Final Prix d’Amérique berths on the line Sunday

by Thomas Hedlund

Sunday (Jan. 11) marks the final opportunity to qualify for the Prix d’Amérique, with the top four finishers earning a ticket to the world’s most prestigious trotting event.

Immortal Doc (Brillantissime), trained by Fredrik Wallin, comes into the race off a strong runner-up effort in the $250,000 Prix Tenor de Baune, finishing second behind Epic Kronos, and figures to be among the favorites on Sunday. Go On Boy has elected to skip the Prix de Belgique and head straight to the Prix d’Amérique, and in all honesty, this year’s qualifying field is not the deepest edition of the race.

DECLARED HORSES — PRIX DE BELGIQUE (AS OF WEDNESDAY EVENING)

Horse (sire) — Trainer

Hooker Berry (Booster Winner) — Antoine Lherete

Koctel du Dain (Boccador de Simm) — Philippe Allaire

Izoard Vedaquais* (Bird Parker) — Philippe Allaire

Krack Time Atout (Face Time Bourbon) — Sébastien Guarato

Frank Gio (Face Time Bourbon) — Sébastien Guarato

J’aime Le Foot* (Boccador de Simm) — Antoine Lherete

Immortal Doc (Brillantissime) — Fredrik Wallin

Jazzman Debailleul (Repeat Love) — Erno Szirmay

Happy Danica (Briac Dark) — Alexis Garandeau

King Opera (Ready Cash) — William Bigeon

Jango Vici (Dragon des Racques) — Antonio Ripoll Rigo

Working Class Hero (Village Mystic) — Jörgen Westholm

Kanto Avis (Ready Cash) — Marc Sassier

Iroise de la Noe (Tornado Bello) — Thomas Levesque

Killiman Fromentro (Villiam) — Nicolas Bazire

Halo Am (Father Patrick) — Dominik Locqueneux

Kuiper (Face Time Bourbon) — Daniel Wäjersten

Mateo di Quattro (Bird Parker) — Johan Untersteiner

*Already qualified for the Prix d’Amérique

PRIX DE CROIX FIELD SET FOR SATURDAY

The final field is now official for Saturday’s (Jan. 10) $125,000 Prix de Croix at Vincennes, a race that has attracted several of Europe’s most exciting 5-year-olds. Only 10 horses will line up, but quality runs deep, with Lovino Bello and Liza Josselyn representing France’s strongest chances.

PRIX DE CROIX — ENTRIES

Horse (sire) — Driver — Trainer

Funny Girl (Vitruvio) — Mathieu Mottier — Charley Mottier

Far West Bi (Muscle Hill) — Gabriele Gelormini — Erik Bondo

Learn To Fly (Uriel Speed) — Franck Nivard — Frédéric Senet

Phantom Express (Readly Express) — Björn Goop — Joakim Elfving

Luciano Menuet (Feliciano) — Théo Briand — Dominik Locqueneux

Far Wise As (Face Time Bourbon) — Robin Bakker — Paul Hagoort

Liza Josselyn (Ready Cash) — Nicolas Bazire

Lombok Jiel (Enino du Pommereux) — Pierre-Yves Verva — Jean-Luc Dersoir

Bullet The Bluesky (Readly Express) — Daniel Wäjersten

Lovino Bello (Village Mystic) — Eric Raffin — Thierry Duvaldestin