Etienne & Grégoire Leenders Race-horse trainers

On May 7^th at Saint-Cloud, PALMERINO finished 3^rd in Prix de l’Aquitaine: “quinté” (big handicap) over 3100m (a mile and 7 ½ furlongs).

 Ridden by Pierre Charles Boudot, he started in the middle of the field and had a very smooth race.    

  At the entrance of the finishing straight, PC took PALMERINO out in the middle of the track and they started accelerating well.  

   We thought it was “done”, but there was a strong fight with three other competitors. The distances at the finish were: head, short head, head!

At Châteaubriant on May 6^th, FATINES ran over jumps for the first time: a hurdle race for 4 year-olds over 3400m (2 miles and 1 furlong).    

 We were looking forward to seeing her over jumps for the first time because we saw pleasant things in the morning. We were not disappointed as she won with class !!!    

  Ridden by Hugo Lucas, she started nice and quiet in 4^th position, she jumped well and didn’t make any effort during the race.     

  At the last hurdle of the far straight, she took the lead because she jumped better than the others and Hugo let her go and she was not caught.

FATINES is by Spirit One out of Tadjike, she was bred by Haras de Maulepaire and belongs to Douglas McMillan and Etienne and Grégoire Leenders.

On May 5^th at Senonnes, EN TEMPS VOULU ran a cross-country race and finished 3^rd ridden by Hugo Lucas.      

 This cross-country course is difficult and very technical. Actually, when you manage on this course, you are able to do well on any race-course !    

 She was sometimes a bit lost in the sharp bends, but she jumped the cross-country obstacles remarkably well and on top of that she finished well.

She is a good recruit… and her uncle CHRISETI won’t be ashamed of her…

The first race of this filly was very expected !    

Actually, last July at the sales of Maisons-Laffitte, Grégoire had noticed JUNTA DREAM and offered a group of fans to buy her together with Douglas McMillan.

For some of them it was their first horse…and therefore we can understand they were so impa

 For her first time out we found a good entry at Vichy on May 4^th: a maiden hurdle race for 3 year-olds.  

 Ridden by Wilfried Lajon, she ran well and finished 3^rd. She is beaten by two horses who had already run.   

 Her qualities as a jumper can’t be denied and we are going to enjoy ourselves with her because she has a good margin of improvement.   

  Bred in Nièvre by SCEA JC. Raymond, JUNTA DREAM is by Dream Well out of Junita des Champs and she runs under the colors of Douglas McMillan.

…preferred a less sticky going at Maisons-Laffitte on May 3^rd. She ran well and finished 4^th ridden by Alexis Badel. It was Prix Querido, a race for 4 year-olds and upwards over a mile and a half. We could see she had not her usual stride and made mistakes due to the ground.

As summer will come, we’ll get firm ground… and TINARILOU will be happy (and so will we).

Thank you to the Epalien* photographers Luc and William…and even Marie-France who was not at the race-course but nevertheless managed to send us photographs… What a team…          * Epalien= share-holders of the syndicate Le Pied A L’Etrier

… for TALBIN at Durtal on April 28^th in Prix de l’Hippodrome: a maiden race for colts and geldings over 2300m (a mile and 3 ½ furlongs).

Ridden by Sébastien Martino, he started in the middle of the field, moved up at the entrance of the bend and performed a good last straight to finish 4^th. 

 This gelding by Great Pretender is not really precocious, but he will do well as he improves physically, has a good mental and comes from a family of good race-horses !     

  The partners Thierry Garnier, Sylvain Bosson and Etienne and Grégoire Leenders are quite satisfied.  

…we chose to go to La Teste for 's comeback race because she only does her best on firm ground… and considering the weather, we knew this racecourse offered firm going!! Unfortunately, it rained a lot in the morning, just before racing and …the ground became sticky… 

 ELAFONISSI ran well but was not at ease, she finished 5^th ridden by Alexandre Beaudoin Boin.   As we get close to summer, we are not worried, we’ll have firm ground… and ELAFONISSI will be happy.

At Maisons-Laffitte on April 26^th, FARAFRA finished 4^th in Prix Bango: a classic race for 4 and 5 year-old AQPS (non-thoroughbred) over a mile and a half.       

Ridden by Grégory Benoist, she quickly took the lead (that was not the instruction), put some pace in the race for the others and didn’t accelerate in the finishing straight. 

On top of that, FARAFRA is much better on heavy going.  

 In spite of this slight counter-performance, we still trust her because she is a good filly!

…for our FRIANDISE GIRL who didn’t run well in Prix Bango at Maisons-Laffitte.  

  When getting off after the race, his jockey Théo Bachelot said:” I don’t understand, she was not the same filly as last time, no energy, she was even spineless !!”   

  Well, like many fillies at this time of the year, our lovely grey filly was in season… therefore not in a good form to run!!       

  To see again !

….OR GRIS at Compiègne on April 23^rd in Prix de Verberie, a maiden race for 3 year-old colts and geldings.      

Ridden at the back of the field by Alexis Badel, the horse was calm and serious. At the entrance of the last straight, he followed the favorite and finished very good 3^rd. OR GRIS is beaten by two horses who are quite estimated by their respective trainers.

 We’ll see for the next races…but we already know that he will be able to run over a longer trip.