Following on from the two Gr.1 victories he acquired at Longchamp, the Prix Ganay and Prix Royal-Oak, Iresine chases another on Sunday, this time the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, on his first visit to the track.

Today aged 7, his French form is still outstanding, just once missing out on a podium place. One drawback though, he is a gelding, which closes a number of doors, including the Arc, but it has not prevented him from winning at the highest level.

“I also associate Iresine with the rise of Marie Velon…he has a special place in my heart,” said Jean-Pierre Gauvin of his stable-star. The son of Manduro was late getting started in 2024 but did everything asked of him, winning a Lyon-Parilly Listed with ease mid-May. Should he triumph this weekend, on his first real objective of the year, Iresine would likely top the ranking of older horses trained in France.

“Forced to make a late return to the track, his programme only left us with the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud if we wanted to go for a Gr.1. The only worry we had was a high late-June temperature and a very fast track.” Despite such worries, he should nevertheless find conditions to his liking.

“Personally, I tend to work my horses left-handed at home, but this won’t be an issue. I’m happy with his preparation, and have faith in him. He won a Prix Ganay on ground that was good to soft at best.”

Asked about Iresine’s next move after the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, “With the weather becoming more and more changeable, you never know. He has an entry in the King George, but England is a goal for the back-end of the season.”