But first, Wootton City will line out in the G3 Prix de Cabourg at Deauville on Tuesday before Reynier can allow himself to dream about races like the G2 Lowther S. at York and the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket, both of which have been pencilled into the filly's diary. 

“Wootton City has done well for us and the plan is to run in the Prix de Cabourg on Tuesday before going for the Lowther S. at York. If she is good enough, she is aiming for the G1 Cheveley Park S. and the Lowther would be a good prep for that,” Reynier said.

He added, “We will keep options open with her but she will have to run well against the colts on Tuesday and then we will see how she is. I think she could be even better with a cut in the ground so hopefully she gets that at York in a few weeks' time.”

Reynier is one of the leading trainers in France, which is all the more meritorious considering he trains away from the major training centres in Marseille. He has sent out 65 winners this season and, as well as being on course to record his greatest tally of winners, he is set to eclipse his previous best prize-money haul. 

“You can place a horse really well over here and pick up enough prize-money so that the horses are paying for themselves,” Jerome Reynier, trainer.

Prize-money in France is far more lucrative than in Britain and Ireland, where some trainers have voiced concerns over the exodus of equine talent and the paltry pots that horses are running for. 

Mark Johnston, one of the most successful trainers in Britain and the dual Classic-winning handler Ger Lyons, told TDN Europe recently about their growing concerns for British and Irish racing

However, Reynier says that the excellent prize-money in France means owners have a realistic chance of making the game pay, meaning they don't need to be as trigger-happy about cashing in on their horses compared to Britain and Ireland. 

He explained, “Horses are able to make money in France through the prize-money that they earn, which is probably the only place in Europe where this can happen. Obviously, many people have different views but say someone like Mr Seroul [Reynier's biggest supporter], he has no interest in selling his best horses because he does not need the money and he's having a lot of fun with them. There have been big offers for Wootton City but he has turned them down because he really wants to keep her as a broodmare for the future. 

“Someone like him is not interested at all in private deals but obviously, for others, when the money is offered, it may make sense for them to cash in and reinvest the money elsewhere. “That's part of the game and we have to be open to offers. We're in the process of selling one horse to Japan right now, another to Australia and we are trying to sell another to America as well so you need to keep the ball rolling and keep every owner happy. We are really open-minded.”

He added, “The way our horses are campaigned, it's not like England or Ireland–we are not trying to win first time. We are not as offensive in the morning and, speaking for myself, we use races to build them up and like our horses to progress with every run. 

“We like building up our athletes the right way but, if you are a commercially-minded trainer who wants to sell them on, you are going to start doing some races in the morning to make sure you pick the best one to run on the track and you will want to be winning first time out to sell them on. It's a short-term perspective. 

“When you don't have the prize-money and the opposition is so high you don't have the luxury of waiting too long as you do in France. Yes, France is a really competitive place, but you can place a horse really well over here and pick up enough prize-money so that the horses are paying for themselves.”

There are countless examples of that, even at the lower levels. Reynier, a graduate of the esteemed Darley Flying Start course, has experienced racing all over the world but described the prize-money at the middle to lower tiers in France and the incentives involved for owners in his home country as being unique. 

“Look at a horse like Happy Harry (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}),” he explained. “We claimed him back in January and he has had 11 starts for us since then. He has won once and placed in all of his other starts and has amassed over €70,000. He is rated just 33, which is the equivalent of about 70 in Britain or Ireland, so it's huge money earned in handicap and maiden races for a horse of that level and in the space of just six months. It really shows that, if a horse is well-managed, you can earn a lot of money in France.”

He added, “Not only that, but every horse gets €3,000 per year towards their travel expenses and, if you aren't placed, you don't have to pay any travel expenses towards your trip. I had three runners at Le Touquet, which is probably the furthest track from my base in Marseille, on Friday and because I was unlucky and none of them placed, the owners did not have to pay anything towards their travel.”

Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), owned by Jean-Claude Seroul, has been Reynier's main flag-bearer since he set up as a trainer. He became the trainer's first Group 1 winner when landing the Prix d'Ispahan at ParisLongchamp before adding another top-level triumph to his CV at Munich last season. 

While Skalleti hit a minor bump in the road after he picked up a minor injury in the G1 Prix Ganay, the 7-year-old  is reported to be on course to return in the autumn.

Speaking about Skalleti and the rest of his stable stars, the trainer said, “Skalleti has achieved a lot for us but he is a 7-year-old now and his best performances are probably behind him. 

“He had a little setback after the Prix Ganay but we should see him in the autumn on soft ground.”

Reynier added, “We have been very lucky to come across a horse like Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) while Skalleti was out. He is unbeaten in all four of his starts and won his listed race at Chantilly earlier this month. He will go for a group race at Deauville on August 20 so, if he can be competitive in that, it would be amazing. 

“We also have Marianachic (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) who has won his last five starts. He's won two stakes races this year and we'll be aiming him at another.”

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Step forward Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), Jean-Claude Seroul's veteran consumer of group contests who looks for back-to-back successes and an 11th Pattern race in Saturday's G3 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud. A repeat of his exploits when garnering ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix d'Ispahan and Munich's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis last term should be enough if he is anywhere near a peak.

Joined by the fellow Jerome Reynier-trained G2 Gran Premio del Jockey Club winner Road To Arc (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), the 7-year-old meets Bernard Giraudon's Pretty Tiger (Ire) (Sea the Moon {Ger}), who is unbeaten in two starts here including the G2 Prix Eugene Adam in July, and an intriguing Fabre project in Baron Edouard De Rothschild's G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris runner-up Mr De Pourceaugnac (Fr) (Camelot {GB}).

Early Classic Clues?

On the same Saint-Cloud card, the 3-year-old generation get their first shot at staking a claim for the upcoming Classics with the 10 1/2-furlong Listed Prix Francois Mathet playing host to Coolmore's Jasperoid (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

A G1 Prix du Jockey Club entry, the first foal out of the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. winner Illuminate (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) opened his account over a mile here in November and represents the Fabre stable. Also emanating from that temple of dreams is Sean Mulryan's Best Years Yet (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who was arguably more impressive than his stablemate when scoring over a mile and a quarter on the same card. A half-brother to the classy stayer Marmelo (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), he is gelded so there will be no Classic agenda for him in 2022.

G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches aspirants take part in the Listed Prix La Camargo, staged over a mile just over an hour in advance of the Listed Prix Omnium II for those who have the G1 Poulains in their sights. Craig Bernick's Lyon Parilly winner Know Thyself (Ire) is another Galileo with the Classics on her agenda in the Camargo, which boasts the high-class La Cressonniere (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in its recent honour roll. Know Thyself, a Coolmore-bred daughter of the top-level New Zealand performer Fix (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), hails from the Francis-Henri Graffard stable responsible for the last two winners of this in Emoji (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) and  Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}).

Lurking in a competitive renewal of the Omnium is Ecurie Ama Zingteam's unbeaten Mathletic (Fr) (Kingman {GB}), who upset 'TDN Rising Star' Osmose (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) over seven furlongs at Chantilly in September. Andre Fabre pitches the half-brother to the smart Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Marbre Rose (Ire) (Smart Strike) in alongside his G3 Prix Thomas Bryon scorer Dreamflight (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the Lady Bamford silks.

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Also among the Saudi Cup entries are American Grade I winners Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Happy Saver (Super Saver), Art Collector (Bernardini) and Mandaloun (Into Mischief). Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who hasn't been seen since winning last year's G1 Dubai Turf, is among the entries for the Saudi Cup as well as the 2100m Neom Turf Cup, and that is also the case for G1 Coronation Cup winner and last-out G1 Hong Kong Vase second Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}). Last year's G1 Champion S. winner Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {Ire}) is entered for the Saudi Cup under the name of new trainer Francis Graffard, with Jerome Reynier's dual 2021 Group 1 winner Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) also among the French contingent.

Click here for entries for the 2022 Saudi Cup card.

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Addeybb finished second in the race in 2019 before going one better last year, providing jockey Tom Marquand with the biggest victory of his career so far. Having since won a third Australian Group 1, taking his career earnings to more than £3.5m (over US$4m), he has now given Marquand four of his six Group 1 wins.

Since returning from Australia his campaign has been geared towards QIPCO British Champions Day, and Haggas, who has also entered rising star Baaeed, as well as Al Aasy, Alenquer and Mohaafeth, is understandably looking forward to it.

He said: “It was great to win the Champion Stakes last year, fantastic. Addeybb was really on his game that day too. If we can get him like that again that would be great.

“Right now he is in a field, but he will have a run before the Champion Stakes. He was a little bit rusty in the Eclipse and the ground wasn't really slow enough for him, but I thought he ran well and he kept going up the hill as usual. I am sure we will meet St Mark's Basilica again at Ascot. It's called the Champion Stakes for a reason. It's where the good ones go.”

Love has already made two visits to Ascot this year and could make a third to run in the QIPCO Champion Stakes. Last year's QIPCO 1000 Guineas and Investec Oaks winner landed the Prince of Wales's Stakes first time out this season, but suffered her first defeat for two years when third behind Derby winner Adayar in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes, for which she started favourite.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien said: “The King George was a little bit of a funny race. Our other horse Broome got left five lengths and he still ended up being able to make the running easily. Ryan (Moore) had to wait to make his run a lot later than he would have preferred and in the end she probably had no race at all.

“Where she goes next I am not sure but we will give her a little bit of time before we decide that. She seems to be in good form.”

Love is one of a host of O'Brien entries for this race, which also include the Coral-Eclipse Stakes winner St Mark's Basilica, the winner of two French Classics this year, plus the outstanding dual Oaks winner Snowfall and the likes of Bolshoi Ballet and Santa Barbara.

“St Mark's Basilica is in at York and Leopardstown and is entered on Champions Day as well,” O'Brien added. “We will get a little bit down the road before we really commit. Snowfall has the two entries (QIPCO Champion Stakes and QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares). We are looking at the Yorkshire Oaks at the moment for her.

“Bolshoi Ballet (entered for QIPCO Champion Stakes) is in America at the moment and he is going to run in Saratoga at the weekend in a Group 1 there. Santa Barbara (entered for QIPCO Champion Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes) is going back to America the following weekend for the mile and a quarter fillies' race. They will come back to Europe after that. Neither of them are soft ground horses.”

Last year's runner-up Skalleti is due to renew rivalry with Addeybb, his trainer Jerome Reynier having had a return to Ascot firmly in his sights all year.

Reynier said: “As a gelding the most prestigious race he could win is definitely the Champion Stakes, so we've been planning his season to bank on it. He is unbeaten in four starts this year and he now has three Group 1 wins under his belt.

“He will probably have one or two races before it and we really hope he will be able to have his ground on the day. He will probably go back to the Prix Dollar for a third time if he is in good form and the ground is soft enough, but we are aiming much for the Champion Stakes. If the ground is not soft enough for Arc weekend, he will be skipping the Prix Dollar.

“He had never run in a Group 1 prior to the Champion Stakes last year. The opposition was very high with Mishriff, Magical and Addeybb, but we were quite confident he'd run well. We really wanted to see how competitive he was going to be against those horses, and now we know we have one of the best horses in Europe on turf at a mile and a quarter.”

John Gosden, who enjoyed wide-margin wins here with Cracksman in 2017 and 2018, has two obvious candidates in Mishriff and Lord North. He has also entered Palace Pier here, as well as in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO).

He said: “Mishriff goes to York first for the Juddmonte and will then probably run in the Champion Stakes. Lord North is a possibility too. He had a throat infection and couldn't run in the Eclipse, so he hasn't run since Meydan in March, so he'll be coming fresh for the autumn.”

The race is also a possibility for last week's Qatar Nassau Stakes winner Lady Bowthorpe. Trainer William Jarvis said: “She's had a long season, but she's very tough and has an amazing constitution, so if she's still enjoying her work we'll definitely consider the Champion Stakes. In the meantime though we'll keep her against her own sex for as long as we can, and there's the Prix Jean Romanet and the Prix de l'Opera to look at before Ascot.”

No fewer than 26 individual Group 1 winning horses are entered for the QIPCO Champion Stakes who, between them, have accumulated 52 wins at the highest level.

Full Entries: Addeybb (IRE) Al Aasy (IRE) Armory (IRE) Benbatl (GB) Broome (IRE) Euchen Glen (GB) Helvic Dream (IRE) Innisfree (IRE) Japan (GB) Juan Elcano (GB) Lord North (IRE) Mishriff (IRE) Mogul (GB) Palace Pier (GB) Patrick Sarsfield (FR) Real World (IRE) Skalleti (FR) Stormy Antarctic (GB) Audarya (FR) Lady Bowthorpe (GB) Love (IRE) Tarnawa (IRE) Thundering Nights (IRE) Wonderful Tonight (FR) Adayar (IRE) Alenquer (FR) Bolshoi Ballet (IRE) Earlswood (GB) Foxes Tales (IRE) Highland Avenue (IRE) Lone Eagle (IRE) Mac Swiney (IRE) Master of The Seas (IRE) Mohaafeth (IRE) Mojo Star (IRE) Mostahdaf (IRE) Sealiway (FR) St Mark's Basilica (FR) Third Realm (GB) Joan of Arc (IRE) Mother Earth (IRE) Santa Barbara (IRE) Snowfall (JPN) Snow Lantern (GB)

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At ParisLongchamp on Sunday, the 6-year-olds Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) pulled off a group-race double on a stellar weekend for owner Jean-Claude Seroul and trainer Jerome Reynier, while their younger stable-mate Elusive Foot (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) brought up a memorable treble in the Quinté. These followed Saturday's listed Derby du Medoc victory for the same owner/trainer combination with Paco (Ire) (Paco Boy {Ire}). 

On board the G1 Prix Ganay winner Skalleti and Paco was Gerald Mosse, now back in his native France following a bit of a European tour in recent seasons. Mosse is 54, the same age as this season's 2000 Guineas-winning jockey Kevin Manning, and he rode his first Group 1 winner when the 35-year-old Reynier was a toddler.

The combination of youth and experience has proved a fruitful one as Mosse also rode Reynier's listed Grand Prix du Bordeaux winner Monty (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) on Saturday. The pair also combined for one of the trainer's early major wins when Royal Julius (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}) landed Italy's G2 Premio President della Repubblica.

It's safe to say that Skalleti has now stolen the title of stable star from Royal Julius, becoming the first Group 1 winner for his trainer, his sire Kendargent, and for Seroul. The latter, now in his 80s and a prolific owner/breeder in France over many years, bred his other three weekend stakes winners but not Skalleti, who was bred by Guy Pariente, owner of both Kendargent and Skalleti's listed-winning dam Skallet (Fr). The 13-year-old mare is a daughter of the well-bred former Haras des Faunes resident Muhaymin, by A.P. Indy out of the 1000 Guineas winner Shadayid (Shadeed). 

Skallet's offspring have been dominating ParisLongchamp this season.  Not only has Skalleti won the G2 Prix d'Harcourt as well as the Ganay, the previous weekend his full-brother, the up-and-coming stayer Skazino (Fr), won the G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier following his easy success in the G3 Prix de Barbeville in early May. Then there's the 7-year-old Skalleto (Fr), not quite as talented as his illustrious siblings but listed-placed nonetheless and winner of a handicap at the track on May 16. The mare has so far produced four foals, all by Kendargent, the youngest of which is the unraced 2-year-old gelding Skalli (Fr), and she is now back in foal to the 18-year-old stallion.

Reynier has done his bit to boost the profile of the southern French training centre of Calas, near Marseille, and he is proving something of a dab hand at nurturing the careers of his horses through to maturity. Six is clearly not old for a horse–it just seems so in an increasingly precocity-obsessed industry. 

Skalleti, and his fellow 6-year-olds Marianafoot and Monty, have won 23 races between them and counting. As a gelding, Skalleti can race on unhindered by concerns of a stud career while his mind and body allows. Reynier has already stated that his long-term aim for this season is a return to Ascot for the G1 QIPCO Champion S., in which he was second last year. Skalleti only needs another seven wins to equal a former wonder of the French ranks, Cirrus Des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top {GB}), who won the Champion S. 10 years ago and returned to Ascot in three successive years to finish runner-up twice. 

We look forward to welcoming Skalleti back for years to come, and we can expect to hear plenty more about his trainer. From 12 runners last week, Reynier saddled seven winners and he now lies in third place in the French trainers' table behind those multiple champions Jean-Claude Rouget and Andre Fabre.

Anything Euchen Do

On the subject of equine golden oldies, there are few more admirable horses in training than William Johnstone's homebred Euchen Glen (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), who sprang something of a surprise when winning the G3 Coral Brigadier Gerard S., run in memory of the late Joe Mercer, as the 20/1 outsider of four.

Granted, the soft ground at Sandown played to his strengths, but there's plenty to love about the Jim Goldie-trained 8-year-old, who was recording his 11th win from 37 starts after having the best part of two years off the track with a tendon injury after winning the John Smith's Cup in July 2018. His impressive list of wins includes last year's G3 St Simon S in heavy ground and G3 Cumberland Lodge S. on soft. Even more impressive is that his victories have come from 1m2f at almost every distance up to 2m, the latter being his win in the Shergar Cup Stayers. 

Sandown's Brigadier Gerard meeting is arguably the best evening fixture of the year in Britain, and this year the two group races on the card were plundered by Scottish and Irish raiders. Jim Goldie took the Brigadier Gerard trophy back to Renfrewshire and Henry de Bromhead proved that he's far more than just an excellent National Hunt trainer, by sending the 4-year-old Lismore (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) to land the G3 Coral Henry S. 

The statuesque filly, who races for her breeders Sonia and Anthony Rogers, would certainly not look out of place in a field of smart jumping mares, but she may well now be aimed at following the example of fellow Irish-trained Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) later in the season with a raid on the G1 Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend. In a year in which her trainer has captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Grand National, we should perhaps expect nothing less than to see him adding a Group 1 victory on the Flat to his outstanding record.

Golden Moment

The one other stakes race at Sandown's Thursday meeting provided a special first for the team behind the 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (Ire). It was actually a second first, as Ebro River (Ire), winner of the listed National S., had already become his sire's first winner on May 15 for Galileo Gold's former trainer Hugo Palmer and owner Al Shaqab Racing. Extra lustre was provided by the fact that he was bred by Tally-Ho Stud, where Galileo Gold stands.

His stud-mate Cotai Glory (GB) is ahead of Galileo Gold in the table with eight individual winners, and Ardad (Ire) is further clear still on nine. But Galileo Gold is the first of the freshman sires to notch a stakes winner and Ebro River looks likely  to head next to the G2 Coventry S.

The chestnut colt is out of the Balmont mare Soft Power (Ire), a half-sister to the dam of top sprinter Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}), and the 10-year-old mare is now back in foal to Galileo Gold at Tally-Ho Stud.

Barbe Goes Back For Black

In a week in which the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd was widely marked around the world, Black Lives Matter (Fr) (Panis) was an appropriately named winner of the opening 2-year-old maiden on Sunday's ParisLongchamp card.

The colt, who was bred by Frederic and Christine Ehlinger, went through the Arqana Autumn Sale in the draft of Haras des Faunes, where his sire stands. His buyer, at €7,500 was bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe, who had previously owned and bred his dam Magic Potion (Fr). Barbe also had a close connection to the mare's sire Divine Light (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), whom he had been responsible for importing to France from Japan, and who made his mark as the sire of 1000 Guineas winner Natagora (Fr).

“We had the grandam and the dam,” Barbe recalled. “I originally bought into this family because the third dam was Magic Night (Fr), a champion filly in the 80s. She was second in the Arc and the Japan Cup and won the Vermeille.”

He continued, “This colt was named Blackmagic to begin with but we didn't like the name so we thought Black Lives Matter was a better one and we changed it in December. Gradually he'll be aimed at a listed race and then hopefully a Group 3. We'll see. So far, so good.”

Barbe added, “I am also a great fan of Panis, who has covered very few mares recently. I love Panis because I used to love his sire Miswaki, who is the broodmare sire of Galileo (Ire).”

Magic Potion, whom Barbe bred in partnership with Jean-Paul Marchand, was second in the listed Prix la Flèche at two, produced three foals for the partners before she was sold to the Ehlingers in December 2015. Her second foal, Magic Song (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), was a five-time winner in France, while the third, Shadow Noel (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), was exported to Japan, where she won four times.

Barbe has long had strong links with Japan and the connection continues through Black Lives Matter's trainer the Chantilly-based Satoshi Kobayashi. The former assistant to Mikel Delzanges and John Hammond had celebrated his first Classic victory the previous weekend in the G2 Derby Italiano with Tokyo Gold (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) for owner/breeder Teruya Yoshida.

Gold Medal Standard

The stallion in demand at Arqana's Breeze-up in Doncaster last Friday was Darley America's Medaglia d'Oro, whose three colts in the sale were among the eight leading lots on the day and returned an average price of £438,333. 

They included the £675,000 sale-topper and most expensive breezer in Europe this season, who was sold to Godolphin and will join the stable of Andre Fabre. The French maestro has previously enjoyed success with Medaglia d'Oro's striking Breeders' Cup Turf-winning son Talismanic (GB), who is now at stud for Darley in Japan.

American sires have generally fared well at the European breeze-up sales, and Medaglia d'Oro has previously been responsible for the Brown Island Stables graduate Mshawish, who was picked up by Johnny Collins and Chad Schumer for $10,000at the Keeneland September Sale and sold at Arqana's 2012 breeze-up for €170,000. He went on to listed success in France before becoming a dual Grade 1 winner for Al Shaqab in Florida. Now at Taylor Made Farm, Mshawish was represented by his first stakes winner on Saturday when Sainthood landed the GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont Park.

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In the feature G3 Prix Exbury, Jean-Claude Seroul's pride and joy Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) is back having taken his profile up another notch last term with wins in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron and G2 Prix Dollar and a second in the G1 Champion S. Seventh in the Dec. 13 G1 Hong Kong Cup, the homebred has to give upwards of four pounds to his rivals and five to the G3 Prix de Flore winner Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}). Derby aspirants get a chance to shine in the 10 1/2-furlong Listed Prix Francois Mathet, with Juddmonte's Andre Fabre-trained grandson of Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), Media Stream (GB) (Frankel {GB}), bidding to build on his debut success over a mile on Chantilly's Polytrack in November.

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“We were locked down from mid-March to mid-May and the prize money was decreased as well,” Reynier said earlier this week from Hong Kong. “We are pretty happy to have earned a bit more than €2 million in France, so that’s a pretty good year. All I want for the guys and the owner I’m lucky enough to train for is to keep consistency, keep horses in good form and good shape.”

Like the aformentioned Graffard, Reynier participated in the Godolphin Flying Start program, working first as a bloodstock agent post-graduation before taking out a trainer’s license in 2013. Some four years later, Royal Julius provided him with his first stakes winner, defeating the Graffard-trained Maximum Aurelius (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) in the Listed Grand Prix Anjou Bretagne at Nantes, and later became the young trainer’s first group winner when taking out the G2 Premio Presidente della Repubblica at the Capannelle in 2018. Royal Julius provided the stable a breakthrough winner on foreign soil in the 2019 Bahrain International Trophy and gave a good account of himself when fifth in this year’s HH The Emir’s Trophy in Qatar.

While the 7-year-old may lack the class of the market leaders for Vase, Royal Julius hasn’t made the trip to Hong Kong just for show.

“He’s there to be as competitive as he can and with only seven runners, we had to take this gamble,” Reynier commented. “He’s used to long travel–he’s been to Qatar twice and once in Bahrain, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The mile and a half around two turns, like the Emir’s Trophy in Qatar, he’s showed he likes that kind of trip. Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) will be very hard to beat, but I think it’s quite open for third place.”

Royal Julius has yet to crack the win column in eight trips to the races this season, but has run with credit, including a third to the recently retired Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in the G3 Grand Prix de Vichy in May and a pair of runner-up efforts in Milan, including the G2 Premio Federico Tesio Sept. 20.

“I quite liked the way he ran in Milan in September, he showed that he is still competitive as a 7-year-old,” the conditioner commented. “I am very happy with him as well, he’s in very good shape.”

Skalleti is better fancied of the two Reynier runners as he takes on the likes of Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and defending champ Win Bright (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) in the Cup. A 12-time winner from just 16 starts, the 5-year-old has kept good company this season, finishing third to the classy Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in the June 28 G2 Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud before carrying Pierre-Charles Boudot to a hard-fought neck defeat of the Rouget-trained future G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G3 Prix Gontaut Biron – Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville in August (see below). Following up with a visually impressive title defence in the G2 Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, he backed up relatively quickly to run the soft-ground loving Addeybb (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) to 2 1/4 lengths in the G1 QIPCO British Champion S., with Magical one spot back in third.

WATCH: Skalleti outslugs Sottsass at Deauville

“After he won the Prix Dollar, he stayed up in Chantilly and prepared for the Champion S. It was the first time in his life that he was racing on two weeks’ rest,” Reynier explained. “We were not very optimistic, as that’s a long trip to Ascot. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to race up to that standard because he never raced in Group 1 company before, so we weren’t sure about his level. But he did show that he’s got plenty of ability and that he’s up to that standard and that he can be among the best in the world on the turf. That was a good run.”

Though very much suited to a race like the Hong Kong Cup, connections were wondering whether Skalleti might be over the top, but ultimately they let the horse do the talking.

“We were probably thinking after the race that’s he’s probably  given enough this year and that we would see him next year, but he came back to the southeast of France in Marseille in very good nick,” Reynier said. “We were starting to think about the Hong Kong Cup and he showed us through the month of November that he was in top shape. We are very happy with him, so we decided to give it a go.”

Skalleti, who has been full of energy in his all-weather gallops this week, is certain to encounter much quicker ground at Sha Tin than he has seen for some time, but Reynier appears not the least bit concerned.

“He has won a Group 3 over a straight mile in Deauville on firm ground [2019 G3 Prix Quincey] and he has gone 1:35 for the mile,” the trainer said. “A mile and a quarter on good ground, I don’t think that’s a problem for him. He’s probably a little better on soft, but he’s been showing us that he’s able to win on a straight track, he’s won on Polytrack, left-handed, he’s won Group 2s in heavy ground, so he can handle anything. I think he’s just a good horse and I think he’ll be very competitive.”

The conditioner is also pleased to have Boudot back in the saddle, not far removed from his two-win day at the Breeders’ Cup last month.

“It’s very important that someone rides who knows the horse, because he can be a bit anxious,” said Reynier. “Pierre-Charles knows him very well and knows how to deal with him. He was drawn one last time and we knew it was going to be hard to come from behind at Ascot, so that’s why we wanted to be close to the pace. Pierre-Charles will be riding him with some confidence.”

A long, strange trip it has been, for both horses and humans, to get to this point. The equine athletes endured a lengthy journey, from Reynier’s Marseille base to Chantilly and from that equine center to Liege, Belgium, to board their flight. With no direct option available, there was also a layover in Qatar. Reynier said it was equally challenging for him and his team navigating the waters within the context of a global pandemic.

“We were not sure that my team was going to be able to make the trip until we got tested twice,” he explained. “We are exempted from the 14-day quarantine because we have a work visa, we spent one day in a hotel after being tested on arrival and then we moved into a hotel near the racecourse. We are able to go see the horses two or three times a day, but part of the deal is that we have to stay in our rooms. We won’t be able to see the city, but look, we aren’t coming here for tourism, we are coming to try to win some races, so we don’t mind.”

Judging by his statistics as the end of the year approaches, 2020 has been a wild success, pandemic or not.

“We have improved our results. I started out with four horses as a public trainer and I got up to 40 and didn’t really want any more than that,” Reynier said. “I thought that was a good number, because I didn’t want a big stable where you lose track of your horses. I was very happy, we had very good results and in September 2018, [Skalleti’s owner] Mr [Jean-Claude] Seroul asked me to train his string, with 50 to train. That was a very different scenario because he’s got his own yard and his own staff and I’m just kind of managing it all. When we are full with all the youngsters coming in, that’s 90 or so horses to train on a daily basis and that’s plenty to keep busy. It’s the reason we’ve been able to improve our results year after year and this year, we’ve got a bit more than 80 wins in France and a bit more abroad.”

It won’t be easy, but Reynier and team would surely not complain about adding to that total in Hong Kong this weekend.

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The 5-year-old gelding-who stays in training next year-was trying Group 1 company for the first time in the Champion. He has won nine of his last 12 starts including six black-type races and two runnings of the G2 Prix Dollar. He has been off the board just once in 16 starts.

“You always go to the races with a lot of confidence with this horse, because he always gives you everything,” said trainer Jerome Reynier. “He had the conditions to suit [at Ascot], because he handles that sticky ground well. To be fair, he is good on soft and heavy, straight tracks or right or left-handed, and he has even been winning on Polytrack–he’s just an amazing horse.

“Now the question is whether we go to Hong Kong with him. He hasn’t had a big campaign this year, because he only started in May and had two light starts on good ground before we started to step things up in August. We could now be aiming for Hong Kong, where I will enter him in the Hong Kong Cup over a mile and a quarter and the Hong Kong Vase over a mile and a half. You have to stay really well over a mile and a quarter at Ascot on that sort of ground, and he wasn’t fading out–when Magical came to him he kept going to finish second. I think he would stay a mile and a half on good ground in Hong Kong. Everyone is saying the races will not be as competitive this year, because the Japanese horses are not so good and the local level isn’t so strong either, so this could be the year to try it.”

Skalleti’s trainer is already eyeing a return to Ascot for next year’s G1 Prince of Wales’s S.

“The owner really wants to keep him in one piece and doesn’t want to try silly things, so I can understand if he decides to put him away for next year,” Reynier said. “We could aim for the [G1] Prix Ganay in France in April, and everyone is saying we should consider the Prince of Wales’s S. in June, because sometimes it’s raining and they can get soft ground. We will definitely consider that, because there is no option in France at that time of year.”

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