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SWEDENFranck Leblanc’s Prix de

Bretagne winner Anna Mix eschewed the B Race at Vin-cennes for the Swedish Gold Division race at Farjestad this weekend under caretak-er trainer Sofia Aronsson.

Swedish champion On Track Piraten was quickly to the lead with Johnny Takter in the bike, while Erik Adielsson tagged Anna Mix at the back for the first lap before moving forward with 1500m to go.

Takter was able to set an easy tempo until the final lap when he turned up the pres-sure.

Anna Mix stayed close and pulled out to issue a serious challenge as they turned for home, but On Track Piraten dug in and held on by a nose.

Nadal Broline was a few lengths away third. On Track Piraten went 1’13”9 (1.58.4MR) for the 2640m race.

Ulf Ohlsson drove Hesiod (Explosive Matter) to victory in the Norrland 2YO regional championship at Bergsaker on Sunday, his sixth win in eight starts.

Trained by Petri Salmela, Hesiod got to the lead while

favourite Vermont Kronos (Raja Mirchi) sat parked for most of the race.

Turning for home Hesiod kicked clear to win easily as Vermont Kronos faded in the straight after his tough trip, eventually running fourth to Diamonds Lucky (Lucky Chucky) and Elegance Sisu (Explosive Matter).ITALY

Royally-bred Love You mare Rania Lest claimed the Group I Gran Premio Royal Mares at Agnano on the weekend.

Pietro Gubellini on Erik Bondo’s Terra Del’Est got to the front from the gate as Alessandro Gocciadora set-tled into the trail with Rania Lest, a Love You half sister to former Italian Derby winner Pascia Lest.

Terra Dell Est controlled the tempo, accelerating around the bend and carried a length lead into the front straight.

Rania Lest did not get clear until halfway down the straight, but sprinted bril-liantly to catch and go past Terra Dell’est and win by half a length with Paris Dany (Va-renne) third. The winner’s time for the 1600m trip was a leisurely 1’13”1 (1.57.3MR).

BOLD EAGLE outclassed arguably a stronger field than the first “B” race Prix d’Amerique qualifier with a resounding win in the Grand Prix de Bour-bonnais on the weekend.

Bold Eagle moved forward three wide down the straight and settled onto the running line three back as Gabriel Gelormini on Amiral Sacha set the pace in front.

World record holding stayer Bird Parker sat parked

as the field turned up the hill, with Norwegian champion Li-onel setting behind him, and Bold Eagle poised behind this pair in the running line as they crossed the rise.

Turning for home Bird Park-er hit the front on the inside of Amiral Sacha, while Lionel and Bold Eagle surged wide.

Bold Eagle quickly made the front and powered home with Lionel two lengths away second, while Voltigeur de Myrt stayed on stoutly to

claim the third and final entry place into January’s Grand Prix d’Amerique.

Bold Eagle time was a slick 1’12”7 (1.57MR) for the 2850m trip, just .2 of a second outside the race record set by his sire Ready Cash in 2012. Still only a 5YO Bold Eagle has won 29 of his 34 starts for earnings of €2.239M ($A3.18M).

BOLD EAGLE CRUSHES RIVALS

LOVE YOU ENGHIEN (Winner 1950m, Addington) DEAR LOVER (Winner 2700m Vincennes) ESTELLA LOVE (Winner 2YO 2100m Vincennes) SHIRAZ BRODDE (Winner 2100m Vincennes) CEDEA JOSSELYN (Winner Gp2 2700m Vincennes) CARLA (2nd 2850m Vincennes) DIVA DE LOU 2nd 2850m Vincennes) DIGNITE (2nd 2150m Toulouse) DIAMOND JIEL (2nd 2700m Laroche) CHATAIN (2nd 2800m Chartres) DUBAI UNION (3rd 2850m Vincennes) DIPLOMATE D’AM (3rd 2850m Vincennes)

UN AMOUR DU PONT (3rd 2800m Chartres) EXOTIC DES-TINATION (3rd 2YO 2400m Cha-teaubriant) DIABLESSE D’ATOUT (3rd 2800m Chartres) REPEAT LOVECALL ME SLY (3rd 2850m Vin-cennes) BOAVISTA (3rd 2900m Argentan)READY CASHALTESSE DU MIREL (Winner 2100m Vincennes) DIKAYA PRIDE (Winner 2400m Amiens) DELTA DU PORET (Winner 2675m Vivaux) DREAM CASH (2nd 2850m Vincennes) DENTELLA BELLA (2nd 2275m

Nantes) BOOSTER CASTELETS (2nd 2950m Toulouse) BLUE GRASS (3rd Gp32850m Vin-cennes) DINGUE DE TOI (3rd 2700m Laroche)ORLANDO VICICESAR DU CAIEU (Winner 28500m Vincennes) BIGALI DU FLINOIS (Winner 2875m Argen-tan) DARLING DU LYS (Winner 2875m Laval) UNKIR D’OO (2nd 3000m Borelly)QUAKER JET DUC DE CASTELLE (2nd 2600m Parilly) BILBAO D’ECAJEUL (2nd 2850m Parilly) BRIGHT DE BAN-VILLE (3rd 2850m Parilly)

THE BEST MADRIKCIBESTA DE JAFRAN (Winner 2275m Nantes) ELEE DE TEDD (2nd 2YO 2800m Chartres) ENZO RIVER (3rd 2YO 2100m Vincennes) COCOON AGE (3rd 2850m Vincennes) DEBEST FLASH (3rd 2600m Parilly)SAM BOURBONBOURBON AND DRY (Winner 2600m Winton, NZ)

MILE RATE CONVERSION: 2.00 =1’14”6, 1.57=1’12”7, 1.54=1’10”8, 1.51= 1’09.

There was a massive upset in the Criterium des 3 Ans when reigning European 3YO champion Django Riff from the all conquering Philippe Allaire stable went down to Diego du Guelier from the Mottier family’s small barn.

Group winning Allaire filly Dawana was the early lead-er, handing up to stablemate Django Riff, the generation leader with 10 group wins as the field passed the stands with a round to go.

But Mathieu Mottier, on his father Dominique’s owned and trained son of Kepler, took over in the Joinville straight set the pace up the hill.

The son of Kepler looked comfortable as he crossed the rise while aboard Djan-go Riff, Yoann Lebourgeois looked increasingly con-cerned as Diego du Guelier held a two length advantage as they turned for home.

Yoann Lebourgeois pulled Django Riff out to challenge abd the son of Ready Cash responded gamely but came up a length short as Diego du

Guelier kicked again in the straight.

Diego du Guelierr made a winning debut in May of this, his 3YO year, and had four wins in a row before stepping up to group company. This, the most prestigious of 3YO classics was his first group win at any level.

Meanwhile, the Prix Octave Douesnal for 4YO entires saw Sebastien Guarto’s Carat Williams (Prodigious) put in a couple of rough steps as dual Criteriym winner Charly du Noyer (Ready Cash) went straight to the front and led stablemate Cahal des Rioults

(Password) onto the track proper.

Charly du Noyer led the pe-leton down the Joinville Plain and up the hill as Carat Wil-liams recovered to move up into the parked position.

This pair went clear as they crossed the rise and the en-gaged in an epic two horse duel in the straight with Carat Williams finally getting up in the last stride.

Clif du Pommereux (Love You) finished on into third a few lengths back ahead of Caid Griff.

Second favourite Carat Wil-liams, who has been eased

to into racing by Guarato, and was competing in his first French Group II or semi-clas-sic as a late 4YO, went 1’13”1 (1.57.3MR) for the 2700m turning or band start.

In the previous day’s Prix Ariste Hemard for 4YO mares Jean Michel Bazire settled towards the rear of the field in the running line on Cedea Josselyn (Love You) while Cere Josseyn (Kaisy Dream) set the pace.

Bazire followed Cathy A Quria (Password) into the race, moving off her back in the straight as the pair chal-lenged the leader.

At the finish Cedea Josselyn outstayed a game Cere Joss-elyn, while Cathy A Quira was third between the pair.FRENCH FACT

The Mottier family, Domin-que, Danielle and son Mathieu, train just 30 horses at any one time and gained their first Group I success with mother Danielle’s home-bred and trained mare Vic-toire, in the 2014 Criterium Continental, driven again by Mathieu, just 22, at the time.

Diego du Guelier upsets in Criterium

NEW ZEALAND Last year’s 2YO of the Year

Enghien made a brief return to racing last week, with a win at Addington, against old-er horses.

Indeed he sat parked out-side last year’s 3YO Jewels winner, Donegal Bettor-gretch, before outstaying the mare on the run home, win-ning by a neck.

Trainer’s Greg and Nina Hope’s son of Love You will now spell the for a short while, as he sets course to the Derbies later in the year.

Sam Bourbon also pro-duced a winner on the week-end, with Bourbon And Dry winning his second race at Winton.

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Mathieu Mottier and Diego du Guelier. GERARD FORNI

The Abrivard family’s stellar year in the monte discipline continued at Vincennes on the weekend with Alexandre Abrivard getting Dragon du Fresne home in the Group II Prix Raoul Balliere for his fa-ther Laurent Claude.

There are nine Group one montes in France and the Abrivard clan have won seven of them, with Alexandre and his father Laurent CLaude combining for two of them, once with Dragon du Fresne in the Group I Prix d’Essai. Alexandre also won two other group ones for other trainers including the world cham-

pionship Prix du Cornulier, while cousin Mathieu won two Group ones in the sad-dle, one of which he trained.

There were a couple of dusqualifications for gallop-ing at the start of the race but Abrivard kept Dragon du Fresne wide avoiding in-terference and settled back early before moving gradual-ly forward to take over from early leader Drole de Gosse as they turned up the hill.

Dragon du Fresne was a length clear of Dahlia du Rib, Drole de Grose and favourite Dragon d’Avril as they turned for home and cleared out to

win by four lengths.Dahlia du Rib stayed on

for second while Dragon

d’Avril and Drole de Gosse straggled home for the minor money.

DRAGON DU FRESNE KEEPS ABRIVARD FIRING

ROAD TO THE PRIX D’AMERIQUEBold Eagle, Lionel and Voltigeur de Myrt take the quali-

fiers for the Grand Prix d’Amerique up to six following the Prix du Bourbonnais on the weekend.

They join Prix de Bretagne placegetters Anna Mix and Propulsion, who decided to miss the second of the B rac-es while Princess Grif, finished seventh on the weekend.

The third of the four “B” races is the Prix de Bourgogne on New Year’s Day.

RESULTS Date Race Distance purse

Nov 20 Px de Bretagne (4-9) 2770 €120,000Anna Mix (FRA) 1, Propulsion (USA) 2, Princess Grif (ITA) 3 Dec 12 Px du Bourbonnais (4-9) 2850 €120,000Bold Eagle (FRA) 1, Lionel (NOR) 2, Voltigeur de Myrt (FRA) 3STILL TO COMEJan 1 Px de Bourgogne (4-10) 2100 €120,000Jan 15 Px de Belgique (4-10) 2850 €120,000Dec 25 Criterium Continental (4YO) 2100 €240,000Dec 25 Prix Tenor de Baune (5YO) 2700 €120,000

Dragon du Fresne and Alexandre Abrivard. GERARD FORNI

Bold Eagle leads in Lionel at Vincennes. GERARD FORNI