HOKKAIDO Jiel, driven by Franck Nivard, ran out the surprise winner of the 2026 Prix d’Amerique at 36/1.
As the odds will tell you, he was largely unconsidered, but if you look behind the data, our winner was hiding in plain sight.
Hokkaido Jiel was second in the same race in 2024, behind no less than Idao du Tillard. The driver was not going to be fazed by the big occasion as M. Nivard had previously steered Meaulnes De Corta, and dual winners Ready Cash and Bold Eagle to the coveted podium.
A period off the track in 2025 and the presence of some younger stars allowed Hokkaido Jiel, trained by Jean Luc Dersoir, to go off at a working man’s price.
Coincidentally, the owner/breeders Ecurie Luck (Jean Luck and his grandson Eric Frémiot, both from the Alsace region) produced Dusty Jiel, a 2013 foal who finished up in Ireland with John Richardson, but was well below Prix d’Amerique class.
“I knew my horse was right,” said the trainer. “He worked well at Grosbois on Monday. I was hungry for this race, but I’m not one for jumping up and down when I win.”
Nine experts contacted by The Irish Field managed to swerve the winner, as did ‘yours truly’, who stuck with the Italian horse Frank Gio (ww, no clear run, produced in straight, kow) as they say in race reports.
The race was run in horrible conditions. Nivard lost his driving glasses in ‘la ligne droite‘ (the home straight) but his cut out of €450,000 will buy a new pair.
Early drama
There was drama early in the race as actual favourite Iroise De La Noe broke on the first turn for no apparent reason. Once again, that’s why they call it trotting.
Judging by the amount of canary yellow shirts and baseball caps in the stand, Iroise was the people’s choice. There was a heartfelt gasp from the 35,000 attendance when the mare went ‘off her legs’ to use the Irish vernacular.
In the aftermath of the race, all the keyboard warriors had an opinion as to whether Iroise De La Noe’s trainer Thomas Levesque, who won the Prix de Belgique with the eight-year-old, should have driven himself instead of handing the lines to perennial champion driver Eric Raffin.
In defence of Eric Raffin, some trotting mares have a mercury tilt switch and her gallop could happen no matter who was in the bike.
Meanwhile, at the head of the peloton, second-favourite Go On Boy was bang there at the ‘tournant final’ before he too put in a skip.
You’ve got to feel for the Josh Power team. His big white blaze stood out against the sea of black ash. Sebastian Ernault popped the ear plugs at the 600 metre pole and he looked all over the winner off a tough trip. They were ‘unlucky beat’ as they say at Annaghmore.
The top three drivers as Franck Nivard takes the winner's trophy alongside Sebastian Ernault and Paul Philippe Ploquin \Scoopdyga
In a historical piece in this paper recently, Franck Nivard was described as unflappable. He explained to the media afterwards that he went down the inside and was not sure he would get out.
For every bit of bad luck, there is usually a corresponding piece of good luck. When Go On Boy galloped, his driver correctly took to the infield and this allowed Hokkaido Jiel to sneak up the inner.
Incidentally, the reason why drivers seem to make no attempt to restrain a galloping horse is safety. Le TROT have decreed that galloping horses are to be driven forwards until they get away from the bunched up horses. A driver trying to gather a breaker could impede the whole field.
Epic Kronos was third for his Swedish connections.
Vincennes, January 25th
2026 Rova Caviar Prix d’ Amerique (Group 1) 2.7km (1m 6f approx)
Total prize: €1,000,000 1st €450,000 2nd €250,000 3rd €140,000 4th €80,000
1st Hokkaido Jiel (Fr) h9 Brillantisme - Victory Jiel
Driver F Nivard Trainer J.L. Dersoir
2nd Josh Power (Fr) h7 Offshore Dream - Balginette
Driver S Ernault Trainer S Ernault
3rd Epic Kronos (Swe) h6 Muscle Hill - Firely
Driver P. Ph Ploquin Trainer D Reden
4th Frank Gio (Ity) h5 Face Time Bourbon - Zarina Go
Driver M Abrivard Trainer S Guarato
Dist: Sh, ½ l, hd. Time (Km rate 1.11.4)
SP: 36/1 9/2 9/2 9/1* (expressed in Irish/UK equivalents)
LE TROT, like the authorities in Irish racing, have realised that to entertain bumper crowds, they must put on something more than ‘mere’ top-class horses.
The problem that President Jean-Pierre Barjon and his team have is they have become so good at these spectaculars that it’s hard to outdo the previous year.
The usual staples were on show. Around 90 minutes before the big race, the 18 drivers are introduced to the crowd, individually, down a red carpet.
No doubt they are full of nerves, but most manage to salute the crowd and the odd driver might throw away some baseball hats or driver’s gloves. Each driver was accompanied by a young mascot, quite possibly a family member.
The event escalates as various horses have supporters’ clubs and the noise of the cheers for each driver roughly corresponds with their price on the PMU.
Baseball caps, scarves and banners matching the horses’ colours are everywhere. Compere Laurent Bruneteau’s mic carries throughout the complex and he is good at stirring things up.
The band of the Republican Guard put on a mounted display with, of course, the national anthem. It’s stirring stuff.
Just before the army band, this year’s star turn came on. Congolese rap artist Gims (marketed as GIMS) rocked up in a Mustang sports car and started performing on a gantry mounted on an obscenely big juggernaut. Seemingly, he has sold three million albums.
I wouldn’t be a great judge of Congolese rap artists, but Gims seemed to know his job. The crowd was full of young families and I did notice both mums and kids singing along word for word, so he must be mainstream!
The rapper Gims meets the trotter Frank Gio \ Scoopdyga
Unfortunately, there were some sound problems, which meant that the artist had to stop early, but he definitely had the place bouncing.
His minders whisked him off to the stables area for some photo opportunities. Perhaps his pink fleece unsettled Iroise De La Noe.
Around two dozen Irish trotting followers were in attendance. Mark Flanagan and James Leavis represented the IHRA at the European Trotting Conference assembly.
Philip Gilligan, senior and junior, Fergie Gosson, Hopper Foran, Ger and Paddy Kane soaked in the atmosphere.
Pa Crawford, who breeds pacers and Connemara ponies near Ennistymon, Co Clare, was impressed. “An unbelievable weekend, the highlight was the big race.”
THERE was a tragic event on the main day (Sunday) as a 68-year-old Swedish trotting correspondent Thomas Thell passed away suddenly due to a heart attack.
Obviously, the journalists in the press room and the officials who rushed to the scene were badly shaken. He had travelled alone to the meeting and his family was contacted. The sympathies of all in Irish harness racing and the press go out to his family. Typical of trotting, he wasn’t just a reporter; he also owned horses in Sweden.