Time for revenge?

by Thomas Hedlund

Revenge is a word that can be used from more than one perspective when two of the sport’s top trotters return to battle in today’s (Feb. 14) $485,000 Prix de France at Vincennes.

Will Davidson du Pont get his revenge on Face Time Bourbon from the Prix d’Amérique or will Face Time Bourbon claim his second Grand Prix win in 2021 by defeating last year’s Prix de France winner Davidson du Pont?

Nine trotters will gather behind the gate of Vincennes’ car, and Face Time Bourbon was lucky with the draw since he will start from post 2 paired with Björn Goop, who actually is suspended (eight days) after his interference on Davidson du Pont in the Prix d’Amérique two weeks ago. In events of this quality, drivers get an exemption for the specific race and Goop will do his best to defeat Davidson du Pont with Sébastien Guarato’s talented trainee Face Time Bourbon.

Prix de France 2021

2,100 meters

Horse – Driver

1. Romanesque — Christophe Martens
2. Face Time Bourbon — Björn Goop
3. Feliciano — David Thomain
4. Billie de Montfort — Gabriele Gelormini
5. Delia du Pommereux — Eric Raffin
6. Frisbee d’Am — Anthony Barrier
7. Bahia Quesnot — Junior Guelpa
9. Davidson du Pont — Jean-Michel Bazire
10. Aetos Kronos — Franck Nivard

Previous winners in Prix de France

2010 — Meaulnes du Corta — Pierre Vercruysse
2011 — Ready Cash — Franck Nivard
2012 — Royal Dream — Jean Philippe Dubois
2013 — Ready Cash — Franck Nivard
2014 — Noras Bean — Björn Goop
2015 — Timoko —Björn Goop
2016 — Bold Eagle — Franck Nivard
2017 — Bold Eagle — Franck Nivard
2018 — Belina Josselyn —Jean-Michel Bazire
2019 — Readly Express — Björn Goop
2020 — Davidson du Pont — Jean-Michel Bazire

Strong effort from Green Grass

Sébastien Guarato-trained Green Grass (Bold Eagle) performed very strongly when the $121,000 Prix Jean le Gondiec for 5-year-olds was held at Vincennes racetrack on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 11).

Mathieu Mottier opted position first over with Green Grass and leader Golden Mary tried to defend himself throughout the last turn, but outside trotter Green Grass was too tough this day.

Green Grass was early one of the best French-bred trotters in the G-crop and she won the $205,000 Criterium des Jeunes as a 3-year-old.

On Saturday afternoon (Feb. 13), Vincennes presented a great race card with the $121,000 Prix Ephrem Houel for 4-year-old colts as the most prestigious race. Jean Michel Baudouin-trained Hirondelle Sibey (Gazouillis) collected her second victory for the season paired with Eric Raffin.

Hirondelle Sibey came from an impressive win in the $121,000 Prix Charles Tiercelin during the Prix d’Amérique day in Paris and she followed up by winning on Saturday afternoon.

Hirondelle Sibey was taken safely when the start went off in the 2,850-meter race and Eric Raffin found third over eventually. Raffin played out his cards midway into the race when he put Hirondelle Sibey into speed gear and the duo came to the lead with a kilometer to go. From the lead, the favorite in the race was too hard to beat for the opponents and she came home in a mile rate of 1:59.4 over 1.7 miles.