Sports
Losange Bleu wins French Champion Hurdle with Home By The Lee pulled-up
Race favourite Losange Bleu won the Racing TV Grande Course De Haies D’Auteuil [The French Champion Hurdle] at Auteuil this afternoon, but there was disappointment for the Irish challenger Home By The Lee who was pulled up.
Coming into this afternoon’s 3 miles 1 furlong 77 yards race, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Home By The Lee was seen by many as a serious challenger to French star Losange Bleu who was bidding to regain the title he won in 2024.
The Seán O’Driscoll-owned Home By The Lee had won two Grade 1 races, at the Cheltenham Festival and at Aintree, on his two previous starts.
Fast early pace
This afternoon, however, was one of the 11-year-old’s ‘non-going’ days, as Losange Bleu and jockey Johnny Charron set a fast pace at the front of the 11-runner field.
With the seven-year-old son of Martaline extending his advantage as the race progressed, J.J. Slevin and Home By The Lee soon found themselves struggling at the back of the field.
On the far side, on the final circuit, Slevin took the wise decision to pull the son of Fame And Glory up, as he was by that stage quite a distance off the other runners.
Losange Bleu, trained by Dominic Bressou, came home in splendid isolation, with Theleme staying on for second under Gaetan Masure, who had won the Prix Sagan earlier in the day.
A half-brother of the winner – both being by Martaline – Jet Blue was third, with Illusion Machine next home in fourth.
Didn’t happen for Home By The Lee
Reacting to Home By The Lee being pulled-up, J.J. Slevin told Sports News Ireland immediately after the race:
“It just didn’t happen for him today. They went a really good gallop and obviously horses went past him and he hasn’t enjoyed it – that’s him. The preparation had been good. That’s just him – everyone knows what he’s like, and the winner’s very very good.”
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