French racing

The name Head appears multiple times in the winning trainer category on the Prix Saint-Alary roll of honour. Alec, Criquette and Freddy have all trained winners of the fillies' Group 1, and the latter also rode the winner, usually for his father or his sister, on seven occasions. In the line-up for the 2021 running of the Saint-Alary next Monday is likely to be a filly trained by one of the next generation of the Head family, Christopher, a son of Freddy, who has taken the bold decision to supplement...

Health measures in place for jockeys and any other France Galop or foreign racing authority licence holder, including apprentices, young jockeys and amateur riders, have been tightened, France Galop, in consultation with the Jockey's Association announced on Wednesday. Beginning Monday, Nov. 16, all jockeys are required to complete a COVID-19 questionnaire issued by France Galop prior to the first ride of the meeting and handed to the secretary or the stewards. In addition, starting Wednesday, Nov. 18, all jockeys must also produce an RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen nasopharyngeal...

France Galop has confirmed that racing will be allowed to continue in the country during the new lockdown which came into force at midnight on Thursday. The action will return to being staged behind closed doors with only key personnel allowed to attend. The trainer and one member of staff per runner will be permitted but owners and spectators are no longer allowed to be present at race meetings in France. The current restrictions are expected to be in place for at least a month. A statement released by the...

Effective Monday, Sept. 7, Phoenix Thoroughbreds cannot have runners in races in Great Britain until further notice, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Thursday. Phoenix had earlier in August made the decision to leave UK racing and was reportedly banned from racing in France a few days later. Any horse currently entered will not be permitted to be declared in its current ownership. All racing administration accounts of all registered ownership entities that involve Phoenix Thoroughbreds have been suspended. The BHA is in regular correspondence with Phoenix Thoroughbreds, and after...

Constant, blazing sunshine will welcome back Europe's Group 1 Classics at Deauville on Monday while Berlin-Hoppegarten join in with the first of their own domestic Classics on a day that will be relished by all the racing community. While the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Pouliches are an all-French affair in 2020 and the former is missing the country's leading juvenile of 2019 in Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), there are two Group 1 winners engaged to add gravitas to a renewal forever to be marked with an asterisk. Both...

With Paris ruled out of racing action for the immediate future, Clairefontaine take on the G3 Prix du Palais-Royal on Thursday with Spinning Memories (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) set to start at prohibitive odds. Fourth in this when staged at its usual home of ParisLongchamp 12 months ago, Sutong Pan Racing Bloodstock's 5-year-old went on to garner Deauville's G3 Prix de Meautry over six furlongs in late August after filling fourth spot in the 6 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest there three weeks earlier. She was impressive when taking the...

French listed winner Helter Skelter (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}-Winna Chope {Fr}, by Soave {Ger}) sustained a fatal injury on the gallops on Wednesday morning, owner Masaaki Matsushima confirmed to Jour de Galop. The colt, an €30,000 yearling at the Osarus September Yearling Sale in 2018 who was purchased by Matsushima after his 3 1/2-length victory in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage, had held an entry in the June 1 G1 G1 Poule d'Essai de Poulains. He was a last out sixth in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau...

Fresh from a break having garnered the immensely valuable Longines Turf H. at Riyadh Feb. 29, George Strawbridge's Call the Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) managed to continue the winning sequence in Sunday's G3 Prix de Barbeville at Deauville and book a potential trip to Royal Ascot. Prior to his Saudi venture, the homebred had been out of luck but always on the premises in seven starts since his defeat of Holdthasigreen (Fr) (Hold That Tiger) in the 2018 G1 Prix du Cadran at Paris Longchamp and it was that old...

Keeping up its morning theme, Chantilly stages a fascinating renewal of the G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil Longines for the older milers at 11 a.m. on Monday, with Jean-Claude Seroul's beloved Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) back in the limelight following a stellar 2019 campaign. Scaling the ladder effortlessly with wins in the Listed Prix Jacques de Bremond at Vichy in July and G3 Prix Quincey at Deauville August over this mile trip before securing the 10-furlong G2 Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp in October and G2 Premio Roma at Capannelle in...

France's frenzied week of high-class action continues on Thursday, with ParisLongchamp again in action with key trials for the middle-distance Classics. First up is the nine-furlong G3 Prix la Force for the colts, with last year's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero Mkfancy (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) looking to build on a solid comeback effort when beaten a length attempting to give four pounds to the smart Waltham (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the Listed Prix Maurice Caillault over this trip on Chantilly's Polytrack Mar. 9. This rates as the most serious...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Insights features the highly regarded Mare Australis (Ire). 12.10 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €20,000, 3yo, c/g, 8fT HURRICANE CLOUD (GB) (Frankel {GB}) debuts in the silks of his breeder Guy Pariente and is a half-brother to his resident sire Goken (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), a very sharp juvenile who took the...

   Where the preceding G3 Prix de Fontainebleau was a steadily-run affair, the G3 Prix de la Grotte proved a true test and it was Lady Bamford's classy and dependable Tropbeau (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) who came out comfortably on top in the trial for the upcoming G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Last seen finishing third when encountering significant late trouble in running in the six-furlong G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket in September, the G3 Prix Six Perfections and G2 Prix du Calvados winner waited in third early with a suitable...