'There's always a little bit of pressure' - can Il Est Francais pass final test before Grand Steep tilt?

Even though Cheltenham has passed, Il Est Francais's electric win in the Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing Day remains the second best novice chase performance of the season.

We did not see him at Cheltenham. The intention to prioritise the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris became clear soon after Kempton. The 'Grand Steep' is France's Gold Cup, run in May shortly after Il Est Francais ceases to be a novice under British and Irish rules.

He will prepare for the big race in Saturday's Prix Murat. This is the third and perhaps the biggest of the four designated trial races for the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, collectively known as the Masters.

Many of Il Est Francais' likeliest threats in May have stayed away. Grandeur Nature, who won November's Prix la Haye Jousselin, could go to Compiegne on Monday instead. Juntos Ganamos, the other youngster in the division, won the Prix Troytown last time and will reportedly head for the Prix Ingre next. Both are Masters races.

So the Murat should be a penalty kick for Il Est Francais, right? While you might be expecting a twist, one is not really coming. On Racing Post Ratings, his figure of 168 earned at Kempton, Il Est Francais is well clear of his rivals today.

The main danger is habit. In France, prep races tend to come with a capital 'p'. If stars come unstuck, it tends to be first time up when they are short of peak fitness. Two of the four Grade 1 winners at the big November meeting had been beaten in much lower grades on their first run of the autumn.

Il Est Francais has one plausible threat on form, Gran Diose, who arguably shaped as well as the winner when second in the Jousselin. He has race-fitness on his side, having finished fifth in the Troytown. If he runs up to his best, Il Est Francais will not be able to rest on his laurels.
Analysis by Keith Melrose

'I'll be disappointed if Il Est Francais is beaten'

Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm are now just six weeks out from a Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris for which their Kempton hero Il Est Francais is the dominant favourite, despite having only made three chase starts.

Il Est Francais: won the Kauto Star Novices' Chase by 11 lengthsCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Prix Murat marks an important staging post on the road to France's version of the Gold Cup, not least because it will give Il Est Francais valuable experience of jumping the outer chase track at Auteuil, featuring the yawning Rail, Ditch and Fence. 

Il Est Francais carries plenty of weight thanks to that win in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase on Boxing Day, though George won't be using that as an excuse if he's not standing in the winner's enclosure after the Murat.

"Even though it's his comeback and the main objective is May 19, I'll be disappointed if he's beaten," said George. "We have the horse nearing 100 per cent ready, though when you run in the Grand Steeple you need to be at 120 per cent. There's always a little bit of pressure because he's so good but I have a lot of confidence in him.

"He’s a very special horse and I think he’ll adapt again. He’s schooled a lot over the French obstacles and before Kempton we only schooled him once over the English-style fences."

The stable also saddle Gallipoli, who has finished runner-up in the two most important Grand Steeple-Chase trials to date. 

George said: "I try to avoid working them together. Gallipoli is inferior to Il Est Francais but then again, he’s getting five kilos [11lb] and has got two races under his belt. I’d like to think they’ll be one and two hopefully."

George added: "I think he’s improving. I think his first race if we were maybe a little bit less forward on soft ground, maybe it could have been a win. Whether he’s up to the level of Il Est Francais is debatable."

The imposing Gran Diose and Louisa Carberry at her base in SenonnesCredit: Racing Post / Burton

Further British interest comes in the shape of the Louisa Carberry-trained Gran Diose, who ran as though he needed the outing when fifth in the Prix Troytown three weeks ago.

"I knew going into his comeback that he wasn't as prepared as he has been first run back in the past, purely because we'd had a lot of rain," said Carberry. "He'd missed two or three pieces of work but it was important to get a run into him with his new jockey, Clement Lefebvre. 

"He ought to have progressed a ton, having had a run and then three weeks more work. I hope you'll see a much livelier performance, and we can then keep picking up and having him ready for six weeks time."
Reporting by Scott Burton

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'We're looking forward to getting him started' - Derby third White Birch makes return in Group 3    

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Can Aidan O'Brien's Capulet capture £100,000 prize or will Cuban Tiger follow up his Good Friday success?   

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