ENGLISH TEXTS ble or a breeding operation running, a good horse must sometimes be sold. The very best are usually kept by the top owners, but horses of intermediate quality are often exported. In split handicaps, we’ re missing the middle of the first division, so we have to move up horses that should be in the second. The race with the most entries is chosen as the Quinté support.” The jump calendar is built starting from Auteuil and Compiègne. The regional level follows. Stephan Kalley faces two other major challenges in terms of field sizes. First: NH horses can’ t run too frequently, so they race less often than flat horses. Second: attracting foreign contenders to Auteuil’ s steeplechase is far from easy, whereas they’ re numerous at Paris- Longchamp.“ The Auteuil jumps are very specific. A horse from Pau doesn’ t necessarily adapt. And for British competitors, the track’ s layout is even more confusing.” But the biggest current challenge in NH racing is seasonality, with climate change making turf races in summer increasingly uncertain. Auteuil has already moved its season, opening on February 15 and closing on May 31 instead of June 25.“ We’ ve done major work on the Parisian programme. In the regions,
many racecourses are multi-disciplinary, so Trot has to approve any date changes— we can only move forward in small steps,” notes Stephan Kalley. And race organisers are often attached to dates they’ ve held for decades... Lastly, the NH racing programme adapts as much as possible to demand:“ If we see pressure on races for unraced threeyear-olds, for example, we make sure to address that the following year.” One of the major recent developments has been the growth of races restricted to fillies, highlighted in Premium meetings by a 15 % owners’ bonus. The idea is to encourage keeping fillies in training and, ultimately, improve the quality of broodmares and French breeding.
RACE NAMES, BETWEEN TRADITION AND POETRY
France Galop“ names” races run at ParisLongchamp, Saint-Cloud, Deauville, Clairefontaine, and Chantilly according to a well-established modus operandi.“ For races held at ParisLongchamp, names are linked to Paris and its suburbs,” explains Pierre Laperdrix.“ In Saint- Cloud, names refer to the Yvelines and Haut-de- Seine. In Chantilly, they’ re inspired by the forest, bridle paths, the Oise... At
Deauville, we use many names related to the Normandy region.” When a race is moved to another track, its name does not follow, unless it’ s a Listed or Group race. The calendars at Chantilly and Deauville have become much denser due to the development of all-weather( PSF) racing. Pierre Laperdrix had to get creative naming these newcomers!“ I do research. I realized there was no Prix du Mont-Saint-Michel, so I gave that name. Since it was a split handicap, I created themed follow-ups: Prix de la Statue de l’ Archange, or Maison de la Truie qui File...” Suggestions to name races after individuals, former jockeys, owners, trainers, must be approved by France Galop’ s Board of Directors. As for horses, many former stars have races named after them, especially in jumps. But beware: no disguised advertising! If the owners of an active stallion want to temporarily name a race after him, it will be in the context of a parnership or sponsoring.
THE EUROPEAN PATTERN COMMIT- TEE, THE FLAT RAC- ING AUTHORITY
Any change affecting a Flat selection race( Listed level and above) must be submitted to the EPC( European Pattern Com-
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