Weekend Recap: Vincennes, Gävle & Wolvega
Updated: 4 days ago
Gävle
The highly anticipated comeback of Borups Victory was accompanied by yet another strong performance from the consistent High On Pepper.
Borups Victory had a four-month break after winning the Oslo Grand Prix in June. His trainer, Daniel Wäjersten, had already confirmed at the beginning of the year that he would fully focus on the French winter meeting and the Prix d’Amérique on January 31.
This made his comeback an important moment. Is he still the Borups Victory we know from his performances in both Sweden and France?
The answer came swiftly: yes, he is. Borups Victory faced a tough race in the Gävle Stora Pris on October 17, racing from the death seat. With High On Pepper, a seasoned stayer, in the lead, Borups Victory had no way of passing throughout the race.
In the last 500m, High On Pepper accelerated once more to finish in 1’11’’9 over 2640m, clocking 1’08’’7 over the final 500m. Borups Victory finished a close second and will now be able to shift his focus to France.
His first objective? The Prix de Bretagne on November 22, where he is set to meet confirmed names Jushua Tree, Hooker Berry and 2026 Prix d’Amérique winner Hokkaido Jiel.
Vincennes
On October 16, the first group 3 races for two-year-olds were held at Vincennes, giving us a glimpse of the early leaders of the generation and which stallions are continuing to deliver.
In the Prix Louis Cauchois, open to colts only, it was an impressive double for stallion Idao de Tillard. The O-generation is his first crop to race.
Ossau du Pré took the early lead and never gave way. Stable companion Orizon, who raced in the death seat, applied pressure throughout. Both horses look strong, and their trainer confirms that they are both easy to train and drive. They finished in 1’17’’5 and 1’17’’6 over 2200m, respectively.
Ossau du Pré is out of Geisha du Pré (Ni Ho Ped d’Ombree), while Orizon is out of Jolie Pop (Cristal Money).
In the Prix Marcel Dejean, open to fillies, Oldham, by Booster Winner and Blue Grass (Ready Cash) impressed. Oldham made a mistake at the start and had to race from the death seat. She was still able to finish strongly, winning in 1’16’’0 over 2200m. She remains unbeaten after four career starts. Driver Benjamin Rochard shared more details with LeTROT about the filly and the race:
"I think she took three or four strides at a gallop. At the first start, it was good, but at the second, she became a little more tense and responded with a fault. She was a bit lost going up the first climb. She needs to learn. After that, it was perfect. After what she lost at the start, she came back and won as if she hadn't lost anything."
Oldham delivered trainer Philippe Allaire his 12th victory in the race and made it three wins in a row.
In the same race, Origine Castelle and Orfée Rosa, two fillies by Idao de Tillard, took second and third place. Oldham denied trainer Thierry Duvaldestin two doubles across the two group 3 races.
Wolvega
It was a busy day at Wolvega, with two Breeders Crown races for four- to seven-year-olds, the Jonkersprijs and Joffersprijs for two-year-olds, and Richard Westerink as a special guest in the studio. The track also named one of its restaurants the ‘Timoko Lounge’ and held an official opening. The restaurant offers a direct view of the finish line.
In the Breeders Crown for colts, Olympus Dragon took an easy win for driver Jeffrey Mieras and trainer Dion Tesselaar. In the Breeders Crown for mares, Noor Schermer delivered a double for Dion Tesselaar and caused a surprise with a victory at odds of 42/1.
In the Joffersprijs, two fillies battled for the win, but apprentice driver Kevin van der Linden drove Shikara Boko to victory from the lead, beating the favourite Salina Meerswal and reigning champion driver Jaap van Rijn, who raced from the death seat. With a time of 1’14’’1 over 1609 metres, both fillies recorded personal bests. Shikara Boko is a daughter of Trixton and Spirit of Casey (Chocolatier), while Salina Meerswal is by Donato Hanover and Dynamic Transs R (Ken Warkentin).
In the Jonkersprijs, Spirit Meerswal and Jaap van Rijn stole the show. His time of 1’13’’3 over 1609m lowered his personal best by almost two seconds. Spirit Meerswal is a son of From Above and Nikita Flevo (Muscle Mass).
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