JAMES REVELEY’S THOROUGHBID BLOG: DON’T THINK KEMPTON WILL BOTHER IL EST FRANCAIS
Dec 22, 2023
Thursday 21st December, 2023 – ThoroughBid ambassador and top French jockey James Reveley provides an update on Kempton-bound chaser, Il Est Francais.
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I sat on Il Est Francais on Tuesday morning and he felt great, so it’s all systems go, and I’m skipping the racing on Christmas Day at Pau to prioritise Kempton on Boxing Day.
He’s a picture of a horse and he does everything right. He’s very straightforward and a very kind animal, just about everything you want in a racehorse.
Obviously, it’ll be a test coming to England, which is a completely different style of racing, but I think he’ll adapt to Kempton. He’s a good jumper, he’s quite careful and has a good cruising speed, so he ticks a lot of boxes for a track like Kempton.
He started his career in AQPS bumpers, finishing second in the Group 1 at Saint-Cloud which was a very good run. The winner, Irish Point, has gone on to do good things since, and he’s really come into his own over jumps. He won very easily first time out when trained by Nicolas De Lageneste. He’s a big, well put together horse, but he showed a lot of class in his early days too.
He became a bit unstuck against the best hurdlers of the older generation earlier this year, but he wasn’t right on the day he was beaten, and I think it was the right decision to give him a break over the summer before going over fences this autumn. He has absolutely sluiced up in his last two chases, so it’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to the English style, both the fences and races.
He likes to dominate, but he doesn’t have to be in front and can settle in-behind as well. I have ridden him out front in the last two races because he’s been way and above the best horse and I didn’t want to break his stride.
I don’t think the flat, right-handed track of Kempton will bother him, neither will the style of fences and he’s got plenty of pace so he should travel. The trip shouldn’t be a problem either. Last time out over 2m6f was the furthest he’s been and he showed no signs of stopping at the end, so he ticks all the boxes from my point of view.
It's great for the sport that the horse is coming over, and fingers crossed he’ll stay in one piece and show everyone what he’s capable of.
For me, he’s capable of being a Grand Steeple-Chase horse, and why not a Cheltenham Gold Cup type? This year we’re prioritising the Grand Steep over the Cheltenham Festival, and further down the line we will come back for some good races in England.
It would be great to hear the English commentator calling “Il Est Francais” home in front! I actually won my first Grand Steep on a horse called So French, so it’s all a bit funny and ironic.
James Reveley acts as a National Hunt consignment agent for ThoroughBid in France.