Il Est Francais to target Champion Chase or Ryanair Festival glory

Il Est Francais will contest either the Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, with the French star scratched from the Cheltenham Gold Cup in order to avoid a clash with the “absolute monster” that is Galopin Des Champs.

Second in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day under a buccaneering front-running ride from James Reveley, Il Est Francais was entered for all three championship races in the Cotswolds, ranging from the two-mile Champion Chase to the three-and-a-quarter-mile Gold Cup.

Joint-trainer Noel George has been keen to monitor the major trials before considering which way he will head with his stable star in March – and having seen dual Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs claim a third Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Saturday, the blue riband is now off the table.

Speaking on Monday, George told the PA news agency: “You have to admire how good Galopin Des Champs was at the weekend. I’m hoping our lad is going to turn into a Gold Cup horse one day, but while you’ve got a horse like Galopin Des Champs around, I think we’re best waiting a year or two.

“Galopin Des Champs is an absolute monster. It’s great for racing that he’s there and obviously he’s going to be very difficult to beat in the Gold Cup.

“He was a horse that was quite exuberant early on in his career, a little bit like Il Est Francais, so I think if we take our time and do everything the right way, I’d like to think we could end up going the same way if we can get him to switch off and be able to ride him how we want.

“I’d like to think we might be a Gold Cup horse one day, but this year is probably not the year to try it.”

Il Est Francais is a 4-1 shot for both the Champion Chase and the Ryanair with Paddy Power, making him the second-favourite in both markets behind Jonbon and Fact To File respectively.

A final decision on which race the gallic raider will ultimately line up for is unlikely to be made until much nearer the time, with George keen to weigh up both underfoot conditions and the opposition.

“Having watched the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown over the weekend, obviously Solness has been very impressive the last two times having been allowed to do his own thing out in front,” the trainer added.

“Then you look at Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup (finished third), I thought he switched off nicely and I don’t think there were really any excuses.

“I think we’ve just got to see where everyone is going to run and the ground will be quite a big factor as well. If it’s soft ground, we’re probably not going to go for the Ryanair, but it depends where everyone runs and what the ground is going to be, I think.”