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Malakite was the controversial winner of the 700,000 Euro Group 1 Prix de Cornulier in Paris this afternoon, after the winner by a head, Prince Gede, was dq’d by the stewards, after a 15 minute enquiry, for being too rough-gaited in the straight.
The general view afterwards was that the verdict was extremely harsh, to use a non-libellous expression. I’d tend to agree with that! Judge for yourselves on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GqFsbFQukQ
Malakite was ridden by 23 year old Celine Leclercq, the first female jockey to win this historic race. You’ve really got to feel for Prince Gede’s pilot, Pierre Yves Verva, who had the choice of mounts between the two. How must he be feeling?! No blame was attached to him by PG’s trainer, Thierry Duvaldestin, who felt it was more his fault for opting to run the horse unshod behind. What a gent.
For the record, 9-y-o mare Malakite covered the 2700 metres in 3’18.70’" (kilometre rate 1’13.6") and took her lifetime earnings to over 1 million Euros.
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Why are they running so funny and what surface is that?
I don’t know about the racing – very suspect if you ask me – but I’m certain the commentators were Marcel Johnson et Jeán Hunt
Can you tell us more about this kind of race, Venusian? I know trotting is popular in a lot of places but I thought they always had a trap behind them? Sort of reminded me of that strange gait that Icelandic ponies have; is it called a tolt [sp] or something…and how do they get them to go faster without breaking into a canter?
Can you tell us more about this kind of race, Venusian? I know trotting is popular in a lot of places but I thought they always had a trap behind them? Sort of reminded me of that strange gait that Icelandic ponies have; is it called a tolt [sp] or something…and how do they get them to go faster without breaking into a canter?
The mounted version of the sport is particularly popular in France, although it does take place in other European countries, but to a much lesser extent.
Many trotters race under both disciplines, and a few have done the Cornulier/D’Amerique double, notably Jag De Bellouet. The D’Amerique, the world’s most prestigious harness race, is next Sunday. I don’t know if Malakite is an intended runner.
Just looking at the time of the race, and doing a simple piece of arithmetic, I see it was covered at a faster speed (roughly 30.5 mph) than Master Minded’s race at Ascot yesterday (not intending any offence to that great chaser, of course), albeit carrying a stone less and on a firmer surface! So they go at a serious lick.
Keeping them to the trot is a matter of breeding and training. I’ve heard of the tolt and the Icelandic ponies, but I don’t know anything more!
Mr Wilson, they are trotting. The surface at Vincennes may be cinder-based, but I’m not sure.
I have a cunning plan.. David Pipe should send Lough Derg over.. They would never know he’s galloping
It looks like the horse racing equivalent of walking to me. I prefer to see a thoroughbred in full flight.
Shocking decision by the way!
Personally, I loathe this and harness racing for the same reason. It just looks so cruel to breed and train a horse to have such an unnatural gait.
I’ve watched it twice now and cannot for the life of me work out what the disqualification was about. "Rough-gaited", the winner looked no different to the runner up and this is a trotting race not a hackney horse or pony show wasn’t it.
As I understand it (and that is very limited), either the horse is trotting or gallopping. If it is the latter it is disqualified, if it is the former then where is the problem. Several horses galloped during the race and dropped out. This horse never looked, to me at any rate, to break out of a trot in the straight.
Can’t work that one out at all.
Trotting is not an unnatural gait and the training is not cruel. In terms of keeping on gait, it basically involves repetition and practice. As with NH horses, there’s often a fair amount of interval work.
In general, the horses keep their enthusiasm far longer than thoroughbreds do, and run more often during their careers – I see that Malakite was making her 90th appearance on a racecourse today, about par for a 9-y-o who would probably have started racing as a 3-y-o. I believe the fatality rate is lower than in thoroughbred flat racing.
I looked up D’Amerique and it said that the French do everything they can to make sure a French horse wins it, even if it means limiting the number of foreign horses competing….
I looked up D’Amerique and it said that the French do everything they can to make sure a French horse wins it, even if it means limiting the number of foreign horses competing….
A trifle unfair methinks! I’ve just looked up recent winners and in the last 10 years it’s been won by horses from Sweden, Germany, Italy and America, as well as France.
A lot of ignorant nonesense being spouted on this thread. Good to see that at least Venusian is up to speed. The two Sundays Prix du Cornulier and Prix D’Amerique have more prize money on offer then the four days of Cheltenham. Prix D’Amerique day will draw up to 60000 in attendance and the sport itself is much more popular in France than flat racing. Trotting is more global a sport with a much bigger following than jumps racing, which is very insular. It is not unusual for the horses to rack up 80,90 100 starts in their career. As for being cruel, sheesh, what do you call making horses run around mostly farmland and having to jump fences in between. I’m sure that the fatalities that occur in jumps racing in one year would take a decade or more to match up in harness racing. As for the French trying to keep foreign competition out you must be confusing them with the JRA. If your earnings qualify you, you are always welcome to take part. The list of foreign winners in the last 15 years is varied ranging from Germany to Italy, Sweden and the US. One of my most intense pleasures in horse racing was watching live what I consider to be one of the greatest equine athlete ever, the legend that was Ourasi, win his fourth Prix d’Amerique as a ten year old. The last year he was eligible to run in the race. A feat not matched before or thereafter and will most assuredly not be matched in my lifetime. Real oldtimers of the sport would wax lyrically of Bellino II who won the d’Amerique three times in succession and the Cornulier as well when I was much younger.
There is too much history and tradition connected with this sport in quite a few countries for some people on here to trash it with their ignorance. If you dont like it fine, beyond that keep your misguided opinions to yourself.
You are totally out of order my friend. Learn some manners and learn to read.
The lads on here aren’t familiar with this type of racing and Ken never said it was cruel he said it looked cruel. To some people it would look that way when you consider that the horses look like they are stamping their feet. Many horses break down in racing and to the layman that doesn’t exactly look easy on the legs does it?
As Venusian said it’s not unatural for a horse to move like that but not at that speed it isn’t.
No way will you see a horse move like that in his natural enviroment and get up to those sort of speeds. He’ll move in a similar fashion to that but only to get from A to B in a small field.
I personally find the sport quite boring to watch as itlackes the exitement of a high class flat race you would see at Ascot i.e. If you enjoy it that’sfine but if you are trying to promote the sport or get others interested you just took 10 steps backwards.
As far as the amened result is concerned which is what we are supposed to be discussing you can take another 5 steps back for not contributing.
The winner’s gait did look a bit suspicious to me he was between a trot and a full stride a few times and I take it that is why they threw him out?
Thank you Fist.
Brendan, misguided opinions? That is just your opinion, and I would not dream of attempting to stifle your opinion. Sadly, you appear to hold a slightly unorthodox opinion as to the purpose of this forum, I think. Only, and unless, Cormack and others deem my contributions to be detrimental to the aims of the forum will I refrain from expressing my thoughts and experiences here. I wish you no ill-will but I would hope that, in future, you would give a little more consideration to respecting the right of others to share their opinions, even though they might not be in total harmony with your own.
Good wisheshadn’t noticed that the article I read was in fact from 1965! it just said that there was intense rivalry between French bred and American bred trotting horses, and in fact was a quite an amusing story about an American bringing a horse called Elma over for the race [which was won by Ozo]…I had some traveller friends a few years ago who had trotting horses and wondered where horses raced in this country….?…….I noticed a lot of horses pulling up in the race, was that because the rider had realized that the horse had broken out of a trot?
1965? Must have been De Gaulle’s doing!
I wouldn’t waste your time on harness racing in this country. Riven by factionalism, it’s basically flapping, and isn’t recognised by the European trotting authorities.
Brendanr, good post. There are far too many people about who dislike anything a little bit different, even if it’s 5-star fare (especially if it’s taking place in a non-anglophone country). This inward-looking attitude is a great drag on horse racing in the UK.
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