Eleven meetings spread over a little over a month, 80 races run (1 event was canceled), with four listeds and a group III, the winter meeting of Cagnes-sur-Mer delivered its verdict for the different rankings of professionals, this Tuesday, January 7. It was on the side of the coaches that the fight was the most indecisive, with a match between Mathieu Pitart, already the best coach last season, and David Cottin, who shone brightly during this month on the Riviera. We therefore had to wait until the penultimate race of the program to finally designate the winner in the “trainer” category. And it is the first named who, with 12 victories and 484,385 euros in winnings, climbs, for the second year in a row, to the highest step of the podium. The developer based in Chazey-sur-Ain (01) was obviously satisfied with this result: “We started well, before experiencing a slump in the middle of the meeting. The team then redoubled their work and we were able to raise our heads. The day of December 16, when we took the first two places in Quinté+ with guys from the house, will remain the best moment of the meeting. The hat-trick achieved on January 1st was also a great moment. Everything went well, the horses returned well… The only downside, a big thought for Quentin Jacob, who was injured. We wish him a good recovery. I’m certainly missing two or three victories that could have allowed us to make the hole, but that’s how it is. We have competition, the guys prepare as well as us. I would like to congratulate my colleagues who did a good job throughout this Cagnois meeting. This is the second year in a row that we have finished at the top of the list. I thank the whole team, the owners who are loyal and also my wife, Emilie.” With also 12 victories, David Cottin therefore finishes in the same stride as the winner, but the man of Together We Win is clearly ahead in earnings (€353,065). Author of a double this Tuesday with Style d’Emirs et King LotYannick Fouin snatches, with 11 trophies and 422,360 euros in winnings, third place from a duo composed of Mickaël Seror and David Windrif (9 successes). As for Hugo Merienne (5 victories), who won two of the three Quintés+ of the meeting with First Dream et Khal Tyronhe finished, for his part, in sixth place and also deserves to be cited
First title for Felix de Giles
As for the jockeys, Felix de Giles won the day by winning eight times with, among others, Prince Chop, King David or even Imagination. Sixth in the 2024 Cravache d’Or rankings, with 53 victories, the jockey born in the suburbs of Oxford (England) looked back on his performance: “This is the first time that I have finished at the top of the list in Cagnes-sur-Mer and that makes me happy. This year, I made the entire meeting even though I had a two-week layoff. I am also lucky to have ridden good horses, who have class. It’s very important and I thank all the coaches who supported me. I also remember my association with King Davidwho is a horse that jumps to perfection.” And when we ask him what his goals are for the coming year, Felix de Giles tells us: “I don’t focus on numbers and the Golden Crop, I simply hope to ride the best horses.” Winner last year with eleven trophies, Dylan Ubeda must be satisfied this year with the silver medal (6 successes) ahead of Johnny Charron, Nathanaël Ferreira, Bastien Marchand and Alexandre Chesneau, all four credited with five successes.
Christian Trecco shines at home
Finally, Christian Trecco, winner of the Grand Prix de la Ville de Nice – Prix Bernard Secly (Gr. III) with Ownerlast Sunday, finished at the top of the owners’ ranking with 179,420 euros in winnings. Second place is taken by Scuderia Aichner (€164,565), managed by coach Josef Vana Jr and helped by the success of Star wreath et Vezzanaahead of Pegasus Farms Ltd (€137,580), which can boast of taking the lead in number of victories (5).
Also read:
In a meeting – Cagnes-sur-Mer – Josef Vana Jr: “Suroit seems 100% to me”
Tuesday December 24, 2024 in Cagnes-sur-Mer – Loïc Audon Prize: Imagination confirms the great success of Felix de Giles
Obstacle: Successful start of Cagnois meeting for David Cottin
Cagnes-sur-Mer meeting – Mathieu Pitart: “It’s a meeting that we are preparing”
The Big Interview: Christian Trecco and his plural Cagnoise passions
Thomas Roucayrol (technical director of the Cagnes-sur-Mer racecourse) takes stock:
“The results of the obstacle meeting are rather positive. In terms of the figures, which were finalized on December 31, we are up 6% in attendance at the racecourse. An increase of 1.6% in PMH issues could therefore be observed over this period. There was, however, a small drop of 1.3% on the PMU stakes. However, you must be careful with these figures, as many factors can cause them to vary. Finally, regarding the starters, where our figures are also currently finalized as of December 31, we had 697 starters, an average of 10.6 starters per race. This corresponds to the figures observed last year. The falls were a little more numerous, as we only had 4 mm of water during the whole month, making the track fast.”
