French Jumps Racing

[OddDog]

I know there are a few of you out there who know a fair bit about French jumps racing and I was wondering why, with prizemoney of €101250 to the winner, there were no British or Irish horses entered in the Grade 3 Prix Du Presiedent De La Republique Handicap Chase at Auteuil today? Would they not be eligible (i.e. would a horse need a french handicap rating)? Or is there just no interest this side of the channel? Seems strange to send a horse from, say, Somerset to Ayr and not even think about Paris, when so much prize money is on offer.

 

[woolcombe-folly007]

In france its all about amount of prizemoney they have won , more prizemoney a horse has won the higher in the weights it is so it does seem abit strange no english or irish raiders were there. For example some of the runnerstoo high in the handicap over here to win anything and who have not won alot of prizemoney- they would be well in the llowest weights in france and in with a great shout shout and the prize money over there is alot better than here. Sue Smith is going to start taking her runners over there in the summer

 

[Cyclonic]

The flat guys chase the money don't they?

 

[OddDog]

Cyc - yeah, regularly.

Woolly - good to hear Sue Smith is going to get involved, wouldn't surprise me if more English yards don't start looking at it

 

[Cyclonic]

What's their standard of racing like?

 

[OddDog]

Not sure over the sticks, but we are seeing more and more french-bred chasers coming over to the UK and doing well so I reckon they are generally pretty smart

 

[Grizzly]

Probably timing Oddy, we've had Cheltenham and Aintree and Punchestown is upon us next week, a rogue race in a foreign country with decent prize money I'm guessing appeals less than a day out for the owners at one of our festivals.
NH owners are different to their flat counterparts....

 

[PNkt]

The French have recently changed the rules about overseas horses running in their races. Now all runners have to have been registered with France Galop (the French equivalent of BHA) for at least (off the top of my head) 15 days. They hope that this will stop ad hoc plundering of their races. Of course some stables are getting round it by pre registering large numbers of their horses in France.

There is a vocal minority of owners/breeders in France that would very much like to ban all overseas runners in non-Group races.

 

[Ron]

There is a vocal minority of owners/breeders in France that would very much like to ban all overseas runners in non-Group races.

That sounds about right.

 

[OddDog]

There is a vocal minority of owners/breeders in France that would very much like to ban all overseas runners in non-Group races.

I would have thought that's a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face. I think many people would welcome a French challenger in the Coral Cup or Pertemps, if a way could be found to make it work. Certainly adds spice to the mixture

 

[Grizzly]

I would have thought that's a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face. I think many people would welcome a French challenger in the Coral Cup or Pertemps, if a way could be found to make it work. Certainly adds spice to the mixture

Oddy - in 2011 there were five qualifiers for the Pertemps staged in France, for the record there were just two qualifiers held in Ireland and nine held in England, we've gone out of our way to encourage an international field in most Festival races.
Not sure about the 2012 qualfiers....

 

[OddDog]

Oddy - in 2011 there were five qualifiers for the Pertemps staged in France, for the record there were just two qualifiers held in Ireland and nine held in England, we've gone out of our way to encourage an international field in most Festival races.
Not sure about the 2012 qualfiers....

cheers Grizzly I never knew that. Good stuff, hope it will continue

 

[PNkt]

They don't look on it as increased competition, the French just don't like to see their prize money going overseas!

You only have to look at the state of their bloodstock industry to see the depth of problems over there. Most breeders in France own a handful of mares and like to use small, often obscure, stallions. The most expensive sire in France this year stands at a fee of just €15,000, says it all really.