France

The Route des Etalons was established in 2010 in an attempt to stimulate a flagging French stallion scene. A little over a decade on, it could be said that it's 'job done'. That doesn't mean that the annual open weekend of Normandy studs has been shelved. Its popularity has grown year on year for breeders and bloodstock pilgrims alike, and it is only a global pandemic that has stopped it run in 2021. It will, however, be staged online across this weekend, with videos of the 108 stallions involved shown...

The Irish Government's Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine has released updated advice for horse movement through Great Britain beginning on New Year's Day, Horse Racing Ireland announced on Thursday. The new guidelines are intended for those transporting horses and the Trader Notice, which outlines procedures for export certification to Britain from Jan. 1, as well as information on movements to and from France and Northern Ireland, may be accessed here. The new guidelines are summarized as follows for each equine exporter from Ireland to Great Britain: Register with DAFM....

Health measures in place for jockeys and any other France Galop or foreign racing authority licence holder, including apprentices, young jockeys and amateur riders, have been tightened, France Galop, in consultation with the Jockey's Association announced on Wednesday. Beginning Monday, Nov. 16, all jockeys are required to complete a COVID-19 questionnaire issued by France Galop prior to the first ride of the meeting and handed to the secretary or the stewards. In addition, starting Wednesday, Nov. 18, all jockeys must also produce an RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen nasopharyngeal...

The Dec. 5-8 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale's catalogue is now online. A total of 841 mares, fillies and foals will go through the ring in early December, with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. each day. Highlighting the sale are 53 half-sisters to Group 1 winners. Leading the way is G1 Preis Von Europa heroine Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 182), who will start in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland. The filly is consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux. Monceaux also offers Anabasis (Ger) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (lot 164)...

The fees for Haras de Colleville's three stallions have been announced, with Goken (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) receiving a sharp increase to €15,000 from €3,000. The first-season sire is already responsible for two Group 3 winners-Livachope (Fr) and Go Athletico (Fr), as well as the MGSP Axdavali (Fr). Next is Galiway (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who has sired G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Sealiway (Fr) from his second crop, at €12,000. Sealiway will compete at the Breeders' Cup on Friday in Lexington. The sire of four black-type winners, Galiway was €10,000 in...

For several centuries, Chantilly has been considered the heartland of the French racing industry and the hub for the country's major trainers. But in recent years, a number of names have proved that it is possible to dine at racing's top table while maintaining the bulk of your stable away from the Paris region. Currently leading the trainers' list and set to be crowned champion for the third time is Jean-Claude Rouget, whose main stable is in Pau but who also has a fairly major satellite operation farther north in...

Racing in France and Germany looks set to continue behind closed doors after both countries have been placed in new temporary lockdowns. The rising rates of coronavirus across Europe means that, as of midnight on Thursday, France will return to lockdown conditions seen earlier in 2020, with only essential journeys being permitted and restaurants, bars and most shops closed for all bar essential provisions. However, the country's sports minister Roxana Maracineanu has confirmed that professional sport can continue and that professional athletes are allowed to train and to travel to...

MG1SW Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}-Spasha {GB}, by Shamardal) has been retired and will take up stud duties at Haras d'Etreham in France. Etreham and Cambridge Stud purchased the bay for stallion duty last October, and he will shuttle to Brendan and Jo Lindsay's New Zealand property to fulfill Southern Hemisphere obligations in due course. Etreham and Cambridge joined forces to stand Hello Youmzain's new barnmate Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in 2018. A fee for the Rabbah Bloodstock-bred will be announced later and his book will be capped at...

Planteur (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}--Plante Rare {Ire}, by Giant's Causeway) will stand at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire as a National Hunt stallion in 2021. The former Marco Botti-trained bay will stand on behalf of owner/breeder Simon Davies with the deal brokered by Richard Venn Bloodstock. The 2011 G1 Prix Ganay victor who was also runner-up in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris and two editions of the G1 Prix d'Isapahan previously stood in France at Haras de Bouquetot (2014-2018) and Haras du Grand Courgeon...

MGSW Duke of Hazzard (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. and G2 Celebration Mile S. at Goodwood last August, will now be pointed at the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. Unplaced in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot upon resuming on June 16, the 4-year-old improved to third in the G2 Summer Mile S. there on July 11 and went one better in the July 28 G2 Lennox S. last out for trainers Paul and Oliver Cole. "I think the plan will be to...

Borders may be closed around the world but the resourcefulness of the bloodstock industry has meant that horse sales have continued to be staged, even if not all the horses catalogued can actually be present in the ring. When Spinning Memories (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) lines up for the G3 Prix du Palais Royal on Thursday it will be the start of quite an international week for the mare, though she will only travel between her stable in Chantilly and the racecourse at Clairefontaine. Five days later, the 5-year-old sprinter will...

French sales company Osarus stages the first sale of the delayed breeze-up season on Wednesday and, in a first for European sales, the auction will be conducted entirely online from 1.30pm local time. There have been 20 withdrawals from the original catalogue of 79 juveniles but a further ten 2-year-olds have been added to the sale as supplementary lots. These include a colt by Sea The Moon (lot 14b) out of the winning Cape Blanco (Ire) mare Casablanca (Ire) offered by Larissa Kneip's Haras de Saint Arnoult, which is also...