'When he sets off to work he is easy, and every day he's like that' - behind the scenes with French star Il Est Francais

Il Est Francais will arguably carry the highest profile of any French-trained challenger at Cheltenham since Kasbah Bliss brought the curtain down on Francois Doumen's love affair with the Festival in 2009.

His bold and attacking style already brought him legions of fans in two trips to Kempton, and you may expect that a horse who enjoys putting his rivals through the mill with his relentless displays of galloping and jumping might have a certain domineering attitude at home. 

But that is not the case according to Zoe Peake, travelling head groom to Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm and a key part of the set-up in Avilly Saint-Leonard, on the outskirts of Chantilly, since before George was first granted his licence in January 2023.