French jump racing: it's diverse, has great prize-money and is a magnet for top British and Irish owners and trainers

If you want to draw one theme from the early months of 2025 on the French scene, then it is surely diversity.

Between the resumption of racing in Paris in February, after the winter sojourns in Cagnes-sur-Mer and Pau, and the eve of May’s Grand Steeple-Chase meetings, 13 different trainers were on the scoresheet across 19 Graded races run at Auteuil and Compiegne.

And only six-time champion trainer Francois Nicolle, Marcel Rolland and the partnership of Arnaud Chaille-Chaille and Francois Pamart had more than one Graded victory. 

The theme of sharing out the spoils continued at the big meeting itself, with Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm saddling their biggest domestic success thanks to the exciting El Clavel, while Dominique Bressou and David Cottin also earned Grade 1 wins, and Nicolle secured a first career victory in the Grand Steeple-Chase itself with Diamond Carl after almost 40 years with a licence.

There are still major prizes to be won at Auteuil before the summer break, when the provinces have a chance to shine, notably around the two major cross-country prizes in the French calendar at Le Lion-d’Angers (May 29) and Craon (September 7), as well as good meetings at Dieppe (June 28) and Clairefontaine (August 11 and 27).

The stars will return to Auteuil for the autumn season, with major names in action most weekends leading up to the two-day “48 Hours” festival on November 15 and 16, with four Grade 1s up for grabs. 

As if all that wasn’t enough to whet the appetite, the winter of 2024-25 showed that French trainers had a renewed appetite for launching select raids on Britain’s biggest prizes, and the likes of Gabriel Leenders, Cottin, George and Zetterholm and even Nicolle will have their eyes turned across the English Channel again next season.

Major dates in the French jump racing calendar

May
29 Anjou-Loire Challenge Le Lion-d’Angers
31 Prix des Drags Auteuil

September
7 Grand Cross de Craon Craon
27 Prix Richard et Robert Hennessy Auteuil

October
12 Prix Georges de Talhouet-Roy Auteuil
18 Prix Heros XII  Auteuil
25 Gd Steeple-Chase de Compiegne Compiegne

November
15 Prix Serge Landon-GP d’Automne Auteuil
16 Prix La Haye Jousselin Auteuil
28 Prix Leopold d’Orsetti Compiegne

December
7 Prix Georges Courtois Auteuil

Read more . . .

'We can buy these unbelievably well-bred horses as yearlings and two-year-olds - English or Irish trainers don't have that opportunity' 

Francois Nicolle breaks Grand Steeple-Chase drought as supersub Clement Lefebvre shines on Diamond Carl 

'That one's for him' - tears flow as winning team rally round paralysed jockey via FaceTime after emotional success 

Sign up to receive The Ante-Postman, Robbie Wilders' top weekly newsletter. Get weekend tips, festival fancies and big-race selections delivered straight to your inbox.