French Racing and Breeding Committee

The Haras des Marais was created in 1994 by Isabelle and Nicolas Simon, who celebrated one of their best victories ever when their grey Vanillier won the Spa Hurdle (Gr1) today at Cheltenham. Trained in Ireland by Gavin Cromwell, he made it up for his first test in a Gr1, last time out in Leopardstown,[.....]

Pierre Boulard is now a familiar figure for many top trainers in Britain and Ireland, and had two runners to cheer in the Gold Cup this season, Al Boum Photo and Kemboy. He’s been a key operator in the success of the French-breds over the Channel for many years. Pierre hails from a family that[.....]

The last two winners of the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle (Gr1), aka Spa Hurdle, are Monkfish and Minella Indo, who won the Broadway Novices’ Chase (Gr1) and the Gold Ciup (Gr1) this meeting. The fact that 6-year-old Vanillier won the hot 3-miler by no less than 11 lengths, that is 9 to eleven more than[.....]

As Rachael Blackmore was steering the French-bred to victory today, Allaho became the 8th consecutive winner of the Ryanair Chase (Gr1). Now 7, the gelding was bred in the Sarthe, 2 hours West of Paris, by Eric Leffray (see below). He ran once in France for Guy Chérel and owner M L Bloodstock. He finished[.....]

Eric Leffray and his son Thomas bred Allaho in Mayenne out of a Turgeon unraced mare bred by the Devin family. Allaho is her 4th foal, and three others are born after him, that is, an unraced full sister, a Spanish Moon filly who made €38,000 last November at Arqana (click here for her catalogue[.....]

Born in Lyon, Guy Petit grew up wanting to become a jockey finally became a bloodstock agent specialized in the purchase of flat of jumps horses in France for the British and Irish market. He worked closely with reputed trainers such as Ferdy Murphy, Philip Hobbs, Venetia Williams, Sally and Robert Alner, Charlie Mann, Lucinda[.....]

His name, which can be translated “Royal Mess”, suggested he was a party crasher, and Royale Pagaille surely lives up to it since he became a last minute addition to this year’s Gold Cup, on Friday at the Festival. Still a novice, he was aimed first at the national Hunt Chase won by Galvin on[.....]

This is the final call for glory! Three Group 1 races are on the card on day 4, including a Gold Cup that could complete the return to the top of the French regiment after its first two days hiatus. Six of the 12 declared runners come from France, including the two favourites, Al Boum[.....]

Sceau Royal was travelling extremely well behind the front-running Rouge Vif after they’d jumped the 3rd last in the Queen Mother, the highlight of the day. However, soon after that, he was « badly squeezed out and nearly brought down” according to the Racing Post comments in running and never quite recovered from that to finish[.....]

If Nicolas de Lageneste were a horse, he’d probably be one of the best-footed ever. Everything in his career as a breeder, an owner and a trainer, a horseman as a whole, has been a success. Not an overnight success, but the result of a slow maturation, like good wines kindly nurtured and brought into[.....]