French Champion Hurdle: runner-by-runner guide and tip

Together with November’s 48h l’Obstacle meeting, this weekend sees two of the most important days of action on the French Jumps racing calendar, with four of the country’s nine Grade One races taking place.

Before Sunday’s three top-level contests, headed by the blue-riband event of the season, the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, we have a fascinating renewal of the Racing TV Grand Course de Haies d’Auteuil over 3m1½f to kick things off.

Perhaps as a byproduct of chasing the British Trainers Championship and having had such a flying end to the season in both Britain and Ireland, Willie Mullins (winner in 2011 and 2012 with Thousand Stars, and in 2019 with Benie Des Dieux) is without any runners in this year’s race for the first time since 2021.

There is, however, still an Irish challenger in the form of last year’s runner-up

Hewick

, who is set to re-oppose with his conqueror from 12 months ago,

Losange Bleu

.

Paul Nicholls also knows what it takes to win the French Champion Hurdle, having won it with Ptit Zig in 2016, and he supplemented Monmiral for the race on Wednesday morning. He will be the sole British challenger in the €390,000 contest.

Here’s a guide to all eight runners, with a prediction as to where each will finish. For consistency purposes, I have translated all French ratings into British ones, using the standard 1kg-2lb conversion.

Trainer: Paul Nicholls. Jockey: Harry Cobden. Rating: 149. Age: 8.

This eight-year-old son of Saint Des Saints has actually done plenty of winning, it was just a while ago. Last seen finishing sixth in last month’s Liverpool Hurdle, he has won at Auteuil before, having won on debut there aged three for Francois Nicolle prior to joining Ditcheat.

He then won his first four starts for Nicholls to take his overall record to five from five, but found things tougher in open company the following season and has been a frustrating horse since, only winning once.

Nevertheless, he has some solid form on his CV and is not without an each-way chance. If you believe in omens, the last time part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson’s beloved Manchester United visited West Paris, the Red Devils won 2-1 courtesy of a late Marcus Rashford goal.

Trainer: Arnaud Chaille-Chaille & Francois Pamart. Jockey: Florent Bayle. Rating: 151 Age: 8.

Arnaud Chaille was crowned Champion Trainer in 2024 and has won this three times, most recently with the outstanding Theleme two years ago.

Now on a joint licence with his former jockey Francois Pamart, they have some outstanding four-year-olds and have a live chance in Sunday’s French Gold Cup with Grandeur Nature but are unlikely to be winning this one.

This son of Choeur Du Nord finished fifth in last year’s race, but that is probably his level and it has been over three years since he last won a race. He did, however, finish second in November’s Grade One Grand Prix d’Automne, splitting the reigning Champion Hurdler Losange Bleu and 2023 runner-up Hermes Baie.

That race was on much softer ground than he is likely to get this time around and he needs to bounce back from a fall over fences when last seen at Compiegne last month.

Trainer: Shark Hanlon. Jockey: Gavin Sheehan. Rating: 155. Age: 10.

Would be the oldest winner of the race but has a solid chance, with conditions likely to be in his favour. 

Fourth in the 2023 renewal and a length and a half second to the five-year-old Losange Bleu last year giving him 2kg (weight-for-age allowance), they race off levels this time around and looks set for a big run if his eighth-place finish in the has not taken too much out of him.

He has a different jockey on board for the third year in a row in Paris, with Gavin Sheehan, who rode him at Aintree last month and to victory in the King George VI Chase, set to do the steering.

If you fancy him and are heading to France, back him on the PMU, where you are likely to get a better price.

Trainer: Dominque Bressou. Jockey: Johnny Charron. Rating: 156. Age: 6.

The reigning champion has had a turbulent 12 months since last year’s win but is still the one they all have to beat.

After making a winning reappearance in a Grade Three in September, where he beat the useful, albeit not top-class, Jeu De Thaix and Heloy Delaberriere, he was later stripped of that win and disqualified for testing positive for an anti-inflammatory due to contamination, presumably on the horse box on his way to Auteuil.

He then won the Grand Prix d’Automne before beaten at short odds in the Grade Two Prix La Barka in March. This was still a good performance under a big weight burdon - his quietly-spoken trainer was furious that he had to give such a large amount of weight away – and after last month’s emphatic win, he looks sure to be thereabouts again.

Aa a jockey, Bressou won this race twice, in successive years on the same horse (Le Sauvignon in 2001 and 2002), so perhaps that is a good omen for a repeat win as a trainer.

Trainer: Mickael Seror. Jockey: Kevin Nabet. Rating: 119. Age: 7.

This horse is part-owned by Andy Peake, owner or part-owner of talented jumps horses such as Paul Nicholls’s Sans Bruit, as well as talented French performers In Love, General En Chef and Kaadam.

However, this son of Kamsin has a mountain to climb on ratings to get close to the protagonists here. He has been highly tried before, running in the French King George (Prix La Haye Jousselin) in November, where he pulled up, and it will probably be the same story this weekend.

Trainer: David Windrif. Jockey: Ludovic Philipperon. Rating: 134. Age: 6.

The sole British-bred runner in this year’s race has his usual jockey Ludovic Philipperon on board, who won the Finale Juvneile Hurdle at Chepstow in November and is one of the most underrated riders in the French weighing room. 

He finished third, just two lengths behind Losange Bleu, in the Prix La Barka, but he was in receipt of 5kg and will need Philpperon to produce one of his best ever rides if he is to win this weekend. 

Yet to score in Graded company over hurdles, his name may sound familiar to Irish readers as he ran twice for Willie Mullins without winning.

Trainer: Francois Nicolle. Jockey: Angelo Zuliani. Rating: 134. Age: 5.

One of two five-year-olds in this race in receipt of 2kg, he is a very talented performer and any runner saddled by multiple Champion Trainer Francois Nicolle, who has won three of the last seven runnings, commands plenty of respect.

That said, a career best will be needed and he is generally found racing over fences. He finished second in the Prix Maurice Gillois (championship chase for four-year-olds in the Autumn) last year and has raced over the winter at both Pau and Auteuil in Grade Three chases, without winning.

He warmed up for Saturday’s assignment with a second-placed effort in a conditions hurdle at Auteuil last month, giving the winner weight, and has stamina to prove over this far as well.

Trainer: Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm. Jockey: James Reveley. Rating: 137. Age: 5.

The second five-year-old in the race, he is by Spanish Moon, sire of Laurina and El Fabiolo, and is clearly highly-regarded by the Chantilly-based training duo of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm as he is being pitched into this on just his sixth start. He only made his debut 13 months ago.

He is unikley to win this race but is perhaps one for the future. He won twice in 2024 and, this year, he has finished a creditable second to in a Listed hurdle at Auteuil in March and then finished second behind Losange Bleu last month, eight lengths back and in receipt of 8kg.

This is not the deepest renewal, but last year’s first and second are back again and they are the two most likely winners.

If the ground is riding quicker than last year (it almost always rides faster than the official description) and Hewick retains his ability, then the Irish challenger should go close, but preference is for the reigning champion and younger hurdler LOSANGE BLEU.

He is not in receipt of any weight this year but was impressive last time out and can win a fourth Grade One. British contender Monmiral can round out the places and justify his supplementary fee for Paul Nicholls in the colours of the late John Hales.

Predicted finishing order:  1 Losange Bleu  2 Hewick  3 Monmiral  4 Heloy Delabarriere  5 Kentucky Wood  6 El Clavel  7 Nyiri  8 Imbatable Du Seuil