World’s biggest monté race is today in Paris

Gerard Forni photo – Joumba de Guez (Eric Raffin) winning the $750,000 Prix de Cornulier in 2025. This year’s edition goes this afternoon at Vincennes.

by Thomas Hedlund

Today (Jan. 18), the world’s richest and most prestigious monté event, the Prix de Cornulier, will be contested at Vincennes. The Group I classic is raced over 2,700 meters under saddle and carries a massive $770,000 purse, once again confirming its status as the ultimate championship of the monté discipline. Picking a clear-cut favorite isn’t easy this year, but Jeroboam d’Erable appears set to shoulder that role with Damien Bonne in the saddle. A strong field of well-known and highly accomplished runners line up for today’s showdown, making this year’s edition as open as it gets.

PRIX DE CORNULIER

Horse (sire) — Rider — Trainer

Kid Bellay (Goetmals Wood) — Romain Marty — Jean-Michel Baudouin

Islamorada (Royal Dream) — Camille Levesque — Pierre Levesque

Hannah (Vulcain de Vandel) — Florian Desmigneux — Julien Raffestin

Heuristique (Very Nice Marceaux) — Jean-Yann Ricart — Jean-Philippe Raffegeau

Je M’Envole (Joyau d’Amour) — Mathieu Mottier

Harmonista (Vulcain de Vandel) — Mehdi Lelievre — Franck Nivard

Keengame (Express Jet) — Anthony Barrier — Jean-Philippe Monclin

Halfa (Offshore Dream) — Alan Gendrot — Stéphane Levoy

Kapaula de l’Epine (Discours Joyeux) — Adrien Lamy — Jérémy Gaston van Eeckhaute

Jeroboam d’Erable (Prodigious) — Damien Bonne — Clément Thomain

Ibiki de Houelle (Love You) — Alexis Collette — Kevin Leblanc

Kyt Kat (Booster Winner) — Clément Frecelle — Thomas Levesque

Iguski Sautonne (Village Mystic) — Alexandre Abrivard — Matthieu Abrivard

It’s A Dollarmaker (Saxo de Vandel) — Eric Raffin — Sébastien Guarato

Jean Balthazar (Alto de Viette) — Guillaume Martin — Pascal Castel

Ina du Rib (Uhlan du Val) — Jean-Luc Claude Dersoir — Joël Hallais

Hirondelle du Rib (Rolling d’Heripre) — Noé Perron — Joël Hallais

Ideale du Chene (Bird Parker) — Paul-Philippe Ploquin — Julien Le Mer

NEW NAMES IN, TWO TOP HORSES OUT

Next Sunday (Jan. 25), it’s time for the Prix d’Amérique in Paris, and the final qualifying race was contested last Sunday (Jan. 11), producing a repeat of last year’s result. The $125,000 Prix de Belgique wrapped up the four B-races on the road to the Prix d’Amérique, and just like in 2024 it was Iroise de la Noe (by Tornado Bello) who came out on top — this time with Eric Raffin in the sulky. Raffin moved early three-wide, and with 1,350 meters to go, Iroise de la Noe landed outside the leader J’Aime le Foot, forcing Immortal Doc to lose cover. The leader had no answer when the Thomas Levesque-trained mare applied pressure, and she took over with 550 meters remaining before pulling clear in the stretch. The 8-year-old mare won comfortably in a stakes-record-equaling 1:55.4 (mile rate) over 2,850 meters.

“It’s a huge relief,” Levesque said. “We absolutely needed to finish top four today to have a chance in the big race in two weeks. I know my mare well — I wasn’t worried — but the way she won today was very encouraging. I believe she’ll be even better in the Prix d’Amérique. Eric drove her perfectly, and now he really knows her.”

Five-year-old Frank Gio (Face Time Bourbon) flew home for second after sitting near the back turning for home. Immortal Doc (Brillantissime) finished third and thereby secured his ticket to the Prix d’Amérique. The final qualifying spot went to King Opera (Ready Cash), narrowly edging Working Class Hero.

QUALIFIED FOR THE PRIX D’AMÉRIQUE

From Prix de Bretagne:

Josh Power, Jushua Tree, Borups Victory, J’Aime le Foot

From Prix du Bourbonnais:

Inmarosa, Keep Going, Izoard Vedaquais, Harmony du Rabutin

From Criterium Continental:

Liza Josselyn

From Prix Tenor de Baune:

Epic Kronos

From Prix de Bourgogne:

Jushua Tree, Go On Boy, Inmarosa, Hokkaido Jiel

From Prix de Belgique:

Iroise de la Noe, Frank Gio, Immortal Doc, King Opera

In total, 16 horses qualified via the B-races, but only 13 starters will line up.

Borups Victory has been withdrawn due to fitness issues, as has Izoard Vedaquais.

The Bazire stable has also confirmed that Liza Josselyn will not take part this year. As a result, the five highest earners on the list will be added to complete the field for Sunday’s showdown at Vincennes. Francesco Zet might be one of them.

Putting together an early ranking of the horses qualified for the Prix d’Amérique can certainly be intriguing — but it is also far from definitive. A lot can change in a week: form cycles, track conditions, and last-minute decisions all play a decisive role.

That said, with one week to go before the world’s greatest trotting race, it still feels worthwhile to make an initial attempt. Not as a prediction set in stone, but as a snapshot of where things stand right now — based on recent performances, winter form, and overall credentials.

So, take this ranking for what it is: an informed early read, not a final verdict. The real answers, as always, will come on the track at Vincennes.

A-horses: Jushua Tree, Go On Boy, Epic Kronos, Inmarosa

B-horses: Keep Going, Frank Gio, Josh Power, Hokkaido Jiel

C-horses: Iroise de la Noe, King Opera, Immortal Doc

D-horses: J’Aime le Foot, Harmony du Rabutin