Losange Bleu the pride of France as Hewick produces another memorable effort with Champion Hurdle second

It may be some time before the winner of the King George VI Chase attempts to double-up in the French Champion Hurdle five months later, but then few horses are made like Hewick. 

Versatile doesn’t begin to do justice to the nine-year-old’s talent and all the way up the run in it was his supporters whose voices rang out from the Auteuil stands, as Hewick gave everything in a length and a half defeat to the classy five-year-old Losange Bleu, who added the Grande Course de Haies to last season’s Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris for his ageless rider, Johnny Charron.

“He’s run an absolute cracker,” said Hewick’s trainer Shark Hanlon, who might have thought at the start of the day that if his horse of a lifetime finished best of the five Irish-trained runners, that would be good enough to win.

Shark Hanlon: trainer of French Champion Hurdle runner-up HewickCredit: Alan Crowhurst

“He jumped well, did everything and a better horse beat us. I know we’re better over fences but that shows what I have, he’s a great horse.”

Hanlon added: “There’s no doubt he’s a better horse this year than last and he’s improving every day he runs. I’m just disappointed to get beat, but I’d say the best French horse beat us. We have to be happy but at the same time disappointed.”

Charron attacked the 3m1½f with the inexperienced Losange Bleu as if stamina was guaranteed, though that was anything but the case with a horse who had never tackled further than 2m3½f. 

“It’s the horse that is good, not the trainer," said Dominique Bressou, who has previously produced staying champions of the calibre of Milord Thomas and Galop Marin from his base in the shadow of Mont St Michel, as well as guiding the early career of A Plus Tard.

“I’m a small trainer and the quality rests with the horse, not with me. I try not to miss an objective but all I can do is try and work in the right way. We had a virus in the yard which is why we didn’t run him in the final prep race and we’ve only had a month to get back from that. 

“I didn’t have much doubt he would stay and we decided not to hold him up, but to step up from 3,900 metres to 5,100 metres in a Grade 1 is not something every horse could manage.”

Dominique Bressou applauds his Grande Course winner Losange Bleu

Another five-year-old, July Flower - who carries the colours of Irish owner Caolan Woods - just edged third ahead of Mahler Mission, whose trainer John McConnell was also awash with pride and disappointment in equal measure.

“It’s good ground, safe ground, but he was flat out the whole way and Ben [Harvey] said he couldn’t get a breather into him.” said McConnell. 

“It was a brilliant run after quite a traumatic Grand National, between getting hampered, unseating and then completing the course. So to come back like that was fab and hopefully sets us up for next year.”

Mahler Mission and Ben Harvey after running fourth in the Grande Course de Haies at AuteuilCredit: Racing Post/Burton

Asked whether another tilt at the National would be on the cards for next season, McConnell said: “It’s a long year to set aside for one race, which we did this year. I don't know. He’s earned 100 grand this year and he hasn’t won a race, which shows how good he’s been. It’s nice to win races too.”

Home By The Lee was only beaten seven and a quarter lengths in sixth, just ahead of Champion Hurdle runner-up Irish Point, who was never able to get competitive under Mark Walsh.

“He bumped the first and he never looked happy after that,” said Gordon Elliott of Irish Point. “He was a few lengths further back than ideal but once he’s home and in one piece that’s all we care about, he’s a horse for next year.

“Whether we go chasing or keep him hurdling, we’ll see. But he’s a good horse.”

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