Vincennes, FR — The summer meeting at the Vincennes track in Paris kicked off on Saturday (August 16) with a real speed fest in the five qualifying races for the classic French age-group races, which will be held in September.
The qualifying races were all run over a distance of 2175 meters – that’s about 1-3/8 miles – with a standing start. Each race had a first prize of 54,000 Euros.
The fastest winner was the 5-year-old Keep Going (sired by Follow You) with his trainer Matthieu Mottier, who won the Prix Louis Jariel in 1.52 (mile rate) ahead of Koctel du Dain (sired by Boccador de Simm) with David Thomain and Krack Time Atout (sired by Face Time Bourbon) with Franck Nivard. The old race record was 1.53.2, set by Eugenito du Noyer (sired by Saxo de Vandel) in 2019.
Keep Going, who earned 54,000 Euros for the victory, won both the Criterium des 4 Ans and the Criterium Continental last year.
In the Prix Phaeton for 4-year-old colts, Live to Tell (sired by Fifty Kalouma) with Anthony Barrier won in 1.52.3. Live to Tell is trained by Alexandre Buisson, and the winning time was not only a new race record (Idao de Tillard held the old one with 1.53.1) but also a French record – previously held by Feliciano with 1.53.
In the Prix Paul Leguerney for 4-year-old fillies, there was no wavering from the big favorite Lisa Josselyn (Ready Cash) with Jean Michel Bazire, who won comfortably in 1.54. Lisa Josselyn is the daughter of Prix d’Amerique winner Belina Josselyn.
In the Prix Reine du Corta for 3-year-old fillies, Phillippe Allaire-trained Magic Night (Helgafell) with Paul-Phillipe Ploquin won in 1.54.3, and finally, the race for 3-year-old colts, Prix Abel Bassigny, was won by the outsider Mystic Somato (Village Mystic) with Franck Nivard in 1.54.4.
In Sweden, Saturday’s main event was the Aaby Store Prize, which had a first prize of no less than 1.5 million SEK – or $155,000.
Despite the fine purse, the field was largely comparable to an ordinary Gold Division race in V75 on Saturdays.
The winner, the 5-year-old Immortal Doc (sired by Brillantissime) with Björn Goop and trained by Fredrik Wallin, won comfortably even though he was parke outside the leading Kentucky River with Rikard N. Skoglund most of the race.