France Galop

Chantilly plays host to the G3 Prix Texanita on Wednesday, with the domestic 3-year-old sprinters having their say over the six-furlong strip. Al Shaqab Racing's Wooded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) reverts to this trip for the first time, having shown smart juvenile form over a furlong further when a short-head runner-up to Kenway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in the G3 Prix la Rochette at ParisLongchamp in September and third in the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon at Saint-Cloud the following month. He faces Guy Pariente's Wanaway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) who captured the...

French President Emmanuel Macron has greenlit the May 11 resumption of racing in France behind closed doors, France Galop and LeTROT jointly announced Saturday morning. France Galop, LeTROT and the National Federation of horse racing received the government authorities definitive approval for the resumption of racing in France from May 11, in accordance with the program established by the racing authorities. The news came after France Galop and Le TROT had spent Friday negotiating with the government, releasing a joint press release late Friday evening. There had been rumors of...

Despite rumblings of growing uncertainty regarding the resumption of French racing on May 11, France Galop announced that the meetings were still greenlit as of late Friday evening in France. France has not conducted racing since Mar. 17 due to the coronavirus. The statement read: "Since this morning, some alarmist reports have been circulating regarding the resumption of racing on 11 May in France, which have given racing professionals rise to legitimate concern. France Galop and LeTROT have worked tirelessly throughout the day to continue to convince the parties concerned...

With racing set to resume in France on Monday, France Galop has announced adjusted prize-money allocations for the remainder of 2020. In a bid to preserve the country's grassroots racing, there will be no reductions in the purses for PMH races run in the provinces for €15,000 or less, or for races in the Paris area which previously had a value of €19,000 or less. The most swingeing cuts come at Group 1 level on the Flat, with those races being reduced in value by 40%. All other group and...

The French racing community received good news on Monday, with the confirmation that racing will be authorised in Paris on May 11. Paris had been declared a "red zone" under the coronavirus lockdown restrictions in France, but France Galop President Edouard de Rothschild tweeted the positive news on Monday morning. "We obtained and received from the Prefecture de Police de Paris the authorisation to resume racing on May 11," de Rothschild tweeted. "This is very good news and a real victory!" The French government had earlier announced its support of...

The French Government has expressed its support of a phased-in resumption of the racing programme in France from Monday, May 11, and has announced financial aid for the racing sector largely through a temporary cut in betting tax. Last Tuesday, the French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume and his ministerial colleague Gérald Darmanin met Edouard de Rothschild and Jean-Pierre Barjon, the respective heads of France Galop and trotting authority LeTrot, to discuss plans to allow the return of racing action in the week following the easing of lockdown restrictions for France....

With the resumption of French racing planned for Monday, May 11, France Galop has released a revised racing programme for the period of May 11 to 31. All meetings will take place behind closed doors and under strict sanitary measures as previously trialed in the country before racing was suspended. There will be 14% more races at the Parisian courses of ParisLongchamp, Chantilly and Saint-Cloud than originally scheduled during that time period, to include an extra 22 races for 3-year-olds and 24 for older horses. The number of races rescheduled...

French racing officials remain hopeful that racing in that country could resume behind closed doors on May 11 after a meeting with government officials on Tuesday that France Galop Chief Executive Officer Olivier Delloye described as "positive." Among those in attendance at the meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture were France Galop President Edouard de Rothschild; Bertrand Meheut and Cyril Linette, chairman and director general, respectively, of the PMU and Jean-Pierre Barjon, President of LeTROT, the governing body of trot racing. "It was a positive...

French racing authorities will on Tuesday meet with government officials to discuss the next steps in getting racing back under starters orders. Nicolas Clement, president of the French Trainers Association, said chief among the topics of discussion will be finalizing a plan for when racing can resume behind closed doors and potential funding aid for the PMU. After holding all meetings behind closed doors from Mar. 13-and some as early as late February-all racing in France was suspended from Mar. 17 through initially Apr. 15 in response to the coronavirus...

France Galop and Le Trot, the governing bodies of flat racing and trotters in France, are in discussion with government regarding a possible return of racing behind closed doors. French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday night extended the country's lockdown to May 11, and so if racing is able to resume before that it would do so with limited PMU betting points operational; those betting shops located in cafes and restaurants would remain closed. The implications of this are currently being examined, with the presidents of France Galop, Le Trot...

France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild attended a meeting on Tuesday morning with representatives from France's government ministries overseeing the agriculture and accounting sectors. Along with Jean-Pierre Barjon, his counterpart in the French trotting industry, de Rothschild discussed previous submissions to government documenting the shutdown of racing in the country and its affect on the industry's 21,000 workers. The economic impact of the cessation of racing since Mar. 17 until the end of April is estimated to be €58 million. A key factor in the resumption of the sport in...

France Galop will redirect funds collected from fines to trainers as a means to help cushion the financial blow of lockdowns imposed by COVID-19, Jour de Galop reports. The fund contains of €540,000, and if split evenly among all 381 eligible trainers each would receive €1,417. France Galop, however, is giving trainers the opportunity to forego the aid to further assist those in need. Any trainer who foregoes the aid will have their share evenly divided among all others.