Francois Nicolle breaks Grand Steeple-Chase drought as supersub Clement Lefebvre shines on Diamond Carl

Clement Lefebvre landed back-to-back runnings of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris thanks to an 11th-hour call-up, his nerveless steer aboard Diamond Carl earning six-time champion trainer Francois Nicolle victory in a race that had previously eluded him through the course of four decades with a licence. 

Running down to two out it was obvious there would be a new name on the roll of honour, with the Emmanuel Clayeux-trained Kolokico and James Reveley giving Diamond Carl a lead, as last year's winner Gran Diose began to back-pedal. 

Nicolle has often said he would not be worried if he ended his career without a victory in France's greatest steeplechase, although it was unclear whether his apparent sangfroid in the immediate aftermath was due to maintaining that line, or else a wait for reality to dawn.

"I'll know more about what it means when they play the national anthem on the podium and I wouldn't be surprised if I cry," said Nicolle. "Straight after the race I had a lot of people around me and it was a bit difficult to collect my thoughts. My first reaction was to let out a sigh of relief.

"Diamond Carl can follow any pace and he jumped like a butterfly today. I think my other horse, Goliath Du Rheu, will show himself to be a Grand Steeple horse in the future, but for the moment he doesn't have the same turn of foot."

Lefebvre received confirmation he would replace the injured Bertrand Lestrade on the morning of the race, reward for patiently waiting out other offers – agent Giovanni Laplace reportedly turned down four other rides – after the team behind last year's winner Gran Diose opted to stay with Thomas Beaurain. 

Clement Lefebvre returns after winning the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris on Diamond CarlCredit: Racing Post/Burton

Lefebvre said: "This is completely mad, I found out I had the ride only at 10.30am. My thoughts are with Bertrand Lestrade; the same thing happened to me before last season's Prix la Haye Jousselin and it's tough. He gave me a lot of advice about how to ride the horse, which was an enormous help. It's a wonderful moment.

"I was always travelling easily and he jumped the rail ditch and fence with so much in hand, and I knew he was full of running. I worked so hard to get back from injury to be fit for the weekend and it's all paid off."

Gran Diose's trainer Louisa Carberry and co-owner Frederic Hinderze had faced an infernal choice, given Beaurain was unbeaten in two starts replacing Lefebvre. 

Clement Levebvre with his wife and daughter, flanked by Xavier Papot and Francois NicolleCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"I'm so happy for Clement, he's like family and will always be the jockey who won me a Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris," said Hinderze. "And he'll be back aboard all my horses from May 27. But I have learned the hard way not to put jockeys back up during the first month back from injury, while Clement knew we'd always stick with the jockey who was available to ride in the prep race."

Carberry felt a shortened preparation probably cost Gran Diose, who finished fifth of the 14 runners after making his first start of the year only three weeks earlier.

For Clayeux and co-owner Lord Daresbury there was a familiar feeling, as the five-year-old Kolokico matched the efforts of Gex in 2022 and 2023. 

Daresbury said: "We seem to have a penchant for second, but now he's learned to settle, he loves this ground and he's an exciting horse for the future." 

Felix de Giles and Kivala Du Berlais after landing the Prix Alain de Breil

De Giles edges thriller

Felix de Giles gained the second Grade 1 success of his career in France when he drove the David Cottin-trained Kivala Du Berlais to a desperate success in the four-year-old hurdle championship, the Prix Alain du Breil. 

As with Lefebvre aboard Diamond Carl in the Grand Steeple an hour and a half earlier, De Giles was called up late in the day after Bertrand Lestrade suffered a shoulder injury on day one of the meeting.

Kivala Du Berlais prevailed by a nose from Musique Maestro, with favourite Six Figures just a neck further back in third.

"I had the exact run that I wanted and although he was jumping out to the right quite a lot, he was so tough," said De Giles, who won the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure on this day two years ago with the Cottin-trained Juntos Ganamos. 

"Each one of these is hugely important. I've won a lot of Graded races and been second and third in plenty of Grade 1s. In France they are few and far between so they really count."

Lanivtsi and connections after winning the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure

Relief for Bressou

This year's Ferdinand Dufaure went the way of Lanivtsi and rising star Gabin Meunier, providing trainer Dominique Bressou with a fine pick-me-up following the defeat of odds-on favourite Losange Bleu in Saturday's Grande Course de Haies.

"These are the kinds or races I love to win, there was a real open feel to it without a hot favourite," said Bressou. "Gabin gave him a wonderful ride and having taken it up before two out, he had to run all the way to the line.

"It's never an easy thing to kick for home that far out and you see plenty of horses pay for that late on."

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