Bahia del Circeo takes Prix de Villers Cotterets in Paris

Bahia del Circeo (6f Royal Dream-Grojella Paric) rallied and held to win the Prix de Villers Cotterets (purse 53,000€, 2100 meters autostart, 15 starts all 6-7 years old) at 2.1/1 odds and timed in a quick 1.11.0kr (fractions 1.08.2kr at the 1500 to go mark; 1.10.5lr at the 1000 and 1.11.4kr with 500 meters remaining).

Eric Raffin teamed this Vitale Ciotola trainee for Grancesco Gargiulo as she recorded her eighth win in FR from 16 starts. Her life earnings advanced to 196,783€. Finishing second was 4.2/1 Hamilton du Ham (6g Rachmaninov Seven) with Joann Lebourgeois aboard for Yannick Desmet with third to 4.5/1 Hustia (6f Viking de Val) handled by trainer Matthieu Abrivard fir Bernard Desmontils.

The previous day at Vincennes saw Lizy Josselyn (2f Love You-Cezua Josselyn-Sam Bourbon) win the Prix des Camelias (purse 43,000€, 2700 meters, 11 starters two-year olds) timed in 1.17.8kr with David Thomain driving the 14/1 outsider. Tomas Malmqvist trains the two-time winner in four career starts for Ecurie Hunter Valley. Yvan Bernard bred this filly. Let Me Shine Gio (2f Face Time Bourbon-Each Time-Coktail Jet) was second at 4.2/1 odds with Matthieu Abrivard driving for Sebastien Guarato and Scuderia Bivans Srl the owner/breeder. Little Star Fleury (2f Doberman) was third for Alexis Collette and trainer Hedi Le Bec at 82/1.

The sire of the winner Love You has been retired from the FR Stallion Directory. The top stallion Love You (Coktail Jet) will not be offered in public stud this year. At the age of 24, he will be in an early retirement, his owner Jean-Pierre Dubois will still be able to use his services for his mares depending on the form of the stallion. In the spring, Love You covered 80 mares but had seen his breeding season cut short with a stop of services announced on May 20th. Top player on the racecourses (22 wins and €1,416,537 in earnings this year), Love You has become a top stallion. Twice at the top of the list of sires of winners in France, in 2011 and 2012, he is notably the sire of the champion Bélina Josselyn. He has 1,476 foals registered in France (IFCE data) to which must be added a significant foreign production, including in the southern hemisphere.

For the French stallion directory, click here.

In addition to Europe, Love You and other FR stallions have made a positive impact on trotting in Australia and New Zealand. FR stallion Classic Connection (Love You-Crys Dream) is now standing in AUS. The dam Crys Dream is now in the US at Dubois KY Farm and has a promising Greenshoe colt under the care of Marie Ortolon Barr.

LeTrot, Paris-Vincennes, Haras des Trotteurs files/photos-harness trots

by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink