Vive la France? Il Est Francais leads strong Gallic entry for British Grade 1s

The entries for the two biggest three-mile chases this side of the Cheltenham Festival have been made and the list of potential runners for both the Betfair Chase and the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase make for fascinating reading. Here are some of our key takeouts . . .

The French are coming

The increased French involvement at the entry stage is partly a function of recent success and partly the Anglo-Swedish training partnership of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm placing great emphasis on being able to challenge for the biggest races on both sides of the English Channel. 

Where the various entries might end up takes a little bit of unpicking, although trainer Gabriel Leenders has made it clear for some time that, given its emphasis in stamina, he believes the Betfair Chase is the right spot for Gold Tweet, who is 50-1 for a race in which the most recent French runner was the Emmanuel Clayeux-trained Vezelay in 2016.