Today’s Paris-Vincennes program was highlighted by two groupe level contests. The first was the Prix Pierre Gamare (Gr. II, monte, purse 100,000€, 2700 meters for three-year olds).
Here the 10/1 odds Gainsborough (3m Bird Parker-Redemption Song) sat patiently in the pocket for jockey Yoann Lebourgeois before emerging late for the 1.15.6kr timed length victory over 6/10 favorite Gala Tejy (3m Atlas de Judes).
Gala was in this event off four straight wins and Paul Pierre Ploquin had this Christophe Chalon trainee on the front from the start until late stretch. The 21/1 Gaia du Pont (3f Memphis du Rib) was a game third with Eric Raffin in the irons for owner/trainer Franck Bombot. The longshot race winner, trained by Romain Derieux for owner Jan Stins, scored only his third career victory in 14 starts while increasing his life earnings to 100,220€.
The Gr. II Prix de Provence (Gr. III, purse 74,000€, 2700 meters voltstart for European five and six year olds) saw the well-bred 4/1 odds Classic Connection (5m Love You-Crys Dream) score timed in 1.13kr for breeder/owner/pilot Jean-Pierre Dubois.
Classic Connection patiently worked his way to the front in front of the grandstand, yielded to 1.3/1 favorite Jerry Mom (6m Ready Cash-Graziella) reined by Eric Raffin, and then rolled from the pocket off the final turn to an eventual three length victory.
Classic Connection won for the fourth time in his last ten starts, now for 255,120€ in life earnings. The 39/1 Aron The Baron (7g Vasterbro Prestige-Gossip Gal) was second for Yoann Lebourgeois, trainer Tomas Malmqvist and owner Stall Panamera Racing. Third was 21/1 Cocktail Julino (7g Pagalor) with Matthieu Abrivard up. Jerry Mom held fourth and fifth was 83/1 Discours Joyeux (6m Goetmals Wood).
by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink