Ireland and Britain are two sides of the one Cheltenham coin. But France, the third part of jump racing’s tripartite ecosystem, is traditionally more ambivalent about the festival.
Not so triple-champion jockey James Reveley, who teams up with Il Est Francais in Thursday’s Ryanair Chase.
If the horse, and his name, couldn’t be more Gallic the same can’t be said for his jockey. Reveley’s French is fluent and his accent steadfastly Yorkshire. Il Est Francais is ‘un cheval’ but to his rider he’s still a ‘hoss’.
Il Est Francais has threatened to become a proper champion without quite getting there yet. There’s no such doubt about Reveley’s credentials. Along with Townend, Kennedy, Cobden & Co he represents elite riding talent at jump racing’s primary festival.
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First champion in France in 2016, the 35-year-old won the third of his titles in 2023. He has completed a hat-trick of wins in France’s most prestigious jumps race, the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (2016-18), and also landed the French Champion Hurdle.
Third in last year’s jockey’s championship with 73 winners, he still accumulated prize money of over €3.1 million. In comparison, Jack Kennedy was champion in Ireland and secured prize money of €2.7 million.
All of it is a massive success story for someone who first went to France in 2007 for a summer’s work experience with barely a word of the language.
The grandson of renowned trainer Mary Reveley subsequently wasn’t unsuccessful riding at home, but it was more in journeyman terms. France provided a shot at much more. Since moving permanently in 2016 it has paid off spectacularly.
Like any expat though, recognition at home counts for a lot. In 2023, Il Est Francais put up a spectacular British debut at Kempton in a Grade One. As well as Reveley, it was significant for joint trainers Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm.
“When we won at Kempton someone gave us a French flag and I don’t know why because I’m English, Noel’s English and Amanda is Swedish – but I guess the horse is French-bred!” joked the rider. “Even though we’re English ourselves we’re going over there proud to represent France.”
Geographical possession of racing success is one of the sport’s oddities. The 2012 Gold Cup winner Synchronised was famously bred in Ireland and owned, trained and ridden by Irishmen. The fact he was stabled in Gloucestershire was enough to count for a home win.
On the flat, Godolphin is a resolutely Dubai operation. But its stables are in Newmarket so winners from there also get claimed. What’s universal is the value of passing the post first.
“It’s always been high up on my list of ambitions to ride a winner at the Festival and I’ve never really had a good enough opportunity until now,” Reveley said.
“I moved to France and may have never got any more opportunities, but it’s funny how things have worked out. Now I’ve got the chances thanks to a Swedish and British trainer in France.”
Riding at home though does require a little adjustment. Just as Irish jockeys are more used to tactical affairs at home, so are the French.
“In the UK, they tend to go a lot faster from the word go. It is like the toughest survives, whereas in France, the style of races is a little bit different and tends to be slower early on,” he said.
“The jockey can play a big part in the win in France, by using his position throughout the race or saving ground and energy, whereas in England it is probably nine times out of 10 the best horse that wins. The jockey has a bigger part to play in France I would say,” Reveley added.
Il Est Francais races like he’s very much at home in Britain. For much of the King George at Christmas it looked set to be another Kempton rout as horse and rider cut out a furious pace. Banbridge eventually reeled him in, but that was three miles and the Ryanair is a shorter trip.
What’s different at Cheltenham will be the famous undulations. There is also a persistent worry about how Il Est Francais has burst blood vessels in the past, although racing on quicker ground might remedy that and George isn’t concerned.
“Every time it’s happened it’s been at Auteuil,” he commented. “The most important thing is the horse doesn’t do it at home which he never has.”
The Ryanair will be very much an away day for Il Est Francais. Not so much for his jockey.
