France Galop

Jockey Oisin Murphy has been banned from race riding for three months by France Galop stewards as a result of a positive test this summer for cocaine metabolites. The ban will run from Dec. 11, 2020 to Mar. 11, 2021 and has been reciprocated by the British Horseracing Authority. The typical ban in such cases has been six months, but the stewards were persuaded to lessen that after receiving hair sample results and a testimony from Murphy that the positive test arose from an unintentional, environmental contamination. The positive sample...

With PMU betting shops once again closed in French cafes during the national lockdown, France Galop projected during a board meeting on Monday that it could suffer a loss in betting revenue of around €30-million should those closures last through December. France Galop projects its loss per month of lockdown to be €15-million. Four thousand of the country's 13,000 PMU betting shops are currently closed. Betting in France had seen a 15% increase in July and August and a 10% rise in September after the country emerged from its first...

Following a board meeting on Monday, Oct. 12, a stimulus package with the goal of boosting the number of juveniles in training was approved by France Galop. This stimulus package is aimed primarily at reversing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on French racing and to support owners and breeders who wish to invest in France in the future. The main decisions decided upon by the France Galop board are as follows: Increase the owners' premiums for French-bred 2-year-olds from 60% to 70% in 2021, and for French-bred 3-year-olds in...

After a weekend of intensive testing of GAIN's equine feed ranges, batches and individual ingredients, progress has been made in the investigation into the presence of Zilpaterol in the contaminated feeds, the company announced late on Monday evening. The synthetic beta-agonist Zilpaterol, approved for use as a performance-enhancer in some beef production systems outside the EU, was found in some positive tests on horses that had consumed GAIN products in France last week. GAIN stressed that Zilpaterol has never formed part of any formulation in any GAIN animal nutrition ranges....

A handful of positive tests for the prohibited substance Zilpaterol in France has led to an investigation of the products of equine nutrition company GAIN after it was found that all five affected horses had been fed the company's products. Testing of GAIN products subsequently returned positive results for Zilpaterol. Zilpaterol is a synthetic substance used to promote weight gain in cattle. The products in question as stated by France Galop are racehorse cubes, racehorse mix and opti-care balancer. GAIN has advised customers to cease feeding its products while an...

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy has said he will "fight to clear his name" after it was revealed on Thursday that he had tested positive for metabolites of cocaine at Chantilly on July 19, the card during which he partnered The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) to finish second in the G2 Prix Robert Papin. Murphy said he has "never taken cocaine." If found guilty, he could face a lengthy ban from the saddle; Frankie Dettori was sidelined six months in 2012 after testing positive for cocaine in France-he...

Attendance at ParisLongchamp on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend on Oct. 3 and 4 will be cut from its original projection of 5,000 after Paris and its suburbs were once again placed in the Reinforced Alert Zone of areas with high incidences of coronavirus. The French government announced on Wednesday that maximum attendance at public events in such zones would be 1,000, but France Galop is seeking clarity on whether that number includes staff. France Galop has suspended ticket sales for the weekend and, pending the publication of the...

Au-dela des Pistes, France's re-training and re-homing organization, will benefit from a pair of initiatives on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend Oct. 3 and 4. Modeled after the Breeders' Cup Pledge, owners, trainers, breeders and jockeys associated with runners on Arc weekend can opt to donate a percentage of their earnings over the two days to the charity. Additionally, all ticket sales for the Sunday program will be donated to Au-dela des Pistes. The crowd is limited to 5,000 racing professionals and their guests.

Arc at Home, a social media campaign geared toward engaging with fans unable to attend the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp due to the coronavirus pandemic, was launched by France Galop on Wednesday morning. The social media department of France Galop will provide exclusive information and stories on its Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts utilising the @FranceGalop handle with hashtag #QPAT. Fans are also encouraged to share their favourite #QPATmemories, with the opportunity to win prizes. In 2020, two time Arc heroine Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire})...

Delphine Violette, 43, has been appointed the new Commercial and Marketing Director of France Galop. She started developing partnerships around international events organised by the French Rugby Federation in 2009. In 2018, she was promoted to the position of FFR Director of Marketing, Commercial and Event Activities. Violette begins her new role on Oct. 1 and succeeds Fabrice Favetto Bon. "I am very pleased to welcome Delphine Violette as Commercial and Marketing Director of France Galop," said France Galop Managing Director Olivier Delloye. "Delphine has all the experience and skills...

Approved members of France Galop can now purchase tickets for the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with French racing's showpiece on Oct. 4, and the prior day's card, to be limited to a crowd of 5,000. France Galop has revealed that the spectator experience has been redesigned to comply with social distancing protocols. In addition to more upscale hospitality packages, simple entry tickets for members will be free on the Saturday and on the Sunday will range from €15 to €30. Proceeds from the sale of single tickets will...

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...