'He doesn't look like that normally!' - the spruced up sires and studs of France

A disagreement with a Parisian metro ticket machine upon arrival in France was not the most auspicious start to my Route des Etalons trip for 2023.

Eventually I navigated my way safely through the tube - ticket clutched for dear life in gloved hands - and across Paris to begin the just-over-two-hour journey in the car with the Racing Post's France correspondent Scott Burton. 

Being more familiar with the old-fashioned charm of Deauville during the very warm days of Arqana August Yearling Sales, the icy January evening was a shock to the system.