Could the King George be booked for export? Graeme Rodway on a bumper Irish and French entry
There is no doubt about the surprise name among the entries for the Betfair Chase because not many people would have expected to see French-trained superstar Il Est Francais included, but last year’s Kauto Star winner at Kempton has been given a Haydock entry.
It’s still likely the first time we see Il Est Francais in Britain will be in the King George at Kempton, for which he also has a less surprising entry, but what a fascinating prospect it would be were he to turn out at Haydock. He would be a lot shorter than the 8-1 ante-post.
Last year Il Est Francais won the Kauto Star in a time 4.45 seconds faster than Hewick achieved in winning the King George, which on good ground equates to around 22 lengths, and that would indicate the French ace is up to beating Hewick at Kempton this season.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inThe Big Reveal
Last updated
- Vive la France? Il Est Francais leads strong Gallic entry for British Grade 1s
- 'We’ll be looking to Haydock' – Corbetts Cross an eyecatching entry for Betfair and King George with some big names absent
- Heavyweight entries revealed for King George VI Chase and Betfair Chase - but two notable big guns missing from Kempton
- Vive la France? Il Est Francais leads strong Gallic entry for British Grade 1s
- 'We’ll be looking to Haydock' – Corbetts Cross an eyecatching entry for Betfair and King George with some big names absent
- Heavyweight entries revealed for King George VI Chase and Betfair Chase - but two notable big guns missing from Kempton