Decize hosted its 16th inter-regional show on Friday 28th August 2009. The sun finally arrived and over 400 visitors attended the lunch which provided a pleasant break between the morning's two-year-old classes and the foals' competitions in the afternoon. Major AQPS breeders of the region, as well as visitors from across the country and from Great Britain and Ireland enjoyed the convivial event.
The AQPS breed has been nicknamed "French Chasers" by its promoters in France. Mainly based in the West of the country and in the Central France, it has given some of the best French jumpers of the last 25 years such as Nupsala, The Fellow, Ucello II, Al Capone... One of the main features of that breed is the quest for a conformation that suits the sport. Traditionally, horse shows held in the main breeding areas help breeders to sell their production. The Decize show, held on Friday August 28th in the Nievre near the Magny-Cours ex-Formula1 circuit, is the biggest one along with the Lion d'Angers show, on Sept. 9th in the West of France.
The best turned out foal this year was a Westerner colt presented by Nicolas de Lageneste's Haras de Saint-Voir (click here for his catalogue page). The tall handsome dark colt's dam Millesimee (Video Rock) is a full sister to Auteuil Gr3 Chase winner Hard Rock from a Cypres bloodline (the Cypres family is the outstanding breeder in the area, who produced The Fellow, Ucello II and Al Capone). "I am very fond of the Westerners," said Lageneste, who bred Rendons Grace, the top 4yo chaser in France. I also have a 2003 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Gr1) winner Line Marine (Agent Bleu)'s brother by Westerner who is stunning. Westerner was a great racehorse with a lovely pedigree and this colt has always been very attractive. I hope I will be able to keep him and race him under the Haras de Saint-Voir's banner."
The best filly was a French National Stud sire Special Kaldoun April weanling out of the Hurdle winner Loridee (Ragmar) presented by Thierry Cypres Her Ballingarry 2yo brother was elected best turn out juvenile earlier in the day. Toride -his name- is now owned by Vision d'Etat's owner Jacques Detre along with his breeder Thierry Cypres.
It was Detre's first visit to Decize's show, let alone his participation. Also spotted on the Decize showground were newcomers Herve Barjot, trainers Francois Belmont and Marie-Laetitia Mortier. The British and the Irish were out in force too with Tattersalls' Director Todd Watt, also a jury at the show for the second time, DBS's newly appointed French agent Richard Hobson and bloodstock delegate George Stanners, Irish agent and regular at decize Seamus Murphy, trainers Mick "First Time Abroad" Easterby and his son David, and a few others that Le Frog could not identify after a long stint at the Pouilly Fume bar (9€ a chilled preferred bottle is worth the trip on its own). Todd Watt was enjoying a sunbath staring at the foals when he gave his feelings about his second trip to Decize for the show : "My brother in law Joss Hanbury introduced me to the Cypres and they were kind enough to invite me to take part for the second time. I must say that I learn a lot by coming over here. We have got a few shows like these in Britain but none are organized in such a beautiful way. The people here are very friendly. As for the AQPS, we sell traditional store horses at Tattersalls and the ones I judged here were very well balanced racehorses, which is the mark of the AQPS to me."