The Prix d’Amérique is on tap
this Sunday at Vincennes.

by Thomas Hedlund

The best trotters racing under saddle met up in Sunday’s (Jan. 19) $750,000 Prix de Cornulier at Vincennes in Paris and the spectacular event ended with a great victory for trainer Nicolas Bazire and jockey Eric Raffin.

Raffin sat on Joumba de Guez (Carat Williams) and the leader Granvillaise Bleue was overtaken by Raffin and his Joumba de Guez with a little less than three-quarters-of-a-mile to go in the 2,700 meter race. 

Joumba de Guez then raced in an even, high pace, a well-disposed ride from Raffin’s part which made it difficult for the chasers in the home stretch of Vincennes.

Five mares ended up in the top of the prestigious race and this was the fifth consecutive win by a female trotter in the Prix de Cornulier.

Raffin claimed his fourth victory in Cornulier. His first came in 2003, on Joyau d’Amour and his next two wins were taken on Roxanne Griff, who won in 2014 and 2015.

For Bazire, this victory meant that the name Bazire would be written into the history books for the first time. His father Jean-Michel Bazire, long-standing dominant as a trainer/driver — and, some years ago, jockey — never succeeded in the Prix de Cornulier, so the Sunday win must have felt special for the family.

Joumba de Guez won in a mile rate of 1:56.2 over 1.6 miles.

TIME FOR THE BIG BATTLE IN PARIS

On Sunday (Jan. 26), the eyes of most of harness racing fans will be aimed at Paris, Vincennes, as the $1,050,000 Prix d’Amérique is scheduled on a strong racing weekend where some of the very best horses in Europe will gather in several big races beside the big Grand Prix.

Since November, the older trotters from all over Europe have tried to secure their spots, respectively, for the big battle and after four B-races, the Criterium Continental and Prix Tenor de Baune, the field is now set and 18 trotters will chase fame and glory on Sunday.

Before the third B-race, this year’s edition of the Prix d’Amérique seemed to be… let’s say… quite profileless; a race without enough champions to reach the normal level of excitement.

But when Idao de Tillard and Go On Boy qualified for the PdA, the strength of the race increased and now we can look forward to an open event where the two named French favorites will be mainly challenged by Sweden’s San Moteur.

But let’s not forget some of the outsiders. Hussard du Landret bested San Moteur in the first B-race and it feels like trainer Benoit Robin has been able to hit a condition peak for his horse this year. Hussard du Landret is one of the horses in the field that can do the hard work, race in front or take advantage of a high pace if he’s not in front of the field.

Saturday’s (Jan. 25) card is impressive as well. Some really interesting races are on the menu and even if the $110,000 Prix du Luxembourg is far from being the race with the highest purse, the interest for the race is as always big. Conditions like 2,100 meters starting behind the gate for horses just below the level of the Prix d’Amérique contenders make the Prix du Luxembourg out to be a highlight on Saturday’s race card.

But there are bigger shows to look forward to Saturday. The $165,000 Prix Roquepine for 3-year-old fillies attracts 13 horses, where Bazire stable’s Melba du Gers is the most merited so far.

In the $325,000 Prix Ourasi, open for 4-year-old colts and mares, the battle will be between French-bred and Italian-bred horses. Italian duo Frank Gio and First Of Mind will be monitored by the bettors and when horses like Lovino Bello and Lombok Jiel defend the French colors, we can look forward to a race where action will happen.

Thierry Duvaldestin trained Mack de Blary seeks revenge on Golden Gio in the $165,000 Prix Paul Viel for 3-year-old colts and earlier on the card, the 5-year-olds chase $325,000 in the Prix Bold Eagle. It’s a strong field that races over 2,700 meters and two of the contenders could have been in the Prix d’Amérique the next day.

Koctel du Dain and Kana de Beylev were both in the Prix d’Amérique by earnings, but they will race in the 5-year-old race on Saturday instead.

It’s a massive weekend in Paris and the Saturday’s race card can be found here with a link to live races here.

PRIX D’AMÉRIQUE 2025

2,700 meters

Horse — Sire — Driver — Trainer

1. Iroise de la Noe — Tornado Bello — Thomas Levesque

2. Keep Going — Love You — Mathieu Mottier

3. Justin Bold — Bold Eagle — Pierre-Yves Verva — Jean-Rémi Delliaux

4. Fakir de Mahey — Reve de Beylev — David Bekaert — Mathieu Mottier

5. Ideal Ligneries — Repeat Love — Jean-Philippe Monclin

6. It’s A Dollarmaker — Saxo de Vandel — Matthieu Abrivard — Sebastien Ernault

7. Josh Power — Offshore Dream — Eric Raffin — Sebastien Ernault

8. Just Love You — Love You — Alexandre Abrivard — Laurent Claude Abrivard

9. Inmarosa — Amiral Sacha — Leo Abrivard — Laurent Claude Abrivard

10. Dimitri Ferm — Nad al Sheba — Gabriele Gelormini — Marco Azzaroni

11. Hussard du Landret — Bird Parker — Yoann Lebourgeois — Benoit Robin

12. Emeraude de Bais — Repeat Love — Franck Nivard — Benjamin Goetz

13. San Moteur — Panne de Moteur — Björn Goop

14. Don Fanucci Zet — Hard Livin — Paul-Philippe Ploquin — Daniel Redén

15. Ampia Mede Sm — Ganymede — Vincenzo d’Alessandro, Jr. — Erik Bondo

16. Go On Boy — Password — Romain Derieux

17. Hooker Berry — Booster Winner — Nicolas Bazire

18. Idao de Tillard — Severino — Clement Duvaldestin — Thierry Duvaldestin

In HRU’s Sunday edition, the Prix d’Amérique contenders will be presented.

Link to live races here.