Monday's three comeback meetings in France draw staggering 1,069 entries

The appetite for a resumption of racing in France was writ large on Tuesday when three comeback meetings scheduled for Monday drew over 1,000 entries in a tidal wave of enthusiasm for resumption.

A total of 1,069 horses have been entered for the fixtures at Longchamp, Toulouse and Compiegne next Monday, which will be the first to take place since racing shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

There is quality to stand alongside the quantity, with the Andre Fabre-trained Victor Ludorum 10-11 favourite with Ladbrokes for the Group 3 Prix de De Fontainbleau at Longchamp. Unbeaten Classic hope and Victor Ludorum's stablemate Earthlight, available 9-4 on Tuesday, was scratched from the race on Wednesday.

Elsewhere on a star-studded card, last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe third Sottsass is 4-7 favourite for the Group 2 Prix d'Harcourt.

Trainer Freddy Head was not surprised by the staggering entry and said: "We have missed two months of races, so people are eager to run – and to get some money.

"All the horses are going to be running, which means it is going to be very competitive and the races are going to be very tough.

"It hasn't been too bad for me because we weren't stopped and we were able to train the horses normally. We still have the good races in front of us and for the good horses it won't be a problem but for some trainers and the smaller owners this has been tough."

Freddy Head: 'the races are going to be very tough'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Felix de Giles is among those looking forward to riding for the first time since racing shut down in March.

The British jump jockey has been based in France since 2016 and said: "They've done very well to get it back on. France made a public announcement there was no sport until September so everyone was a bit worried but French racing falls under the subcategory of agriculture so it looks like that is the way they have got around it.

"There has been frustration, everyone was left in limbo a little bit and the deadlines kept getting moved, but in the circumstances that is understandable with the death rates changing the whole time.

Felix de Giles: 'They've done very well to get it back on'

"The death toll probably needs to stay quite low, if it goes up again they might change, but the French have been respectful of the regulations. The French death rates have been slightly lower so there's no reason why they're suddenly going to pull the plug before May 11."

De Giles acknowledged that racing has been more fortunate than other sports in the speed of its resumption after lockdown.

"I'm surprised it has come back quite so fast and if I was a rugby fan or made my life in rugby I'd be a bit annoyed that racing can go ahead and sports like rugby can't," he said. "It's the same for tennis – you can have a big game with only ten people involved.

"If it were the other way around, everyone in the racing industry would probably be quite annoyed so I hope that's not going to cause a problem. It's understandable where they could be coming from and I hope that won't impact racing further on down the line."

De Giles will be at Compiegne where jump racing resumes with a card that features two Listed races.

"I've been trying to keep fit at home," he said. "I've been riding out every morning and I've been doing a bit of running, a bit of work on the equiciser and been boxing a little bit. I'd like to think I'll come back as fit as I left off.

"We had just started back at the Parisian tracks and everyone had their yards full with their good horses ready to go. A lot of trainers have given their horses a bit of time off but they've been ticking them over."

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De Giles hopes racing's position alone in the spotlight will pay dividends in terms of betting – and thus the sport's income.

"There are exciting horses coming out and in that sense I'd like to think the PMU (Paris Mutuel Urbain) can make the most of it," he said.

"There's no form of live entertainment on apart from racing which is launching on May 11, people are locked in their houses and it's the perfect time to capitalise on a captive market."

But he fears racing with restricted crowds – or none at all – may cause serious problems for some of France's smaller tracks.

"In the long term there is worry for the smaller racecourses," De Giles said. "They're private enterprises which generate their income from on-site bookmaking and as long as there are limitations to crowds it's going to be problematic for the small tracks."

Racing is reportedly set to return in Germany prior to France kicking off next week, with trainers informed on Tuesday that Thursday's meeting at Hanover will go ahead.

More clarity on the overall racing programme is expected after an announcement from Germany's government on Wednesday.

Read more:

Victor Ludorum to run at Longchamp on the day racing returns in France

French racing still set for May restart despite sport restrictions by government

'Don't forget Threat' says Hannon with star prospect on course for 2,000 Guineas

French racing to restart with four Group races and Monday slot for the Guineas

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