THE Grade 1 Prix Serge Landon-Grand Prix d’Automne Hurdle on Saturday at Auteuil was won for the second year in succession by the hot favourite Losange Bleu (Martaline). The three-mile feature gave the Papot family, who bred the six-year-old gelding, a record sixth win in the contest, as they owned the Irish-bred Galop Marin who was successful from 2018 to 2021. That son of Black Sam Bellamy was bred by Mark Molloy and Mark Fleming.

Losange Bleu was never in danger, grinding his rivals into submission, and at the entrance to the straight the race was well and truly over. Winning trainer Dominique Bressou, who also handled Galop Marin, is now two behind record-holder William Head who won this race with Filidor (1931 in a dead-heat), Evohé II (1934 to 1937), Daring (1944), Vatelys (1946), Blue Butterfly (1947) and Maisons-Laffitte (1951).

The victory meant a lot to Bressou, who said: “It’s a relief. Just because we won last year and were the favourite, doesn’t mean you’re going to win! Today, I was under enormous pressure. I think I’ve rarely been this stressed before a race. In the stands, you just hope nothing happens to a horse of this quality. He is exceptional.”

What a treat it would be to see Losange Bleu pitted against the best staying hurdlers in Ireland and Britain. He has already run 22 times over hurdles in his native country, and was first past the post 14 times, but lost one of these following the discovery of a prohibited substance. He has once been out of the first three in all his starts, and his winnings are not far off €1.5 million.

Four Grade 1s

Last Saturday’s victory was his fourth at Grade 1 level, in addition to the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil and the Prix Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle, and all but one of his 13 wins have been in blacktype races. He was twice runner-up too at Grade 1 level.

Losange Bleu’s dam, Sweet Valrose (Cadoudal), was placed in hurdle races at Enghien and Auteuil at the age of three, racing for Vicenzo Esposito. She produced several winners before coming under the Papot family’s ownership, and her tally of victorious offspring now stands at seven from 10 runners. They were all her offspring, and the three non-winners all placed.

Sweet Valrose’s first foal for the Papot family, Losange Vert (Montmartre), distinguished himself by winning the Grade 3 Prix Duc d’Anjou 4yo Chase. After Losange Bleu, she foaled Losange Vert Bleu (Night Wish), and this dual winner was placed in the 2024 Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier 4yo Hurdle, a year after his half-brother won that race.

Prior to her acquisition by the Papot family, Sweet Valrose’s winners included three full-brothers who were placed in blacktype races. The more familiar of these was Vicenzo Mio (Corri Piano). He won twice in France at three, moved to Paul Nicholls for whom he won a juvenile hurdle at Kempton and was placed in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham. He raced on for many years and never won again, but placed a total of 20 times over hurdles and fences in Britain.

Blue Shark

Sweet Valrose is a full-sister to Blue Shark (Cadoudal). After winning a listed hurdle race in France he made a successful debut for Nicky Henderson in the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow. They were his only two victories, though he remains the best of four winners from the unraced Sweet Beauty (Tip Moss). She was a daughter of the smart racemare Sweet Virginia (Tapioca II), a listed winner over hurdles and fences in France.

Losange Bleu has continued a distinguished family tradition, as his first three dams have each bred a winner at the highest level over jumps. Sweet Virginia is responsible for Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle winner Sweet Duke (Iron Duke), and this is also the family of Grade 1 winners Benie Des Dieux (Great Pretender) and Grandouet (Al Namix), as well as the good jumps sire Cokoriko (Robin Des Champs), already sire of five Grade 1 winners.

In June 2022 at Arqana, the placed Vicenza Mia (Fuissé), a half-sister to Losange Bleu, was sold for €43,000 to Donal White, in foal to Montmartre (Montmartre). The subsequent colt sold as a foal for €20,000. This month, the mare’s second foal, a Doctor Dino (Muhtathir) colt, was bought by Joey Logan for €35,000.

Vicenza Mia is one of only three daughters from Sweet Valrose. One appears never to have gone to stud, and the other has a large number of young offspring that, with luck, can do well in the future. Hopefully, Vicenza Mia will help to keep the family line alive and kicking.

Sixth anniversary

Next week will mark the sixth anniversary of the death of Martaline. Bred and raced by Khalid Abdullah, the son of Linamix (Mendez) won five times for trainer André Fabre from the age of two to five, including the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil at Maisons-Laffitte, defeating Westerner. He placed a number of times at Group 2 level, but was just short of Group 1 class as a racehorse.

The grey stood at Haras de Montaigu for 15 seasons, but was retired a year before his death, at the age of 20, due to heart problems. He enjoyed some moderate success with his flat runners before going on to enjoy a more rewarding time with his jumpers. On the level he sired a single pattern winner, Akarlina, and a number of other stakes winners.

Taken together, Martaline has had more than 200 of his offspring win or place in blacktype races, at an average of more than 13 per crop. His fee never dropped, and went from a starting price of €3,500 to a high of €15,000, though the price charged for his last year at stud was not made public.

His tally of Grade 1 winners stands at 24, and Losange Bleu shares an honour with another son of Martaline, Mighty Potter, that of winning most Grade 1 races. They have four each.

Doubled up

No son or daughter of Martaline has won three Grade 1s, while five have doubled up. They are Caldwell Potter (one each over hurdles and fences), Terrefort who, like Caldwell Potter, won the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree, We Have A Dream, Disko and Dynaste. The latter also won the Mildmay Novices’ Chase, but when it was a Grade 2. Among the list of Grade 1 winners by Martaline are the sires Moises Has, Nirvana Du Berlais, and Beaumec De Houelle.

Nirvana Du Berlais, a Grade 1 three-year-old hurdle winner in France, is one of their best young sires, and his first crop of four-year-olds includes Grade 1 winner Lulamba, and last weekend’s Grade 1 Auteuil winner Leader Sport who is reviewed elsewhere in this week’s column.

Had Losange Bleu not been gelded, he would surely have gone to stud a couple of years ago, and been lost to racing. At the age of six, rising seven, he has a number of years left in him, and is one of the most popular runners in France.