Fabrice Chappet

Fabrice Chappet has already bagged one Classic trial this season and, weather permitting, has another two chances of group-race success this weekend with Fortune (Fr) (De Treville {GB}) entered in Sunday's G3 Prix Noailles and Paz (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G3 Prix de la Grotte. On April 6, Good Guess (GB) (Kodiac {Fr}) became the trainer's second winner of the G3 Prix Djebel. The first, Dice Roll (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), went on to run third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, with that race now the target for...

Helped by the stands rail which is always a boon on the straight track at Deauville, Hisaaki Saito's Good Guess (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) sprang a minor upset in Thursday's G3 Prix Djebel. Trying seven furlongs for the first time, having last been seen finishing third in the Listed Prix Zeddaan here in October, the Fabrice Chappet-trained bay followed the early leader Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) with Stephane Pasquier holding back for the inevitable sprint. Finding an ideal seam up the fence as TDN Rising Star Breizh Sky (Fr) (Pedro The...

'TDN Rising Star' Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), winner earlier this year of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and narrowly runner-up to Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the G1 Irish Champion S.,  is set to make his final appearance of the season in the G1 Japan Cup at Toyko Racecourse. Onesto was last seen finishing ninth behind Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in a heavy-turf renewal of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Oct. 2. The 3-year-old will be part of a three-pronged challenge from France to also include Simca...

Fabrice Chappet is set to have his first runner in Ireland and will send the G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) to the G1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion S. on Sept. 10. The first running of the race in 1976 was won by the Francois Boutin-trained Malacate, and the Irish Champion S. last went to a French runner when Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) won in 2016 en route to becoming European champion 3-year-old. Onesto, also three, landed the G2 Prix Greffulhe in May before running...

Rashit Shaykhutdinov's homebred 2-year-old filly Gain It (GB) (De Treville {GB}--Gagarina {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) registered a snug one-length tally tackling 6 1/2 furlongs at Saint-Cloud last month and returned to that debut scene of that triumph to claim 'TDN Rising Stardom' with a monster exhibition upped to seven furlongs for Saturday's Prix Amber Rama. Adopting different tactics after a sharp exit and in command throughout, the 7-10 favourite was untroubled in the straight and powered ever clear inside the final quarter mile to easily outclass dual winner Ser Sed...

Unleashing his deadly acceleration to maximum effect at a ParisLongchamp blessed by evening sun, TDN Rising Star Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) stormed into the big time in Thursday's G1 Grand Prix de Paris. This type of performance had looked on the cards after his scintillating win in the 10 1/2-furlong G2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud May 8 and highly commendable effort from a horror draw when dead-heating for fifth in the Prix du Jockey-Club and the Fabrice Chappet-trained chestnut was duly made the 10-3 favourite. Anchored last early by Stephane...

The Caesars Turf Triple, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s series for 3-year-olds on the grass, will kick off July 9 at Belmont Park and may include a major European contingent. NYRA released the invitees Saturday for both the GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, worth $1 million, and the $700,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. Both the male and female divisions begin at the distance of 1 1/4 miles. Of the six races in the series--three each for colts and fillies--four were won last year by European-based trainers. Aidan O'Brien, who...

"Ca va, ca va, ca va," says one rider after another as they report back to trainer Fabrice Chappet on their respective mounts during a routine Monday morning exercise in Chantilly. Then comes Gregory Defrel, the Martinique-born rider of G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). "Tres, tres bien," he says, before gesticulating with the internationally recognised hand signal for 'ok'. That's good enough for the trainer, who remains outwardly impassive as he watches his second lot circle under the trees in the Rond Allez France. Chappet is not...

Fabrice Chappet trainee and 185,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling and $535,000 Ocala April breeze-up graduate Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}--Onshore {GB}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) attained 'TDN Rising Star' status with a dominant performance going one mile at Chantilly in September, but had floundered in two subsequent outings before lining up as a 12-1 chance for Sunday's G2 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud. Second contesting an Oct. 21 Deauville conditions heat in his only other juvenile start, he opened his sophomore campaign with a close-up eighth in ParisLongchamp's Apr. 18...

Hot on the heels of Gran Sabana (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) earning a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette in Friday's opening contest at Chantilly, the Fabrice Chappet-trained $535,000 Ocala April breeze-up graduate Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) earned one of his own with a dominant performance in the one-mile Prix de Villebon for unraced 2-year-old colts and geldings. The 15-2 chance was keen under attempted restraint during the opening exchanges and raced in rear for the most part. Making smooth headway once angled to the outside in the straight, he quickened in impressive...

Hisaaki Saito's hitherto unbeaten 2-year-old colt Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) continued on a roll and took his tally to a perfect three from three with a hard-fought victory in Friday's G3 Prix Eclipse at Chantilly. The April-foaled dark bay went postward as the crowd's 8-5 choice returning off wins in competitive heats at Deauville last month and was under a firm hold behind the leaders in fourth through the early fractions of this six-furlong dash. Powering forward to join German raider Best Flying (Fr) (Pedro the Great) soon after...

By 3.35pm on Sunday, the Derby and Oaks will already be old news and the dust will be settling after Chantilly's early-afternoon prestige races. As if all the Classics that played out over the longest weekend were mere support acts, Juddmonte's sovereign Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is back to take up most of the headline inches in a renewal of Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse which rates as one of the finest in its recent history. No horse in training has the same draw as the 6-year-old and although the Classic generation...