The Prix d’Amérique will be played practically behind closed doors, only 5,000 spectators, in Vincennes this Sunday, January 30, authorized due to the Covid health crisis. The race promises surprises since Face Time Bourbon, the big favorite horse and double title holder, is withdrawn due to an injury which will permanently keep him away from the racetrack.
The absence of Face Time Bourbon radically changes the situation.
Anthony Barrier is obviously very sad for this horse whose ardor and speed have fascinated jockeys, trainers, breeders and racegoers for many years. But nature abhors a vacuum. With Astonishing, the name of his horse, the chances of victory for the driver from Sain-Jean-sur-Erve are significantly increased. Admittedly, this race, unlike any other, is not a quiet Sunday walk in the Mayenne countryside. Anthony Barrier knows it takes guts to avoid pitfalls until the final post: “You have to stay calm, focused and above all not freak out. It’s a very complicated race to win because everyone wants to. This Prix d’Amérique will be a very open race, we will do everything to honor Mayenne” .
The winner of the Prix d’Amérique will win the sum of 500,000 euros, nice jackpot. The driver and the victorious horse are crowned with glory, a disproportionate enthusiasm. Anthony Barrier hopes to join the famous Mayenne breeder Jean-Baptiste Bossuet, winner twice in the 90s of the most beautiful harnessed trotting race in the world.
