Homebred support allowing French to start his training career

Alex French's journey towards joining Newmarket's training ranks earlier this year is a family affair through and through, not least because he knows some of the members of his small string going back through the generations.

French, 26, grew up around horses with his family breeding and racing them, although he himself has headed towards the racing side instead of bloodstock.

He explained: "I completed the National Stud diploma and worked at Arrowfield Stud in Australia about five years ago.

"I then got back into the racing side, so I worked for David Simcock for a couple of years as pupil assistant and then, prior to setting up, I was assistant to Amy Murphy."

Two mares have formed the basis of the French family's broodmare band: the Listed-winning Frosty Berry, a daughter of Proclamation, and Mu'Ajiza, a stakes-placed daughter of Pivotal and out of a placed full-sister to the top-class globetrotter Fantastic Light among three black-type performers. And French hopes that some of the progeny could help him to get started in his new career.

Frosty Berry (right): stakes winner and broodmare for the French familyCredit: Edward Whitaker

He said: "My parents have bred and owned horses for a few years, mainly lower-end horses but the best they've owned is Frosty Berry.

"She won the Further Flight Stakes five years ago and they also had another good one called Mu'Ajiza. She won and also got black type.

"We bought Mu'Ajiza out of Mark Johnston's and Frosty Berry out of Marco Botti's, so we had those couple of mares and started breeding from them and a couple of others.

"My family now has five or six broodmares, it's all very small scale, but I've got all Frosty Berry's progeny here in training, including a three-year-old Charm Spirit and a two-year-old New Bay."

The young trainer, who has saddled only a dozen runners so far, is hopeful of getting his first winner on the board shortly.

He added: "My licence was granted in December and I had my first runner in January. I've got ten horses in the yard and I'm hoping things will soon pick up."

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