Nob Hill stakes early claim as France’s top 2-Year-Old
by Thomas Hedlund
It may be far too early to crown a dominant force among France’s 2-year-olds, but on Saturday (Dec. 13), Mathieu Mottier showed that he may already have the division’s leader in his barn.
Nob Hill (Gu d’Heripre–Idylle A Vie) delivered a performance that stamped him as a serious contender for “king of the crop” honors, overcoming an early break that cost him roughly 30 meters before asserting total control in the $125,000 Prix Emmanuel Margouty at Vincennes.
Despite the miscue at the start, Mottier had Nob Hill on the front end after just over a kilometer in the semi-classique (Group 2) event for 2-year-old colts. The tempo increased sharply down the final backstretch, and once straightened away, Nob Hill simply ran off from his rivals, scoring unchallenged in a mile rate of 2:00.3 over 2,700 meters.
Nuevo Cash (Ready Cash) finished second after advancing first-over with 800 meters to go, while Never Forget (Hohneck) closed well along the inside to take third.
Nob Hill is now four-for-four to begin his career. Earlier wins include the $47,000 Prix des Dahlias and $35,000 Prix des Tulipes at Vincennes, along with his debut victory in the $15,000 Prix Bellino II at Châteaubriant.
KUIPER DELIVERS FOR WÄJERSTEN IN PRIX OSCAR COLLARD
Saturday’s Vincennes card also featured success for Daniel Wäjersten, who trained and drove Kuiper (Face Time Bourbon) to victory in the $90,000 Prix Oscar Collard. Kuiper tracked from third-over, slipped back to fourth-over down the final backstretch, and didn’t find full racing room until roughly 300 meters from the wire. Once clear, he unleashed a powerful rally and caught Edgar Saba (Exploit Caf) right at the line to score in 1:54 over 2,100 meters.
DOLCE VIKY BREAKS THROUGH IN FRANCE
After limited success in earlier French appearances, Dolce Viky (Adrian Chip) delivered a breakthrough performance for trainer/driver Alessandro Gocciadoro in the $80,000 Prix Michel Thoury. Positioned second-over throughout, Gocciadoro waited until the head of the stretch to launch his bid. Dolce Viky responded sharply, striding past rivals to win in 1:53.2 over 2,100 meters.
GINGER GIO OVERCOMES POST 14 IN PRIX DE MANSLE
The $75,000 Prix de Mansle for 3-year-olds went to Ginger Gio (Tony Gio), trained by Sébastien Guarato, despite starting from post 14 in the second tier. Driver Matthieu Abrivard secured perfect cover in the outer flow up the Vincennes climb and launched his move at the exit of the final turn. Ginger Gio powered clear with ease, stopping the clock in 1:55.1 over 2,100 meters.
