AS expected, English and Irish hurdlers dominated the finish of last Sunday’s Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil.

The cross-Channel raiders took five of the first six places in the Grade 1 race which was dominated from start to finish by the David Pipe-trained Un Temps Pour Tout with an inspired James Reveley in the saddle.

It was fantastic to see the almost white Thousand Stars run on gamely to take second place with Katie Walsh but her brother Ruby was never able to engage top gear on the favourite Hurricane Fly who finished sixth and never looked like taking a place in the frame.

In all, the visitors took over 88% of the €370,000 up for grabs in France’s most prestigious and valuable hurdle.

Pipe amassed €185,500 as Ballynagour ran a brave fifth, the Mullins total came to €94,350 and Zarkandar finished third and won €48,100 for Paul Nicholls.

So far this season in France the Pipe stable has earned €270,470 and runners from the Mullins’ yard have accumulated €258,350.

The other feature of the meeting was the riding of 21-year-old Vincent Cheminaud. Just a week after partnering Khalid Abdullah’s New Bay to victory in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, he had three rides over hurdles at Auteuil and won on them all.

Never afraid of taking the initiative and making all, he landed the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil on Blue Dragon who virtually cantered throughout the two miles, three and a half furlong contest.

The current champion jump jockey was following in the footsteps of his father Christophe as he rode Great Love to victory in the Alain du Breil back in 2002.

Cheminaud junior is currently joint second in the jump jockey’s championship with 31 successes and a strike rate of 31% but he will not be at the head of this table at the end of the year. He is taking what those close to him call a “pause” from riding over jumps until the autumn.

He appears to have caught the eye of Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte organisation so cannot take a risk of injury during the main part of the flat season when New Bay is expected to contest some top races like the Eclipse, the Grand Prix de Paris, the King George VI and the Qatar Prix d’Arc de Triomphe.

On Monday, he carried the Abdullah colours when winning with Harlem in a maiden race at Longchamp. This son of Champs Elysees has been entered in several top events later in the season.