French racing

The Arqana Series, five races for colts and fillies offered at the Deauville sales, will be unveiled in 2023. The series, which will be contested between Deauville and ParisLongchamp, will offer £1.2 million in guaranteed minimum prize money. Races will highlight the August Meeting at Deauville (Aug. 10) and the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend (Sept. 30). Eligible sales for the 2023 series are: 2022 August Yearling Sale 2022 September Yearling Sale 2022 October Yearling Sale 2022 November Yearling Sale 2023 Breeze Up Sale (2-year-olds) Additionally, foals that...

France Galop has agreed to a four-year deal with HBA Media to distribute its entire international racing portfolio-the French Flat horse racing calendar--the company announced on Wednesday. HBA Media will ensure global broadcast and multi-platform distribution for the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and an additional 26 Group 1 and Group 2 race days. Henry Birtles, Chief Executive of HBA Media, said, "HBA Media is delighted to enter this exciting partnership with France Galop. "Over the past few years, our vision at HBA Media has been focused on...

If you are a breeder planning to board one or several mares in France, or an owner planning to race in that country, then the name of Charlotte André is one you might want to become familiar with. France has many well-documented assets, led by increased prize-money in 2022 and lucrative ßbonuses paid to the owners and breeders of horses raised in the country. This scheme is open to the progeny of stallions based in France and abroad and applies throughout a horse's racing career. But, as with all bonuses,...

   Sunday's G1 Prix d'Ispahan at ParisLongchamp sees two of France's big names Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) go head-to-head over the unique intermediate trip of nine furlongs 55 yards. While Skalleti has yet to strike at this exalted level despite holding the enviable tally of seven group-race wins, his compatriot has won one of the most prestigious of them all in Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in October. Disappointing so far this term, Al Asayl France's The Revenant could have been forgiven for...

The name Head appears multiple times in the winning trainer category on the Prix Saint-Alary roll of honour. Alec, Criquette and Freddy have all trained winners of the fillies' Group 1, and the latter also rode the winner, usually for his father or his sister, on seven occasions. In the line-up for the 2021 running of the Saint-Alary next Monday is likely to be a filly trained by one of the next generation of the Head family, Christopher, a son of Freddy, who has taken the bold decision to supplement...

Health measures in place for jockeys and any other France Galop or foreign racing authority licence holder, including apprentices, young jockeys and amateur riders, have been tightened, France Galop, in consultation with the Jockey's Association announced on Wednesday. Beginning Monday, Nov. 16, all jockeys are required to complete a COVID-19 questionnaire issued by France Galop prior to the first ride of the meeting and handed to the secretary or the stewards. In addition, starting Wednesday, Nov. 18, all jockeys must also produce an RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen nasopharyngeal...

France Galop has confirmed that racing will be allowed to continue in the country during the new lockdown which came into force at midnight on Thursday. The action will return to being staged behind closed doors with only key personnel allowed to attend. The trainer and one member of staff per runner will be permitted but owners and spectators are no longer allowed to be present at race meetings in France. The current restrictions are expected to be in place for at least a month. A statement released by the...

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...

Constant, blazing sunshine will welcome back Europe's Group 1 Classics at Deauville on Monday while Berlin-Hoppegarten join in with the first of their own domestic Classics on a day that will be relished by all the racing community. While the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Pouliches are an all-French affair in 2020 and the former is missing the country's leading juvenile of 2019 in Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), there are two Group 1 winners engaged to add gravitas to a renewal forever to be marked with an asterisk. Both...

With Paris ruled out of racing action for the immediate future, Clairefontaine take on the G3 Prix du Palais-Royal on Thursday with Spinning Memories (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) set to start at prohibitive odds. Fourth in this when staged at its usual home of ParisLongchamp 12 months ago, Sutong Pan Racing Bloodstock's 5-year-old went on to garner Deauville's G3 Prix de Meautry over six furlongs in late August after filling fourth spot in the 6 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest there three weeks earlier. She was impressive when taking the...

French listed winner Helter Skelter (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}-Winna Chope {Fr}, by Soave {Ger}) sustained a fatal injury on the gallops on Wednesday morning, owner Masaaki Matsushima confirmed to Jour de Galop. The colt, an €30,000 yearling at the Osarus September Yearling Sale in 2018 who was purchased by Matsushima after his 3 1/2-length victory in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage, had held an entry in the June 1 G1 G1 Poule d'Essai de Poulains. He was a last out sixth in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau...

Fresh from a break having garnered the immensely valuable Longines Turf H. at Riyadh Feb. 29, George Strawbridge's Call the Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) managed to continue the winning sequence in Sunday's G3 Prix de Barbeville at Deauville and book a potential trip to Royal Ascot. Prior to his Saudi venture, the homebred had been out of luck but always on the premises in seven starts since his defeat of Holdthasigreen (Fr) (Hold That Tiger) in the 2018 G1 Prix du Cadran at Paris Longchamp and it was that old...