Vive la France! Can French-breds steal the show at the Cheltenham Festival?

Kitty Trice runs the rule over some of the contingent heading to Prestbury Park

Vauban (Paul Townend) wins the Grade 1 2m juvenile hurdle.Leopardstown.Photo: Patrick McCann/Racing Post05.02.2022

Vauban: son of Galiway one of several strong French-bred fanciesCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

There is no such thing as a certainty, Honeysuckle included, but the chances of the suffix FR not following the names of a few winners at Cheltenham is remote,

It hasn’t always been like that. From 1988 to 1993 there was just one French-bred festival winner from 58 runners, Rolling Ball in the 1991 Sun Alliance Chase.

In 1994 there were five French-bred scorers, but it wasn’t until the noughties that the number of French-bred runners, and therefore winners, began to soar.

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock

Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data

Already a subscriber?Log in

Published on 10 March 2022inNews

Last updated 16:49, 10 March 2022

Copy