Il Est Francais makes eagerly anticipated return ahead of future Grade 1 targets

Il Est Francais starts out on a road that should lead to the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase when he lines up in the Grade 3 Prix Richard et Robert Hennessy Chase (4.00) at Auteuil.

Trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, Il Est Francais finished well beaten on his most recent outing in April, which in itself was the six-year-old’s only outing since his runaway success in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton last year.

Tests conducted following his defeat in April did not find any definitive cause for Il Est Francais’s below-par performance, with connections opting to end his season shortly after that following a “slightly flat” piece of work.

George, who trains Il Est Francais for co-owners Richard Kelvin-Hughes and Nicolas de Lageneste, said his stable star was building up well for his return following his summer break.

“He’s in good shape and we’re looking forward to getting him back on track,” George said. “He had a good break over the summer and he’s as ready as he can be for this race. It should put him spot on for a Grade 1 in the second week of November – the Prix la Haye Jousselin. 

“That’s very much his main target and hopefully he can keep going on to better things after that.”

Il Est Francais is a general 5-1 chance for the King George VI Chase on December 26 behind Fastorslow, and George added: “He won’t be going to England before the King George but we are firstly hoping for a good performance on Saturday.”

Among the seven runners taking on Il Est Francais is Gold Tweet, the winner of last year’s Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The seven-year-old, trained by Gabriel Leenders, was last seen finishing down the field in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris but drops by a mile in trip for Saturday’s contest.

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