Franck Nivard moved into co-second all-time for wins by a driver in the Prix d'Amerique after winning his sixth edition of the event on Sunday at Vincennes Racecourse with upsetter Hokkaido Jiel.
Nivard and Hokkaido Jiel landed in mid-pack from the standing start while Francesco Zet (Benjamin Rochard) led the way early. Francesco Zet would be passed by Keep Going (Mathieu Mottier) past the wire for the first time and then Keep Going got looped by Koctel du Dain (David Thomain). The final horse to sweep to the front would be Go On Boy (Romain Derieux) as he powered up three-wide and cleared with about 1,100 meters to go.
After Go On Boy took charge, that left Josh Power (Sébastien Ernault) uncovered and challenging while Epic Kronos (Paul-Philippe Ploquin) was on Josh Power's cover. Go On Boy and Josh Power continued to duel around the final turn and got some separation on the others as Koctel du Dain backed up badly from the pocket and forced horses that were on the inside, including Hokkaido Jiel, to the outside to get clear of him.
Go On Boy would make a break in stride turning for home, which put Josh Power in front. However, Hokkaido Jiel had managed to find room after going back to the pylons after getting around both Koctel du Dain and the off-stride Go On Boy, and he was able to surge past Josh Power late to win in a close finish. Epic Kronos was third, followed by Frank Gio (Matthieu Abrivard) and Just Love You (Alexandre Abrivard). Iroise De La Noé (Eric Raffin), who went off as the favorite in the betting, went on a break early after getting off to a slow start.
The final time in rain and sloppy conditions was 1'11"4, a mile rate of 1:54 4/5.
► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter
"Yeah, amazing. Perfect, I couldn't have dreamed of anything better," said Nivard, who added that he got off to a good start. "I took the risk of going [where Go On Boy was off-stride]. You have to be pretty sure and you need a bit of luck. I didn't know if I had won when I crossed the finish line.
"He's a great horse who is well-managed. He had some health problems but they managed to bring him back. I'm also happy for the owner because he's been investing for over 40 years with his breeding operation."
Nivard, who tied the six Prix d'Amerique successes of Alexandre Finn and now only trails leader Jean-René Gougeon by two, didn't drive Hokkaido Jiel in his prep races but took advantage of the chance.
"That was done at the last minute on Monday evening," he said of picking up the drive. "I think we should especially congratulate the agent. Thank you, and he did a great job because he was persistent, and he was right."
Ernault also commended the performance put in by Josh Power in his runner-up effort, saying, "We're not going to cry over a runner-up finish in the Prix d'Amerique." Ernault also admitted that being stuck out wide and exposed to the wind perhaps hurt his chances of getting a win.
Hokkaido Jiel, a 9-year-old stallion by Brilliantissime, won for the 12th time from 74 starts and has now earned 1,054,780 Euros. He is trained by Jean-Luc Dersoir for owner/breeder Ecurie Luck.
"Personally, it's magnificent. You have a life in horses, a life dedicated to the animal, and today is the culmination," Dersoir stated. "Maybe I deserved it, maybe. But you know, there are plenty of people who deserve it."
--quotes collected/transcribed by Derick Giwner--