James Reveley and Felix de Giles: 'It was a no-brainer to move to France'

The end of the jumps season is just days away in both Britain and Ireland, but those of you who get a lump in the throat at that idea should take an interest in the top-class action across the Channel next month, when there is every chance the finish of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, France's Gold Cup, will be fought out by a couple of Englishmen.

James Reveley and Felix de Giles are not just making a living in their adopted land but are taking over the top of the jockeys' table and, on the sort of spring day in Paris that would lift the heart of the flintiest bookmaker, the pair tell their stories as we wander round Auteuil, gawping at the fences.

We start at the big water jump in front of the stands and, although it seems innocuous by comparison with some of the other obstacles, both men have a clear idea of how it should be tackled, somewhat at odds with the local orthodoxy. "It's fashionable to jump it on the right or the left," says Reveley, who then identifies the problems with these choices.