Jean-Etienne Dubois

Patrice Cottier trainee Classic Flower (GB) (Calyx {GB}--Crown Of Flowers {GB}, by Garswood {GB}) had collected prizemoney for the Gousserie Racing and Jean-Etienne Dubois partnership in all three prior black-type outings and held firm against a strong British raiding party to double her freshman sire's pattern-race tally in Saturday's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly. The 28-5 chance, who had hit the board in the G2 Prix Robert Papin and G3 Prix Six Perfections earlier in the campaign, was well away to stalk the leading duo in a handy third...

Coolmore resident Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) became Europe's latest first-crop sire to get off the mark when Patrice Cottier trainee Classic Flower (GB) (Calyx {GB}--Crown Of Flowers {GB}, by Garswood {GB}) subdued eight rivals over 5 1/2 furlongs in Wednesday's €23,000 Prix de la Cote Bleue at Salon-de-Provence. Finding a comfortable slot behind the leading trio through halfway after an alert getaway, the 6-5 favourite loomed large off the home turn and required minimal coaxing in the closing stages to easily account for Aquila Volante (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}) by a...

"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...