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t h e c r y s ta l c u p e u r o p e a n c r o s s c o u n t r y c h a l l e n g e b r i n g s t o g e t h e r t h e f i n e s t i n t e r n at i o n a l h o r s e s a n d j o c k e y s
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I t’s an invigorating multi-nation contest which crowns the winning stable after 10 exciting cross country steeplechases. And yet in today’s world with so much division, the Crystal Cup European Cross Country Challenge achieves something even more unique – unity between many countries who have a shared passion for this particular racing discipline. Although the name steeplechase stems back to an informal four-mile race between two churches by two horsemen in 18th century Ireland, it was the French who first introduced
Regular names at Cheltenham in recent years include French trainers Patrice Quinton and Emmanuel Clayeux, with the latter providing the first Gallic victory at the course since 2005 when Urgent De Gregaine won the cross-country at odds of 50/1 in January. “British people have a love of the horse that we don’t have in France and this creates a wonderful atmosphere that is just magic
to experience,” said Clayeux, who was so inspired by British racing that he organised France’s first point-to-point in August. The 10-race series, with more than 700,000 Euros in prize money, begins in Pau in south-west France in February, followed by the Cheltenham Festival race in March. It involves racing over unique combinations of hedges, banks, ditches and timber. Further races are organised in France, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic.The final race takes place at Cheltenham in December. Last year’s Crystal Cup winner for the third consecutive year as a trainer and owner was Patrice Quinton in his orange and blue
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the official version of the contest. Belgium and Italy followed and by 1874 Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, added the world’s most extraordinary cross circuit to the mix with the Velka Pardubice. Today the Crystal Cup, a new initiative developed in 2010 – which also encompasses Cheltenham Racecourse for Britain, Ireland’s Punchestown Racecourse and new for 2017, Wroclaw Racecourse in Poland – brings together the finest international horses and riders to honour the sport’s heritage.
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featuring The Crystal Cup, December 15
colours. It culminated in Gallo’s Star finishing third at Cheltenham in December in the final. However Quinton admitted he has a dream that has yet to be realised. “It’s a huge challenge and every year I target around eight to 10 horses especially for this, as each race is very different. One of my favourites is Waregem in Belgium, but I dream of winning at Cheltenham.”
“It is a challenge of silks and owners, not the horses themselves. It’s rare for any to run the Grand Cross de Pau,The Anjou Loire or the Grand Cross de Craon in the same season! “It is thus the owners who are put forward in this tournament,” explained Alain Peltier, president of the Crystal Cup. It means owners get to see their horses compete on foreign soil.
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