Idao de Tillard vs Inexess Bleu: Round Eight
On October 21 at 16:50, the group 2 Prix Jean Dumouch (Grand Prix du Sud-Ouest) will feature the eighth direct duel between two of the best horses in France.
While Idao de Tillard is aiming for a third Prix d’Amérique victory and is preparing for the winter meeting, Inexess Bleu will race for the last time before March.
As a gelding, Inexess Bleu has limited racing opportunities compared to Idao de Tillard. Despite their different racing programs, the two have faced each other seven times before, with Inexess Bleu winning four of those meetings:
Idao de Tillard: Prix de Ribérac (2022), Grand Prix de la Fédération du Nord (2026) Inexess Bleu: Grand Prix de Wallonie (2025), U.E.T. Elite Final (2025), Prix Kerjacques (2026), Prix des Ducs de Normandie (2026)
They also met in the 2026 Elitloppet final, but both were disqualified.
Ahead of their next meeting, the connections have shared their thoughts ahead of the race:
Idao de Tillard "The horse worked nicely on Friday morning. Everything is fine and he was in good spirits. He's freshened up since his victory at La Capelle, but we've prepared him for this race. It's never ideal to change directions, but it won't bother Idao, who has often run well going right-handed, having won at Argentan this summer. He'll have a break after this race and we can adjust him again to go left-handed, his next outing being in the 2nd B race in mid-December’’.
note: the second B race is the Prix de Bourbonnais, scheduled on December 13.
Inexess Bleu "He seems to be in great shape. He needs to make up for his last outing at Mons. He was a bit tense behind the wings and the car was going too slowly, so he was too fired up and made a mistake. I'll have to be careful this Wednesday. It's his last race before March. A rematch against Idao? Yes, I think it's possible over this distance, especially since he has the meeting coming up, while for us, it's a major objective."
Info: In France, a race can have an official name and a broader title, for example, one linked to a circuit, sponsor or qualifying series.
In this case, the Grand Prix du Sud-Ouest rotates between different tracks in south-western France (Bordeaux, Beaumont-de-Lomagne, Agen and Toulouse).
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