Sel Jem (14/1) won the 2026 Le Défi Des Haras Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil on Sunday afternoon.
Ridden by Johnny Charron, winner yesterday of the French Champion Hurdle aboard Losange Bleu, among three winners on Saturday, he now achieves the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double in a single season.
Handled by the training combination of Lageneste and Macaire, the nine-year-old rode to an easy 13-length winner over the 3 mile 5 furlong, 181 yard course.
An incredible comeback story!
SEL JEM brilliantly regains its crown of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris in Auteuil… pic.twitter.com/H3caLSp6dA
– At the Races (@AtTheRaces) May 17, 2026
Raced in pouring rain and on terrain described as soft to heavy, odds 33 to 1 on Bon Garcon finishing second, with Gold Tweet a length and a quarter back in third place.
There was no Irish representation at the weekend’s showpiece race at the Paris racecourse, but trainer Willie Mullins Selma De Vary won the Prix Alain Du Breil Hurdle for 4-year-olds half an hour early.
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