14-1 Leffard upsets Trinity College in Grand Prix de Paris
Bred and based in France, US$17,535 supplement Leffard (14-1) and his jockey Cristian Demuro surged down the center of the track to overtake Coolmore colt Trinity College (3-5) and win by a short head Sunday in the Group 1, US$701,426 Grand Prix de Paris for 3-year-olds racing at ParisLongchamp.
After finishing 17th of 18 last month in the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) at Chantilly, this victory against five rivals came with an automatic invitation to the US$5,848,000 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) on Oct. 5. Europe’s richest race will be run over the same 1 1/2 miles of turf as the Grand Prix de Paris.
Leffard is trained in Pau, France, by Jean-Claude Rouget, 71, who visibly was moved to tears as he awaited his protégé’s victorious return to the winner’s circle. Rouget had been battling cancer for months before making his comeback training.
“This is a great moment for my team in Pau,” Rouget said. “It’s hard to sum it all up in a few words. Their support is what kept me going. ... Without them I would have quit. My assistant Jean-René Dubosc did a remarkable job. He took two weeks off and will be returning from vacation a happy man.”
Leffard’s victory vindicates Rouget’s conviction that this colt shares many qualities with his sire Le Havre, one of the champions Rouget trained.
“That’s the horse that started everything,” Rouget said. “Having a successor, it’s fantastic.”
Like Leffard, Le Havre carried the colors of Gérard Augustin-Normand, one of Rouget’s long-standing owners. Antonio Caro, another of the trainer’s historic partners, co-owns Leffard alongside Augustin-Normand.
“Gérard asked me to supplement him,” Rouget said. “His workout on Thursday morning was outstanding. For Gérard this win has a special flavor, since Leffard is a son of Le Havre, his favorite.”
This marks the third time Rouget has won the Grand Prix de Paris following victories with Behkabad in 2010 and Millkom in 1994. It was Demuro’s third win in the race after riding Mont Ormel in 2016 for Augustin-Normand and with Feed the Flame in 2023.
Runner-up Trinity College, who won last month in the Hampton Court (G3) at Royal Ascot, finished 5 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place New Ground (6-1). The winning time was 2:26.45 without a run-up on the course that was rated good to soft.
The victory was the third in five starts for Leffard. He had winter scores both in his debut on a synthetic track at Cagnes-sur-Mer on the Riviera and on the turf at Toulouse. He finished second May 2 in the listed Prix du Suresnes at Chantilly.