Rather campaign version fields than racetracks. Such is the world of Chablis, a workhorse in the running for the Fête de la Bague. They will be four horses in its category to try to win this ancestral race this Tuesday, May 31 in Semur-en-Auxois, it has been disputed since 1639 every last day of May! The starting signal will be given at 3:30 p.m. in the medieval city.
A challenge: bring Chablis to the finish
The rider, Sébastien Grenier is no more accustomed to horse racing than his mount. But this enthusiast has decided to set himself a challenge this year: to bring Chablis to the finish of this prestigious amateur race.
– Claire Checcaglini
800 meter race in the middle of the crowd
He will indeed have to manage to make his animal run over 800 meters of false flat on the Mall of Sémur and what is more in the middle of the crowd. What a change of scenery Chablis which spends most of its time at the lake stables in Civry-en-Montagne. This is where the animal with the beautiful white and gray dappled coat has been grazing for 10 years, feeding sometimes on hay and grass, sometimes on apples, when it is not out for a walk with its rider. These quiet walks serve as training, far from the daily life of the champions of the Prix d’Amérique or the Arc de Triomphe.
– Claire Checcaglini
Chablis nicknamed “my fat” or “my Barbie”
The aim is therefore not to achieve a performance with Chablis and its 750 kg. Affectionately, his one-day joker calls him “my fat” by patting him on the side, or even “my Barbie”, in reference to his blond mane.
First participation in the Race of the Ring
Sébastien, a professional accustomed to perilous missions on a rope, is therefore not aiming for the famous silver ring, reserved for the winner. Simply, this Tuesday, he will take the start of this race for the first time, the culmination of a passion born a few years ago. Because it is by accompanying his daughter to riding lessons, that Sébastien Grenier also acquired a taste for the world of horses. He will then be able to admire the eight thoroughbreds who will set off for the second race of the day, still on the mall, converted for one day into a racecourse worthy of Longchamps or Vincennes.