Grand Steep star Carriacou aims to shine bright under Easysland rider Plouganou

1.35 AuteuilPrix Murat (Chase) | Grade 2 | 2m6f | 5yo+ | SKY

The Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris picture should become clearer on Saturday afternoon as last year's hero Carriacou bids to cement his claims for a repeat bid in the Prix Murat, an important trial for the prestigious prize.

The Isabelle Pacault-trained eight-year-old will not have the assistance of regular rider Davy Russell due to quarantine restrictions, with the leading chaser to be instead partnered by Jonathan Plouganou, who rode Easysland to a memorable success at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this year.

Plouganou has already recorded a victory on Carriacou in last year's in Prix William Head, and the pair must give at least 7lb to the field on Saturday.

Carriacou is expected to be sharper for his hurdles reappearance in March when sixth behind El Gringo and the Nick Williams-trained Agrapart, but surely is more effective over further than this 2m6f test.

Jonathan Plouganou lowered the colours of Tiger Roll on Easysland at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival and now takes over from Davy Russell on CarriacouCredit: Edward Whitaker

One rival with no concerns about the distance is five-year-old Figuero, an upwardly mobile campaigner seeking a fourth win on the bounce for trainer Francois Nicolle.

The runaway Maurice Gillois Chase (Grade 1) scorer is undoubtedly hugely talented and Saturday's assignment against some older rivals should prove informative as to how highly he ranks in the overall pecking order.

Guillaume Macaire's Grade 1-winning hurdler Feu Follet proved too classy for his rivals at Compiegne in March and adds another layer of intrigue to a fascinating clash, while star mare Ebonite renews her rivalry with Poly Grandchamp, having had her elder's measure last time in the Prix Troytown.

Four lengths separated the pair in Grade 3 company in March but Ebonite is 5lb worse off at the weights this time around and appears to have the Grand Steep as a bigger priority.

Surprise Prix Georges Courtois (Grade 2) heroine Roxinela is no back number for shrewd trainer Francois-Marie Cottin, who speaks fluent English in an Irish-style accent, having spent time with leading trainers Arthur Moore and Michael Hourigan previously.

What the connections say

Isabelle Pacault, trainer of Carriacou
I feel he is in very good shape. He is up against new opposition but I expect him to run well. It's a shame Davy [Russell] can't ride but [Jonathan] Plouganou has won on him before. He prefers spring ground and so that should be fine for him it will be up to the jockey to judge how hard he needs to be on him. In terms of how he measures up to the opposition it is difficult to say over this trip of 4,400m [2m6f], whereas I know he is strong enough for D Day over 6,000m [3m5f].

Francois-Marie Cottin, trainer of Roxinela
I was delighted with the way she jumped around the course when winning in November, she seems to enjoy it more and more as she gets older. She finished fifth on her prep race before then and has always been placed with those horses, maybe she needed more fitness to be able to beat them last time. She's done all we've asked of her and she's come to herself in her own time. I think and hope she is at her peak now.

Emmanuel Clayeux, trainer of Ebonite
I'm a little bit fearful because we've had a lot of time since her last race. I think she is in good form but it wasn't very easy for her to wait two months because she is very nervous, although she seems nice at the moment. Even if she ran a bit worse than last time it would not be concerning because the big race is on June 7 [Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris].

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