Iguski Sautonne dominates on the Riviera

by Thomas Hedlund

Last Sunday’s (March 8) $230,000 Grand Criterium de Vitesse on the French Riviera at Cagnes-sur-Mer turned into a magnificent performance by a trotter who had already captured a Group 1 race earlier in 2026.

Go On Boy and Romain Derieux went off as the favorites in the mile contest, but the start proved demanding for the son of Password. He was forced three-wide through the entire first turn before settling on the outside of early leader Iguski Sautonne (Village Mystic), who had quickly taken command with his trainer Matthieu Abrivard in the sulky.

Iguski Sautonne had somewhat surprisingly captured the $770,000 Prix de Cornulier a week before the Prix d’Amérique, in only the second monté start of his career. On Sunday, the handsome stallion showed that he belongs among Europe’s elite in harness racing as well.

From the lead, Iguski Sautonne set a solid tempo and gave his rivals no real chance over the long Cagnes-sur-Mer stretch. The winning time was 1:50.2.

With the victory, Abrivard’s trotter became just the third horse in history to complete the Prix de Cornulier / Grand Criterium de Vitesse double in the same year. Masina (Quinio) first achieved the feat in 1962, while Bellino II (Boum III) repeated it in both 1975 and 1976.

“Just like in his very best days, he was flying today,” Abrivard said after the race. “I saw us on the big screen and felt so confident that I even had time to wave to the crowd.

“There’s incredible pride in this. Winning the Prix de Cornulier and then coming here to win the Grand Criterium de Vitesse shows what a complete horse he is. He truly does everything.”

Abrivard also admitted he had some doubts beforehand.

“I had a bit of anxiety before this race because I hesitated to drive him aggressively last time,” he said. “But ‘Iguski’ loves being in front and setting his own pace. When he gets to do that, he’s almost unbeatable.”

Harley Gema (Bold Eagle) finished second in 1:50.4 after a trip in third-over and steadily gained ground in the stretch, but never truly threatened the winner.

Go On Boy (Password) could not challenge after his demanding trip outside the leader and had to settle for third in 1:51, while Inmarosa (Amiral Sacha) finished fourth from the pocket in the same time.

Sunday’s victory marked Iguski Sautonne’s third Group 1 win. In addition to the Prix de Cornulier, he has also captured the Prix de l’Atlantique (€200,000) at Enghien. Another major success came in the Group 2 Grand Prix du Sud-Ouest (€200,000) at Beaumont-de-Lomagne.

IDAO DE TILLARD RETURNS

Idao de Tillard (Severino), the two-time Prix d’Amérique winner trained by Thierry Duvaldestin, made his comeback last Thursday (March 12) after dealing with colic problems that required surgery and a lengthy break.

The performance did not raise many eyebrows, however, as Idao de Tillard finished seventh at Caen and showed little punch in the stretch.

“He will need time and we have to be patient,” Duvaldestin told Paris-Turf after the race.

“It has been a bit of a race against the clock to prepare him, but things will improve. He raced with heavier shoeing than usual when finishing seventh. The plan now is to gradually build his form.”

Duvaldestin added that the Prix de l’Atlantique on April 18 might come a little too soon.

“Right now, it looks tight, especially since he will likely make only one more start before that race,” he said. “Perhaps the Prix Kerjacques at Vincennes on April 4.”

FIRST ELITLOPPET INVITATION ISSUED

The first invitation to the Elitloppet at Solvalla was handed out on Saturday evening (March 14), and unsurprisingly it went to the defending champion Go On Boy (Password).

Romain Derieux’s trotter has shown he thrives at Solvalla and over the mile distance, and he will once again be among the favorites to win the race.

The Elitloppet will be held on May 31, and more information about the event can be found here.