Willie Mullins, Paul Townend and Rich Ricci combine for yet another Grade 1 victory - this time in the French Triumph Hurdle

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It's a rare thing for Auteuil's biggest weekend of the year to pass without Willie Mullins getting a piece of the pie, and Selma De Vary – the perennial champion of Ireland's only runner at the meeting – took the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil under a brilliant waiting ride from Paul Townend. 

The four-year-old championship race of the spring in France had attracted a host of well-touted names among the French ranks, notably Leopard Du Berlais, winner of the Grade 1 Prix Cambaceres at the track in November.

Selma De Vary took her return to French-style hurdles in her stride but gave a long start to her rivals, before Townend made stylish progress into the race around the home turn. 

Fourth in the Triumph and then second behind Mange Tout in the 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree, Selma De Vary picked up well from the back of the final hurdle to hold the renewed challenge of another filly, Delmegan.

"I would have maybe liked to wait longer and it's a long way up the straight but she took me there easily and she's a tough filly," said Townend, who was winning the race for the first time but claiming a fourth for Mullins after the previous successes of Gala Marceau, Footpad and Diakali.

"She's a magnificent jumper and she had all the experience of being around here before. She doesn't lose a second, she's very measured."

Townend added: "We were going a good gallop and I went out intent on trying to settle her. I didn't plan being as far back as I was but the gallop they were going, I thought they'd have had to be machines to keep it up. And I could rely on her jumping getting her into it.

"She's had a hard season and she had a couple of hard races starting at the Dublin Racing Festival. Then there's the travelling for a young horse, travelling to England twice and now here. She's a very good filly."

Sel Jem regains Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris after injury-plagued four years

The history books will show that Guillaume Macaire has trained an eighth Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris winner (a second in partnership with Hector de Lageneste), and the ageless Johnny Charron celebrated a third triumph, all achieved since he turned 40.

Sel Jem won the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris for the second time, four years on from his first success

But for all the genuine skill and dedication of the humans around him, Sel Jem revealed himself to be a horse with remarkable endurance and will after he regained the crown four years on from his first success in France's most revered jumping test. 

And a test it was in driving rain on a day when Auteuil's spring highlight resembled its November cousin, the Prix la Haye Jousselin. 

Quentin Samaria set out to make sure stamina was stretched to the full aboard the freewheeling Juntos Ganamos but a shuddering mistake at the Rail Ditch and Fence five from home brought the pair back to the field, before Charron used all his years of experience to shoulder his way between rivals and take the lead turning out of the back straight. 

From there Sel Jem never looked like relinquishing his advantage, although the stealthy progress from the back of Gold Tweet briefly threatened to make a race of it coming down to the last.

In the end there were seven lengths back to the fast-finishing Bon Garcon and Charly Prichard, as Sel Jem matched the effort of Mid Dancer, who won the first and second of his three Grand Steeples in 2007 and 2011. 

"We’ve had so much heartbreak with this horse," said Macaire. "After his first win in the Grand Steeple he did a tendon. We were patient and gave him all the time he needed. 

"Nearly two years later, in his second race back he suffered an injury high up in his hip jumping the Double Barriere here at Auteuil, which meant going back to square one again."

Macaire added that the whole of 2025 had been a race against time and that Sel Jem's third place in the Haye Jousselin had confirmed his view that heavy ground was a real negative for his chances.

Johnny Charron and Sel Jem after winning the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil

"He’s essentially a horse for spring ground and I was very worried today by the rain because he has such a good-ground action," said Macaire. 

"In March this year he spent three weeks of box rest after spiking a fever and so we were forced to miss his comeback and adapt his programme. It’s like if you or I spent time in the hospital before running in the Olympics. 

"He was sixth at Compiegne when we just needed to run him and he recovered the weight he lost very quickly so we gave him a really important piece of work quite quickly afterwards and really tried to build up his stamina. He gallops all day and he jumps, and he doesn’t overdo it in the process."

France's greatest prize over jumps is also its longest group race of the year, which means that Macaire's description of Sel Jem should act as a template for anyone considering taking up the challenge. 

Noel George lands Grade 1 chase with 'very exciting' Metronomique

Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm unveiled their next potential chasing star as Metronomique more than lived up to his name in making every yard of the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure - the spring championship for four-year-old chasers - under James Reveley.

Metronomique after winning the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand DufaureCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"I spent a lot of time regretting the instructions I gave James two starts ago when he got cover and ended up falling," said George. "Today I said to him 'go out there and show everyone how good he is'. He's a really impressive horse when you see him in the morning.

"Master Minded got beaten in this race because he didn't stay, and ended up winning the Champion Chase. I'm not saying he's Master Minded but he's very, very good and it's very exciting."

Metronomique carries the colours of Philip and Sharon Nelson, associated with the Grade 1 novice hurdle success of Galileo for George's father Tom, at the Cheltenham Festival in 2002. 

"The last time those colours won a Grade 1, I was two years old," said George. "They've kept the faith and to repay them with a big day like this is amazing."

As to whether he could be campaigned in Britain, George added: "He could go anywhere. We'll enjoy today and then have a think."

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'French horses aren't inherently superior to ours' – Simon Cox proves a point or two with his homebred Auteuil Listed winner 

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