.4 (mile rate).
Lumella Leman, sired by Boccador de Simm, became only the 12th mare to win the Criterium des 5 Ans — the previous time it happened was back in 2009.
The Criterium des 4 Ans was also won by an outsider, Moustik la Govelle with Damien Bonné in the sulky. This race was also decided over 1 3/4 miles, with a winning time of 1:55.2 (mile rate). Moustik la Govelle sired by Discours Joyeux.
Another mare scored a victory in the Criterium des 3 Ans, where favorite Nocive du Choquel and with Francois Lagadeuc had to settle for second behind her cropmate Naya d’Eronville sired by Hohneck and with Clement Duvaldestin in the bike, who won this 1 11/16-mile contest in 1:56.2 (mile rate).
In each of the three Criterium races, the total purse was €300,000, with €135,000 going to the winners.