He has a long way to go before his connections can think about fulfilling those lofty ambitions, but he is heading in the right direction.

The Prix Wild Monarch races at Auteuil continue to be some of the most important 3-year-old hurdle races in the French calendar.

A pair of fascinating debutantes races from Saint-Cloud on Friday.

She will be suited by a stronger gallop and 10-furlongs, which should be relatively easy to find in the UK and she is worth noting when she makes her debut.

The French Guineas Trials are underway and we saw plenty of clues at Deauville on Tuesday. Here are my notes on the Prix Djebel.

Both of them showed plenty of promise in difficult conditions and are worth adding to the tracker.

We probably haven't seen any Group 1 performers this early in the season, but there have been a couple of interesting performances.

He moved forwards at the cut away and with one strike pulled readily clear to win by 6-lengths. He was the best horse on this card.

He was keen, he pulled too hard, he was drawn wide and raced without cover, he hung to his right in the final furlong, yet still won.

He is a Teofilo half-brother to Birr Castle and should easily win a maiden next time on this evidence

I can't wait to see what he will do with the benefit of more time in the Henderson yard

She traveled better than the winner and shaped like a maiden winner in waiting next time.

She looks to be one of the more exciting AQPS debutantes that we have seen so far in 2025.

"There are lots of reasons to be positive about this form in the weeks to come".

Being a gelding should not be a barrier to success and he is definitely worth keeping an eye on in the weeks ahead.

There are a couple of key names to note from the hurdle races at Angers on Sunday

His closing sectionals would suggest that he is a considerably above average type.

Jean-Claude Rouget has made a habit of winning the 3-year-old maidens at Cagnes-Sur-Mer each year...

Whilst everyone else is focussing on the National Hunt season, French Racing fans are treated to an early start to the Flat turf season.

I'll begin 2025 with a look at Anzadam and my thoughts on his Champion Hurdle chances.