There have been a couple of interesting 4-year-olds make winning debuts over hurdles this week and the latest was Ivan du Berry.

The tight turns of Machecoul clearly suit and if he can build on this, there is no reason to think that he won’t win more races.

Callisto du Nord has been quietly going about his business and he has now made such a significant step forwards, that there is every chance he will develop into one of the best 4-year-olds in France.

Horizon Dore is the highest rated horses that we have seen running in France so far in 2026, but his return on Sunday can only be described as underwhelming.

As 4-year-olds go, he is one of the more exciting prospects running at this time of the year...

Given how well he closed in the straight, chasing home a winner who sets a fair standard when getting his own way in front, he is a horse to note.

Mont de Soleil is a very capable performer at this level and the fact that he has now won over 2,000m does open some further options to him. However, we know an awful lot about the horses that he has beaten and neither of them can be considered to be improving types.

The phrase “he deserved one” is not one of my favourite points in racing as it would usually imply that a horse has found ways not to win, but in hindsight, it applies perfectly to Calandagan.

A 3-length defeat behind the Oaks runner-up Whirl and Kalpana is close to a career best for this daughter of Churchill...

Goliath returned to winning ways in La Coupe at Paris Longchamp on Sunday. The race has been won by the likes of Cirrus des Aigles, No Risk at All and Robin of Navan. It was a good piece of placement, but other than confirming his fitness, we didn't learn a great deal more about him. Here's why;

Could he win the Arc? Absolutely. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The star name on the card runs in the first race, as Richard Hannon's Haatem takes on 5 rivals in the Listed Prix de Montretout.

All roads clearly lead to the Arc, though the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud must now be tempting after this romp.

She looks to be the wrong price and if this develops into a sprint finish, she might just have too much speed for them.

The yard won a similar race at Fontainebleau last month and the booking of Maxime Guyon would appear to suggest that she is ready to run her race.

A brief summary of this year's Prix Ganay at Paris Longchamp.

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

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

He needs to be supplemented for the race, but there is certainly a case to be made that he will deliver a return on that investment.

As the weather and more importantly the ground begin to turn, we are likely to see some of the better French recruits on the track.