by Thomas Hedlund

Thierry Duvaldestin trained Idao de Tillard (Severino) proved best, again, when the $420,000 Prix de France was held at Vincennes on Sunday (Feb. 11) afternoon.

Idao de Tillard got perfect cover three wide on the backstretch while the pace was kept at a high level by leader Joviality, who more or less seemed to escape from her own harness as she came to the half mile in :53.4. Joviality was, after that pace, beaten in the last turn and Vivid Wise As could overtake the lead when horses three wide approached at the same moment.

Vivid Wise As was disarmed by a splendid Idao de Tillard, who got the order to attack by his driver Clement Duvaldestin at the top of the stretch and the Prix d’Amérique winner is simply the best horse in Europe right now. He sprinted to a safe win in a stakes record of 1:51.3 over 1.3 miles and Idao de Tillard became the 13th trotter to claim both the Prix d’Amérique and Prix de France. American bred Moni Maker succeeded twice in Paris in 1999, while the last horse, prior to Idao de Tillard, to claim the two Grand Prix races was Bold Eagle (2016 and 2017).

Replay here.

Go On Boy finished strongly as runner up from a tough position and title defender Ampia Mede Sm was third in the 2024 Prix de France.

Jean-Michel Bazire’s star Jushua Tree was the heavy favorite in Sunday’s $125,000 Prix Ovide Moulinet for 5-year-olds, but an early break spoiled his chances, even though he returned in the field before making another break in midstretch.

Instead, driver Yoann Lebourgeois won the race behind Jean Rémi Deliaux trained Justin Bold (Bold Eagle) in a mile rate of 1:56.2 over 1.6 miles.

Replay here.

The winter meeting in Paris ends on March 2 with some high staked races, amongst them the $250,000 Prix de Selection for 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds, where the youngest trotters will have a 25 meters advantage over 2,175 meters.

Idao de Tillard will most likely show up in that event while Jean-Michel Bazire has announced that a showdown between Jushua Tree and Idao de Tillard will take place during the 2024-25 meeting.

Next up at Vincennes is Sunday’s (Feb. 18) $220,000 Criterium des Jeunes for 3-year-olds and for the elite, the $420,000 Prix de Paris over 4,150 meters, is the next big objective.