May 13, 2015 – The Caen harness card today included the Prix Henri Balliere (Gr. II monte, €120,000 purse, 2450 meters, 11 starta cingers after one scratch) that showcased recent double winner Booster Winner (4m Love You-Quille Viretaute), with Eric Raffin up for Sebastien Guarato, trainer. But, this day Booster Winner had little kick after a good in-behind trip that saw him settled third and fourth throughout.
Best of Jets (4m Magnificent Rodney-Plume Jets) rallied strongly off the final bend to score comfortably at 7.6/1 odds clocked in a good 1.12.4kr by two lengths over the 3/5 favorite Booster Winner. Francois Lagadeuc rode the winner for Jean-Michel Baudouin, trainer, with Best of Jets winning for the fourth career time in 25 starts. Third went to Biscuit Delavera (4m Ludo de Castelle-Neva du Rosier) piloted by Clement Frecelle for trainer J-L Bigeon, off at 18/1.
Starters:
Blooma d’Heripre, Franck Nivard
Buckingham Park, Mathieu Abrivard
Bingo Star, Adrien Lamy
Bergame Madrik, Alexandre Abrivard
Bourbon Somolli, David Thomain
Brise de l’Alba, P-Y Verva
Biscuit Delavera, Clement Frecelle
Best of Jets, Francois Lagadeuc
Bocage d’Ortige, Yoann Lebourgeois
Beauty Turgot, Anthony Barrier
Booster Winner, Eric Raffin
The Gr. I monte Saint-Leger des Trotteurs (€150,000 purse, 2450 meters, 13 starters after one scratch) also was featured at Caen. Six were disqualified for miscues but the 4/5 favorite took victory. Che Jenilou (3m Goetmals Wood-Pirogue Jenilou) scored by eight lengths for pilot Eric Raffin, trainer Sebastian Guarato and owner Antonio De Sousa, clocked in 1.15.3kr. The winner recorded career win number four in nine appearances. 17.6/1 Conga (3f Goetmals Wood-See You Soon) was second for Damien Bonne, also trainer, ahead of 22/1 Cargese de Blary (3f Prince d’Espace-Ines de Blary) with Mathieu Abrivard up.
Starters
Camerone, Wilfried Jehanne
Copernic, Antoine Wiels
Caline de Faco, Julien Raffestin
Cosette, P-Y Verva
Concorde, Franck Nivard
Caennaise, Camille Levesque
Conga, Damien Bonne
Cash Phil, Yoann Lebourgeois
Cobra, David Thomain
Captain Lyl, Elisabeth Allaire
Cargese de Blary, Mathieu Abrivard
Colibri Madrik, Adrien Lamy
Corsica, Anne Barthelemy
Che Jenilou, Eric Raffin
This day at Marseille-Borely the Prix de Marignane (€32,000 purse, 2300 meters autostart, 12 starters) went to Truman Dairpet (8g Biesolo-Heloise Poterie) at 5/2 odds for trainer/driver Nicolas Ensch. The 2.7/1 Univers Love (7m Love You-Harazina) was second for trainer/driver Mikael Cormy ahead of 7/2 Tonight Cam (8m Orlando Vici-Nouba Vinoir) with trainer Yannick A. Briand aboard. The winner was clocked in 1.13.3kr.
The Prix de Septemes Les Vallons (€19,000 purse, 2300 meters autostart, eight starters) was clocked in 1.15.9kr by the winner Cloane du Vivier (3f Repeat Love-Royale du Vivier) at 2.8/1 for Nicolas Ensch. This one is trainer by Y-A Briand for well-respected breeder/owner Jean Yves Lecuyer. Second at 1.8/1 was very well-bred Calita Wood (3f Goetmals Wood-Qualita Bourbon) that is owned/bred by Jean Pierre Dubois and reined by trainer Yves Boireau. Trainer Briand drove the third place horse, Cirrus de Banville (3m Rieussec-Perle de Vonnas), off at 5/2 odds.
Thomas H. Hicks