Irish jockey Philip Carberry is gearing up for the prospect of bringing off a remarkable double if Princesse D'Anjou can land tomorrow's French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil.
Carberry, a younger brother of the controversial former champion jockey Paul, has already scooped the most prestigious prize in French jump racing, having won last month's Gold Cup, the Grande Steeple-Chase de Paris, on board Princesse D'Anjou.
But now Carberry is on the verge of securing a little piece of history as the Francois Cottin-trained mare is one of 10 horses who will line up in tomorrow's Grande Course de Haies D'Auteuil.
They include the Irish-trained pair Euro Leader and Strangely Brown, as well Dom D'Orgeval and Lord Sam from Britain, but Carberry's focus is all on the surprise local package who has leaped to the top of French racing tree in the two races her Irish jockey has ridden her.
"The fact she is running in the Champion Hurdle as well shows how versatile she is, and she definitely has a chance of doing something unique," Carberry said yesterday. "I wouldn't be afraid of anything going into the race, as she is very quick and is obviously improving."
Tomorrow's race is worth €320,000, and last month's Gold Cup was worth three times the prizemoney of the Irish Grand National which Carberry won on Point Barrow in April. The spring and summer has turned into a bonanza for the young rider, and the link with the Chantilly-based Cottin has opened a new avenue in Carberry's career.
"I rode two winners for Francois when he was in Ireland for a short time and we kept in touch, which has turned out great for me," Carberry said.
"Dean Gallagher is his first jockey, but he chose to ride something else on the first day I rode Princesse D'Anjou, and the same thing happened for the Gold Cup. It was a surprise she won that day, but the reaction was fantastic. People like Francois Doumen were asking me if I realised what I'd done and I had to say I didn't really. The last jockey to win it, who hadn't been based in France, was Fred Winter in 1963.
"The Champion Hurdle is a very prestigious race as well and I like going over there. Popping to France or England is no big thing nowadays, and it's nice to experience something different.
"The Gold Cup fences were all different sizes, but the hurdles over there are like small steeplechase fences and they're all the same. They should be fine for my horse and I'm looking forward to it," he added.
Gallagher will be on the English hope Dom D'Orgeval in the big race, which is run over three miles and a furlong, while Euro Leader will be the mount of Ruby Walsh. Strangely Brown, who landed the French version of the Triumph Hurdle at Auteuil last year, will be ridden by Robbie Power.
Willie Mullins has also finalised his jockey arrangements for the Prix Alain du Breil, Auteuil's Triumph Hurdle, with Ruby Walsh teaming up with Mister Hight. Mick Fitzgerald will again ride the Punchestown victor Quatre Heures, while Gallagher will be on board Clear Riposte.
An otherwise ordinary Navan jumps card this evening is distinguished by the return to action of Paul Carberry, who has four rides for the champion trainer Noel Meade.
Carberry hasn't ridden since the first day of the Punchestown festival in April when a leg injury he picked up at Aintree flared up. In the interim, he attracted widespread headlines after receiving a jail sentence for setting a newspaper on fire on a plane last October. The 32-year-old is appealing the sentence and is permitted to ride by the Turf Club.
It should be a profitable return, with Yarra Maguire looking a decent prospect in the first handicap hurdle. This one was unlucky at Listowel last week when stumbling and exiting at the second last in the race won by Zamnah.
Carberry's mount in the chase, Foreign Seas, could handle the ground better than Manjoe, but More Rainbows' jumping might come unstuck in the novice against the Kilbeggan winner Sorry Al.
