Wednesday racing action hinges on morning inspections

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All four British meetings scheduled for Wednesday must pass inspections if they are to go ahead.

Catterick and Fontwell, who both race over jumps, stage precautionary inspections at 8am while the all-weather Flat meetings at Kempton and Lingfield are also subject to precautionary checks at the same time.

Officials at Catterick are seeing forecasts suggesting temperatures could dip as low as -5C or -6C, with a high of 4C.

Fontwell will stage a precautionary inspection due to a yellow warning for snow.

However, the track reports there is a good chance that by 8am rain will have moved in to help “dissipate any snow accumulation”.

Lingfield is subject to a similar forecast, with the rain expected to help clear the show.

At Kempton, after the possibility of morning snow being cleared by rain, there is the chance of further snow later in the day.

Newcastle’s Tuesday card was called off due to snow, while prospects already look bleak ahead of Carlisle’s meeting on Thursday.

The course is currently unraceable following a -6C frost and while it may rise to 4C at some stage, further heavy frosts are forecast.

An inspection will be held at 3pm on Wednesday to see if racing can go ahead.

Irish National bid not ruled out for Lord Lariat

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Last year’s winner Lord Lariat and the veteran Captain Cj could represent Dermot McLoughlin in his bid for a remarkable third successive victory in the BoyleSports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.

Based less than five miles from the track, the County Meath handler saddled 150-1 shot Freewheelin Dylan to claim the traditional Easter Monday feature in 2021 and repeated the feat last spring as 40-1 chance Lord Lariat secured the lion’s share of the huge €500,000 prize fund.

McLoughlin’s father Liam claimed Irish Grand National glory as a jockey in 1962 when partnering Kerforo for legendary trainer Tom Dreaper, who won the race on a record 10 occasions including seven renewals on the spin in the 1960s, with chasing greats Arkle and Flyingbolt among the victors.

Dreaper’s son Jim won the staying prize four times in 1970s, with Brown Lad winning three – and speaking at the launch of this year’s renewal at his yard on Tuesday morning, McLoughlin junior admitted to have his name on the roll of honour is a dream come true.

Lord Lariat and Patrick O’Hanlon winning the Irish Grand National
Lord Lariat and Patrick O’Hanlon winning the Irish Grand National (Niall Carson/PA)

“I worked for Jim Dreaper for 15 years and there was plenty of good horses there going for the Irish National at the time,” he said.

“My father rode the winner of it and I remember a lot of people coming to talk to him about Arkle and Flyingbolt back in his day, so I got wrapped up in the Irish National and never forget being taken there from a very early age every Easter Monday.”

McLoughlin’s celebrations were relatively muted two years ago, with Irish racing taking place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, but he was able to enjoy his 2022 success with his family and friends.

He added: “It was always an aim of mine just to have a runner in the race, let alone a winner. We’ve been blessed to have two winners and I got serious satisfaction out of both.

“Last year was great as we came home and there were plenty of neighbours and plenty of staff and it was great for everyone.”

Lord Lariat has run three times since last year’s triumph – finishing fourth behind Galvin in a Grade Three at Punchestown, sixth in the Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse in December and seventh over hurdles at Leopardstown on Monday on his return from a three-month break.

A tilt at the Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 15 appears his more likely target this time around, but McLoughlin is not ruling out the possibility of him instead turning up at Fairyhouse earlier that week.

“At the moment, Lord Lariat is Aintree-bound. The lads that own him want to have one go at it, but that could change and I might swing him back to Fairyhouse,” said the trainer.

“I gave him a run on Monday and I thought he ran very well actually. That will hopefully leave him spot-on, although he might get another run or a racecourse gallop and school somewhere.

“We’re happy with the weight in the Irish Grand National (10st 4lb) and everything else, so we’ll see what happens.”

Dermot McLoughlin's string on the gallops
Dermot McLoughlin’s string on the gallops (Alan Magee/PA)

McLoughlin has two other entries in Captain Cj and The Echo Boy, but the latter has little prospect of making the cut at the very bottom of the weights.

Captain Cj, who was off the track for well over two years before finishing down the field over hurdles at Gowran Park last month, is also well down the order of entry – but does have the opportunity to pick up a penalty that would move him up the list if he can win this weekend’s Leinster National at Naas.

“I think the handicapper has been too generous with Captain Cj – he mightn’t get in now,” McLoughlin continued.

“He had leg trouble and missed a year and then we were ready to go again and he then got suspensory trouble. He’s a good horse, but unfortunately just ran into trouble.

“He’s getting on now and it’s not straightforward, but he’s sound at the moment and we’ll see how he runs on Sunday and go from there.”

McLoughlin admits taking on the likes of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott for top honours is a difficult task, but one he relishes rather than fears.

He said: “It’s like footballers or golfers – we all have to compete.

“I enjoy taking on the bigger lads. We’ve had well handicapped horses (for the Irish Grand National) in the last couple of years and things came right.

“Every day you go out you’re taking on Willie and Gordon and Henry (de Bromhead) and a few others, but we just have to compete at the level we can and when we hit the spring and the ground changes we seem to hit form, so long may it continue.

“It isn’t easy in any game – sport in general is tough.”

Conflated has been allotted top-weight for the Irish Grand National
Conflated has been allotted top-weight for the Irish Grand National (Niall Carson/PA)

With Irascible not qualified, a total of 83 horses are in Irish Grand National contention.

At the head of the weights on 11st 12lb is the 168-rated Conflated, who is first bound for next week’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He is one of 19 entries for Gordon Elliott along with the likes of Galvin (11st 9lb), Fury Road (11st 5lb), Delta Work (10st 13lb) and Coko Beach (10st 11lb).

Gold Cup contender Stattler (11st 7lb) is the highest-rated of 14 Willie Mullins-trained possibles, while Venetia Williams’ Royale Pagaille (11st 4lb) and Dan Skelton’s Ashtown Lad (9st 13lb) are a couple of interesting potential challengers from Britain.

Ireland’s National Hunt handicapper, Sandy Shaw, said: “It’s a fantastic entry and high quality race. There’s 17 horses rated 150-plus and there’s multiple Grade One winners in it.

“The question none of us can answer at this stage is what is going to run. There’s a lot of horses at the top end that are in the Aintree National as well and it’s difficult to know what is going to be top-weight.”

The Big Dog impresses Fahey with racecourse school

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The Big Dog is firmly on course for the Randox Grand National on April 15 following a successful racecourse schooling session at Navan.

Aintree has been the plan for Peter Fahey’s charge since winning both the Munster National and Troytown Handicap Chase in the early part of the season and he continued his fine campaign by putting in a respectable performance in the Welsh National at Christmas, finishing third with the burden of top weight.

Handed a Grade One assignment in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival, the 10-year-old was in the process of running arguably a career best when taking a fall at the second last.

Given a clean bill of health in the aftermath of his Leopardstown outing, The Big Dog is now deep into his preparation for the Merseyside marathon, where he has a mark of 160 and set to carry 11st 5lb.

A schooling session in the hands of Keith Donoghue on Sunday left Fahey delighted and he confirmed it is “all systems go” for Liverpool, with The Big Dog is a general 25-1 for Grand National glory.

He said: “He’s good and has actually just had a racecourse school – he went two miles over fences at Navan on Sunday and he jumped very well.

“Keith Donoghue rode him and he was thrilled with him. He will ride him at Aintree for us.

“It is all systems go for the National now with him. I’m delighted with how he is, he came out of his last race really well and he put in a very good schooling session yesterday.”

Fowler hoping Mustard can make Festival date

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Lorna Fowler remains “hopeful” stable star Colonel Mustard will be fit for next week’s Cheltenham Festival despite suffering an overreach in the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso on Saturday.

The eight-year-old finished third behind Champion Hurdle aspirant State Man and the high-class First Street in the County Hurdle 12 months ago and connections are keen to have another crack at the fiercely-competitive handicap from only 3lb higher in the weights.

However, his participation at Prestbury Park was thrown into some doubt after he returned to Ireland with what is hoped to be a minor injury following his runner-up finish in the Scottish Borders.

Fowler said: “We’ll see how we go. If we get a full green light we’ll definitely go to the County Hurdle, but we’ll just have to make sure we’re happy with that overreach.

“At the moment I’d say we’re pretty hopeful. It’s 50-50 from the point of view that we’ll only go there if he’s 100 per cent.

“If I run him I won’t be worried about the overreach. We just want to check there’s nothing going on that we don’t know about, but he’s in brilliant form I have to say.”

After chasing home Arkle favourite El Fabiolo over fences at Fairyhouse in December, Colonel Mustard reverted to the smaller obstacles at Kelso, mainly due to the fact Morebattle Hurdle sponsors bet365 were offering a £100,000 bonus to the winner if they can follow up in any race at Cheltenham.

The Sandy Thomson-trained Benson looks set to go in search of the lucrative double, with the Coral Cup his likely target, after reeling in Colonel Mustard on the run-in and going on to score by two lengths.

Fowler admitted to being “heartbroken” to be beaten, but is trying to take positives out of the defeat.

“I was heartbroken. All credit to the winner, but I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t gutted because I thought we had it,” she added.

“I went to Kelso with a lot of confidence and tried the big double. Obviously it hasn’t worked, but he ran super and the positive is if we do go to Cheltenham, we don’t have to carry a 5lb penalty.

“The negative is he had a long journey and back and has this overreach to deal with, but having said that, if it’s a conclusive go-ahead with that and I’m happy, I don’t think that will stand in his way.

“He’s a very lightly-raced and fresh horse this season and travels well, so given his form you’d like to think he has a bit of a chance.”

Fowler confirmed 3lb claimer Kieran Buckley will keep the ride should Colonel Mustard line up in the Cotswolds on Friday week.

She said: “Kieran will take 3lb off his back. He knows the horse and that would look the sensible thing to do, definitely.

“He knows Cheltenham and has ridden a winner there before, so that all helps too.”

Oppenheimer eager to see Lingfield winner Burglar on turf

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Anthony Oppenheimer is relishing the start of the Flat turf season and the next move for Burglar following his impressive debut at Lingfield.

Due to the incredibly dry summer in 2022, only three of the Derby-winning owner’s string made the track as two-year-olds meaning there are plenty of fresh-faced three-year-olds waiting to set out on their racing journey over the coming months.

And if the early part of 2023 is anything to go by, Oppenheimer has plenty to look forward to – with both three-year-olds to run in his colours so far hitting the target.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Burglar was sent off the 10-11 favourite when making his bow at Lingfield and the Derby entrant overcame greenness to create a taking impression in the hands of Rab Havlin.

The Cracksman colt is a best price of 40-1 with Sky Bet for the Epsom Classic and the hugely-successful owner-breeder expects to get a better gauge of his Derby credentials on turf in the spring.

“It’s still early days and none of my horses really ran as two-year-olds because of the firm ground last year, so this is the first time he came out,” explained Oppenheimer.

“He needed the race and he was quite green, but we were pleased with him. Once he got moving he ran on really well and I would think he would need another furlong at least. He’s a big, strong horse and we’ve always fancied him a lot.

“He does have a Derby entry, but it is terribly early and I don’t think we can even suggest it.

“He definitely won’t run until the turf season, he won’t run in March I don’t think, and it will more likely be April. He’s learning all the time.”

The William Haggas-trained Crack Of Light is another to score on debut in the famous black and white silks in the early part of the year.

William Haggas trains the Anthony Oppenheimer-owned filly Crack Of Light
William Haggas trains the Anthony Oppenheimer-owned filly Crack Of Light (Mike Egerton/PA)

The Kingman filly has Oppenheimer’s Royal Ascot winner Frankly Darling in her pedigree and the 85-year-old admits he is tempted to test her staying ability as he continues his search for an Oaks winner.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” he said of Crack Of Light’s winning Wolverhampton start.

“She wasn’t showing us all that, but then she’s a staying filly. You don’t necessarily think she would be, but she did well over nine furlongs and she will be better at 10 furlongs.

“They had some difficulty pulling her up, so I think she will definitely stay 10 furlongs and we will see on the grass once again – she has done nothing recently because we are waiting for April.

“We might test her to see if she stays more than 10 furlongs because if she does, we could go for a race like the Cheshire Oaks or something.

“I’ve always been trying to win the Oaks, so we will see. Hopefully one of my fillies can do that for me.”

Alan Hill dreaming big with I K Brunel

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Alan Hill’s I K Brunel could be in line for a Cheltenham-Aintree Hunter Chase double after winning both starts on the circuit so far.

The nine-year-old was bred by Zara Tindall and formerly trained by Olly Murphy, winning three times before changing hands last spring.

His first start for Hill came at Larkhill in late November, a race he won by two and three-quarter lengths when ridden by Izzie Marshall.

Hill was intending on finding another race for the classy gelding shortly afterwards, but extreme weather caused the abandonment of several meetings and I K Brunel had to wait until late February to run again.

Eventually running at Taunton, he beat the useful Not That Fuisse with the minimum of fuss.

That success leaves him qualified for both the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham and the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase at Aintree.

Both races are under consideration, with the ground likely to be a factor and a run in both not ruled out as the calendar falls in such a way this season that there is a nearly a month between the two meetings.

Hill said: “He came out of his race very well, he’s a horse we feel might need a bit of freshening up.

“Since he’s had his run he’s come back, been in nice steady work and he’s going to do a couple of bit of work this week. If we do go to Cheltenham, that will hopefully put us right for that.

“We were very pleased, we took him to the point-to-point before Christmas and it went very well. We then decided that we wouldn’t rush to run him quickly but then through the unfortunate weather we missed a couple of opportunities.

“We were hoping to run a little bit quicker than we did, we were hoping to aim to get a run in at the end of January or the beginning of February, but with Ludlow off and Fakenham off we lost our opportunities.

“Taunton came along and it looked, I felt, probably a little bit of a stronger contest than ideally we wanted compared to the other two, but it worked out well. He was fresh, we took a lot of positives out of it, his jumping was good.

“Our main criteria at that point was that we were desperately trying to get him qualified for Aintree, so that also helped and around a nice, fast course we could have a look at his speed and his stamina. We were very pleasantly surprised with how well he ran and won.”

He went on: “The bottom line at the moment is that our main avoidance would be if it came up really heavy ground, I don’t think we would rush to run him on that.

“That’s something that we’re taking into consideration with Cheltenham and it would be to his liking at the minute, I know he’s a Midnight Legend but I just feel he’s too nice a moving horse to see the best of him on heavy. When Olly had him he said he always found he was a better horse for running on nice ground.

“At the moment we’re going to confirm for Cheltenham on both a weather watch and to see what else is in it. We’re very much more thinking that we could go to Cheltenham and we could also go to Aintree because it’s the one year, which comes up about every four or five years, where there’s a month between the races.

“Normally it’s the three weeks so that’s another string to our bow and I’m sure a lot of the other horses going to Cheltenham will be thinking that as well.”

Newcastle abandoned as cold snap begins to bite

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Racecourses are bracing themselves for the latest cold snap to cause disruption to the fixture list with Catterick on Wednesday and Carlisle on Thursday facing inspections after Newcastle’s meeting on Tuesday was abandoned due to snow.

Officials at Catterick will stage a precautionary inspection at 8am ahead of racing with the forecast suggesting temperatures could dip as low as -5C or -6C.

While in the afternoon it could reach 4C, that may not be enough to save the card if the mercury dips as low as suggested.

Prospects already look bleak ahead of Carlisle’s meeting on Thursday.

The course is currently unraceable following a -6C frost overnight and while it may rise to 4C at some stage, further heavy frosts are forecasted.

An inspection will be held at 3pm on Wednesday to see if there is any prospect of racing going ahead.

Newcastle’s clerk of the course Eloise Quayle faced an easy decision ahead of an 8am inspection with the track covered in snow in freezing temperatures meaning an early call was made.

Fontwell will stage a precautionary 8am inspection due to a yellow warning for snow ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.

However, forecasts suggests there is a good chance that by 8am rain will have moved in to help dissipate any snow accumulation.

The all-weather meeting at Lingfield on Wednesday must also survive an 8am precautionary inspection with a similar forecast.

Zoffany Bay giving Fahey chance of Imperial Cup defence

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Peter Fahey will seek back-to-back victories in the Betfair Imperial Cup with Zoffany Bay, who is one of 30 entries for the Sandown handicap.

The nine-year-old was off the track for almost two years before making an eyecatching debut for the Monasterevin-based handler at Ascot last month and Fahey believes his charge will have no issue dropping back to the minimum distance on Saturday afternoon – especially if the forecast rain brings his stamina into play.

The Irishman saddled Surprise Package to score at 20-1 in the race 12 months ago, but bookmakers are taking no chances this time around with Zoffany Bay priced up as the 8-1 second-favourite by Betfair.

“We were thrilled with the way he ran at Ascot, he ran a cracker in what was his first run after nearly two years off,” said Fahey.

“Sandown is probably a stiffer track than Ascot and I can’t see dropping back to two miles being a problem for him.

“It would be a dream to go over and win it again. It was kind of the plan with this horse that if we had a good run and a bit of luck we would head over to Sandown. Please God the weather looks set to change and we get a bit of rain which would be a help for us.

“He’s in good form. He did a little bit of work at Navan racecourse on Sunday morning and he seems fresh and well, so it is all systems go to head on over.

Last year Surprise Package followed up his winning exploits at the Esher venue by finishing a respectable sixth in the County Hurdle, but Fahey does not envisage Zoffany Bay following suit and taking up his engagement in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

He continued: “I think it’s highly unlikely at the moment (run at Cheltenham) because there is a couple of nice pots in Ireland for him as well.

“But we won’t rule anything in or out and will see how we get on Saturday then make a plan with the lads at Pimlico (owners) what we are going to do with him.”

Trainer Gary Moore looks to have a strong hand in the Betfair Imperial Cup
Trainer Gary Moore looks to have a strong hand in the Betfair Imperial Cup (Nigel French/PA)

Gary Moore’s Givega is the sponsor’s current 7-1 favourite on the back of his course-and-distance success last time, while the Lower Beeding handler could also be represented by Authorised Speed who has not been seen since a disappointing favourite over the track and trip in the Tolworth Hurdle.

Another Sandown scorer to note among the list of possibles is Jamie Snowden’s Hardy Du Seuil, while Soul Icon has won his last five and attempts to defy a 10lb rise for Kieran Burke.

Charlie Longston’s Paramount and Dan Skelton’s Playful Saint are others to arrive on the back of a victory, with Skelton also represented in the entries by Knickerbockerglory and one-time hot juvenile prospect In This World who could return from 491 days off the track.

Echoes In Rain firing Festival dream for Craig Kieswetter

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Former cricket star Craig Kieswetter believes Echoes In Rain has a great chance of causing a small upset when she lines up in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Kieswetter played 71 times for England in white-ball internationals before injury led to him retiring at the tender age of 27.

Since then he has gone about building up his family’s Barnane Stud empire alongside brother Ross and stud manager Patrick Wynn-Jones, and Echoes In Rain is one of the on-track stars of their burgeoning jumps string.

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old heads to Prestbury Park on the back of a commanding victory at Naas in January and is a best-priced 7-1 for what could be a red-hot renewal of the mares’ only Grade One with possible runners including two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle and Seven Barrows pair, Marie’s Rock and Epatante.

However, South African-born Kieswetter is more than happy with how the race is taking shape and is encouraged by the positive noises coming out of Closutton.

He told the PA news agency: “If the ground is right and the pace of the race is right, we are really expecting her to explode out and give a really good account in the latter stage of the race.

“There will be less pressure on her and I don’t want to say she’s flying under the radar, but there will be a lot more horses in the race who are better fancied – and if I’m honest, I’d prefer the position of being under the radar, under cover somewhat and coming through and causing a bit of a surprise.

“I’m quite happy with the position we are in and it is really encouraging to hear Ruby (Walsh) and others within the yard talk encouragingly about her. It sounds a bit cliched but we just want her to come home safe to the paddock, whatever the result may be.”

Kieswetter first became involved in National Hunt racing in his time playing for Somerset, when losing a game of table tennis with nearby Martin Pipe led to him taking on a horse called Citrus trained at Pond House.

Although Citrus did enter winner’s enclosure when landing a Plumpton novice hurdle, it is the eight-time hurdles scorer Echoes In Rain that has taken him to the upper echelons of jumps racing.

Galway Races Summer Festival 2022 – Day One – Galway Racecourse
Echoes In Rain, jockey Patrick Mullins and trainer Willie Mullins after winning the Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap during day one of the Galway Races Summer Festival 2022 (Niall Carson/PA)

He continued: “We’ve had some amazing days with her already and unfortunately she has had to come up against Honeysuckle quite a few times, but the fact we have been able to pick up plenty of graded races and have a lot of fun with her makes this race even more enjoyable.

“I remember early on in her career, Willie and Ruby and everyone in Willie’s yard found it really hard to settle her and worked extremely hard to get her to settle as she has a really nice turn of foot.

“She’s a really hardy mare and she runs to the fullest every time she steps onto the track – she never leaves anything in the tank.

“I suppose as an owner that is all you can ask – for a horse that gives her all every single time.

Craig Kieswetter in action for England during his cricket career
Craig Kieswetter in action for England during his cricket career (Rui Vieira/PA)

“Potentially, if all goes to plan, we might see her at Royal Ascot later this year and that will definitely throw a conundrum into the ballpark of what we are going to do breeding wise.

“She’s very diverse, very sturdy. She’s pretty much your old-school type of mare who has a lot of attitude about her and is very protective of her own space. Those mares tend to be the ones who produce the best progeny, so all in all we have a nice little crop there, along with our partners and friends, to look forward to in the future.”

Kieswetter’s Barnane Stud will also be represented at the Festival by Il Etait Temps and Gust Of Wind, who are both owned in partnership with the Heffer family’s Hollywood Syndicate.

The former is flying high in the betting for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle having capitalised on the misfiring Facile Vega to land Grade One glory at the Dublin Racing Festival and throw his hat into the ring for the Festival opener.

Il Etait Temps ridden by jockey Danny Mullins on their way to winning the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle during day two of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown
Il Etait Temps ridden by jockey Danny Mullins on their way to winning the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle during day two of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“There will obviously be huge talk about Facile Vega and rightly so because he looks a terrific horse,” said Kieswetter when analysing the five-year-old’s Festival claims.

“But the manner in which Il Etait Temps ran and won at Leopardstown – when he kept up with the hot pace and was able to accelerate – if the speed of the race is run right for him and the ground is right for him, I don’t see any reason why he can’t run another great race and walk away respectfully.

“There is no doubt he is a lovely horse and as Willie has said, if he jumps well he will be right there and thereabouts.

“It is exciting to go to Cheltenham off the back of a Grade One win and it gives us some confidence, but we’re definitely not taking things for granted.”

Noel George doing father Tom proud, as Il Est Francais flies the flag in France

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Il Est Francais is a step closer on his French Champion Hurdle quest as the George continental foray continues to prove fruitful.

The five-year-old has become a flagbearer for the father and son French venture, winning three times under Tom George’s name before switching to a joint-licence held by his son Noel and Amanda Zetterholm.

Having landed a hat-trick of hurdle contests that culminated with a Grade One success in the Prix Renaud du Vivier in November, which he won by eight lengths, Il Est Francais then stepped out of his age group to take on the Grade Three Prix Juigne at Auteuil on Sunday.

Running for the first time under the name of his new trainers, the gelding was an authoritative length-and-a-half winner for Felix de Giles as usual rider James Reveley was ruled out after a fall.

The French Champion Hurdle – the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil held in May – is the ultimate target and he may take in another outing along the way.

“I was delighted, he had to step up his game when going from his age group to open company but he did it impressively,” George said.

“He’s definitely going to improve for the race, he’s a very exciting horse for the future.

“He won’t be coming to the UK until the autumn, the French Champion Hurdle is the main plan. Whether or not he’ll have a prep race for that – there’s one in three weeks or one in six weeks – we haven’t really decided.

“He is bucking and squealing in the field today and we’ll see how we go over the next week or so.”

The Prix Juigne serves as something of a trial for the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil, with Il Est Francais defeating 2022 winner Hermes Baie at the weekend and prior champions such as L’Autonomie and Paul’s Saga contesting the race en route to the summer Grade One.

“It’s the first big prep race for the Champion Hurdle in the programme at Auteuil and he managed to keep his unbeaten record in it, which is great,” said George.

“It was the first time Felix had ridden him and he got off him and said that he’s a very, very smart horse that’s going to be even better when he jumps a steeplechase fence. It’s very exciting to hear that when someone gets off.”

The horse is proving George’s French enterprise has been a worthwhile pursuit and is helping establish a family operation that runs on both sides of the channel and can open new avenues for horses handicapped out of contention in Britain – with the French-style hurdles also acting as a middle ground between smaller British hurdles and steeplechase fences.

“For horses that end up being badly handicapped, the programme out here is based on how much money a horse has won, a lot of horses can have won races in England and not picked up any money,” George explained.

“Also, for example, we ran a horse round Auteuil under dad’s name and he’d got a bit scared over English fences, but we ran him here and he just fell in love with it again.

“It gave him lots of confidence over those French hurdles rather than the high tempo of the chases we have in England.”

Prize-money is another great draw, with Il Est Francais the winner of over €300,000 in prize-money and premiums during his career so far.

“At the end of his four-year-old year he’d earned nearly €250,000, for what he’s won you’d have to be winning Grade Ones in England to be honest,” said George.

“It’s a great programme in that he’s been able to run against his own age group for a certain amount of time and he’s only just stepped into open company.

“It’s taken a few a years, I’ve had to learn the language and move away from home to a completely different lifestyle.

“To bump into a horse like him so early on has meant it’s not a difficult decision at all, these are exciting times and hopefully he can attract new owners and prove that horses are able to do it on both sides of the Channel for myself and dad.”