The 1.1/1 favorite Belina Josselyn (8f Love You-Lezira Josselyn), with trainer Jean Michel Bazire aboard, bravely won today’s Gr. I UET Masters Series Grand Prix de Paris (purse 350,000€, 4150 meters, 11 starters) at Paris-Vincennes on a clear sunny day before a great audience.
Bahia Quesnot, Looking Superb and Tessy d’Ete were in the top spots for the first half of the race with Looking Superb on the front with 1500 meters to go. Then veteran Valko Jenilat made a strong move into contention forcing Belina Josselyn out of fourth position and she surged forward leaving Valko Jenilat three wide in the final turn.
Belina then engaged and move past stablemate Looking Superb in the upper stretch under strong Bazire urging.
She drew ahead by three lengths and then held by a length on the line ahead of fast closing Tony Gio (7m Varenne-Ilaria Jet) handled by Christophe Martens that was off at 28.5/1.
Carat Williams (7m Prodigious-Miss Williams) also rallied strongly late in the lane to be three lengths back in third at 10.4/1 with David Thomain up.
Belina Josselyn won for the 21 st time in her 65-race career with life earnings advancing to 2,284,930€. Race time was 1.13.9kr, well of the 1.13.5kr race record of Up And Quick in 2015.
Belina also won the Prix d’Amerique and completed the double last done in 2017 by Bold Eagle. The fractions were steady throughout (1.14.9kr at 1500 to go; 1.14.3kr at the 1000 and 1.14kr with 500 meters remaining). Cash Gamble. Tessy d’Ete, Looking Superb and Bahia Quesnot
earned the fourth through seventh checks.
by Thomas H. Hicks, for Harnesslink