France’s biggest steeplechase once again proved impregnable to Irish raiders as local star Rosario Baron landed the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil on Sunday.
Over a bumper Grade One weekend at the renowned Paris circuit, it was left to Gala Marceau to score for the Irish on Sunday as Willie Mullins’s second string easily landed France’s version of the Triumph Hurdle, the Prix Alain du Breil.
Danny Mullins guided Gala Marceau to success from the local favourite Losange Blue with Paul Townend’s mount Zarak The Brave in third.
It was a third win in the race for Ireland’s champion trainer but he was again out of luck in Sunday’s feature.
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Ridden by veteran local jockey Johnny Charron, the 9-1 Rosario Baron got the better of a close finish with Gex in the €900,000 highlight.
Once again, hopes of a first Irish success in France’s version of the Gold Cup since Troytown in 1919 were dashed.
Emmet Mullins’s 2022 Aintree National winner Noble Yeats never looked happy facing the “Grand-Steep” challenge and dropped back to last at half-way before running on in the closing stages to finish seventh.
Willie Mullins’s Franco De Port, third last year, briefly shaped like a challenger but started to struggle before the straight and faded to finish a place behind Noble Yeats. Mullins’s other hope, Carefully Selected, was pulled up early in the race while Rachael Blackmore was last of the 11 finishers on local horse Gessy Raiselle.
It was back-to-back wins in the race for Charron following his success in 2022 aboard Sel Jem and the 44-year-old, who attracted criticism for his Stayers Hurdle ride on Gold Tweet in March, was in tears afterwards.
Make it three G1 Prix Alain-du-Breil's (🇫🇷 Triumph Hurdle) for Willie Mullins🏆
— William Hill Racing (@WillHillRacing) May 21, 2023
✅ Diakali (2013)
✅ Footpad (2016)
🆕 Gala Marceau (2023) pic.twitter.com/EdPITZKxoi
With a massive Irish team failing to strike in Saturday’s French Champion Hurdle won by Theleme, it came down to the “Breil” for the visitors and Gala Marceau didn’t disappoint.
The filly, who beat Lossiemouth at the Dublin Racing Festival, and was runner-up to her in the Triumph at Cheltenham, ran out an easy winner on a track at which she won last year before joining Mullins.
He described her performance as a “revelation” and added: “I said to Danny going out, ‘just settle her, just have her coming home for me’ and it took about three-quarters of a mile to get her settled.
Once she did, then he just kept counting down the furlongs.
“I think she took over after the second last and the race was over then at that stage. A big improvement for her and a notable scalp too because there was a lot of confidence behind Losange Bleu so we’re very pleased,” said Mullins.
Danny Mullins added: “This is the last big weekend of the jumps’ season and we came down to the wire on my last ride. But the mare has been very good to me all through the season at home, ran very well in Cheltenham and she come here and got her reward for showing how tough she is and she can battle and stayed well today.”
Necessitate at Roscommon
Roscommon hosts a flat programme on Monday where the strength of Donnacha O’Brien’s two-year-old team could be advertised again by the newcomer, Necessitate.
His brother Joseph supplies an interesting contender for a later maiden where Gimme Shelter, a brother to the 2020 Gallinule winner Crossfire Hurricane, makes his first start of the season.
Magnetic North can be tough to predict but he won well at Leopardstown on Friday evening and in such form, he could be up to defying a 7lb penalty in the finale.
