Il Est Francais, Walk In The Park and Edward O'Grady among the bloodstock talking points at Christmas

Il Est Francais was not just one of the most exciting jumpers seen in some years but an appropriate description of the season so far. French he is, and so have been most of those in all of Britain and Ireland's best races.

My colleague Martin Stevens signed off his Christmas message on the Good Morning Bloodstock service with a rallying call for British and Irish National Hunt breeders, noting not only the disparity in prices paid at the sales but the fact that French-bred horses had won eight of the season's first ten Grade 1 races.

Not too much changed on that score. Of the 12 Grade 1s staged in the four days of racing at Kempton, Leopardstown and Limerick, seven bore the FR suffix.