'He was always in second gear' - Il Est Francais enjoys morale-boosting win over hurdles

Il Est Francais bounced back from the disappointment of his defeat in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham with an effortless success over hurdles at Lyon-Parilly.

Trainers Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm deserve plenty of credit for spotting the opportunity of running their stable star in the Class 3 Prix du Mont Pilat, which was restricted to horses who have not earned more than €12,000 over hurdles since December 1 last year.

While the going was given officially as holding, Il Est Francais appeared to bounce off the turf and James Reveley allowed himself two leisurely glances between his legs in the closing stages to ensure no danger had emerged from among his inferior rivals, three of whom had to carry more weight than the King George VI Chase runner-up. 

"I never had a doubt and he was always only in second gear," said Reveley. "It's a very long time since I've felt I was going that easily on a horse, probably not since I was riding for Guillaume Macaire. 

"He felt great underneath me and I think he enjoyed the good ground, it was an exercise gallop for him. It's a shame that the ground was quite sticky at Cheltenham and he didn't feel like the same horse then as he did today."

Connections had sought out the Lyon race as a way of getting confidence back into Il Est Francais after he paid late on for going toe-to-toe with Fact To File in the Ryanair. 

The seven-year-old holds an entry in France's Champion Hurdle, the Grande Course de Haies, on May 17, though George was in no hurry to commit to another run before Il Est Francais heads off for a summer break. 

George said: "He hasn't won for quite a while and it was great for his morale to get his head back in front. He still had a good blow afterwards because we backed off him after Cheltenham. I think James enjoyed himself out there. 

"I don't know whether there is anything else for him in the spring, I need to talk to James, Nicolas de Lageneste and Richard Kelvin-Hughes. His major objective is the King George on December 26 but the route there and whether he runs again in the spring, I don't know."

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