Francois Nicolle Stable Tour

Form profile

A winner over hurdles at Croan at the end of last year, he returned to Auteuil this season to run in a 2m6f Listed over fences where he unseated his jockey.

Trainer says

It was a real shame that the jockey was unseated, because he was really showing something special. He could be a horse for the Prix du President or one of the other big handicaps. But I was very disappointed that he finished the race riderless. I mean, he didn’t have any weight on him, but there is quick and there is quick and he was very quick. It was fabulous to see this riderless horse fly over the jumps, but obviously I would have preferred him with a rider on top.

Form profile

A winner over hurdles at the end of last year, he then was the runner-up to the champion Leopard du Berlais in the Grade 1 Prix Cambaceres, the champion three-year-old hurdle race.

Trainer says

He was the runner-up of the Prix Cambaceres last year. He actually came to us very late and he will make his seasonal reappearance in a race like the Prix Amadou and then he will go directly for the Grande Course des Haies des 4 ans. He is a very good colt who will without doubt improve with age and who will probably be better over fences. He was the runner-up in the Prix Cambaceres and while David Cottin’s horse will be difficult to beat, I have a lot of faith in Bourbon Has.

Form profile

Extremely well bred, in two starts over hurdles at Auteuil, she has so far not managed to finish any closer than mid-field.

Trainer says

Her seasonal reappearance was exactly like that of her dam. She went to the front and pulled and then finished fifth. Maybe she wasn’t really ready, which is possible. We put the earplugs on her to calm her and she is much better now. She still needs to learn, and she probably will run on Monday at Compiegne. She is a good filly, but she is not De Bon Coeur.

Form profile

Spent the winter in Pau where he won a 2m3 ½ f chase and just made his seasonal reappearance at Auteuil where he was well beaten into fourth place in a conditions’ race over fences.

Trainer says

He is a little handicapper, but he should find his race during the season.

Form profile

Grade 1 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris winner.

Trainer says

He won the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris last year and is currently on holiday. But he could come back for the Grand Steeple this year and if not, then he could go for a race like the Prix La Haye Jousselin in the autumn. I will do it like you do, I will run him twice a year and then he can compete until he is 18!

Form profile

A Listed winner of a 2m2f chase at Auteuil at the end of last season, he was placed third behind Nador in the Grade 3 steeple-chase Prix du D’Anjou on his seasonal reappearance.

Trainer says

He is a very good horse, a horse for the future. He will start running over the longer trips and that will be perfect for him. He is a good horse, a group horse.

Form profile

Unraced

Trainer says

She is the sister of De Bon Coeur. I hope that she is just as good, that she is just as fast. She is a lightly built filly, but powerful and who jumps well. She will make her debut on the 28th of March.

Form profile

Extremely consistent over hurdles and fences, he was never out of the first three in 2025 and was a Listed winner in a 2m4f chase at Compiegne on his first start this season.

Trainer says

He has his program at Compiegne, but maybe he could run in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. We shall see. He is an excellent jumper, can follow any pace and he has won over hurdles at Auteuil. Also, we don’t really know who is going to run in this year’s Grand Steeple, as there are a lot of horses who are injured. So, maybe he will go, but for the time being he will run at Compiegne.

Form profile

One of the most successful horses over hurdles at Auteuil of the past seasons who was the runner-up of the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil, the champion hurdle, in 2023. He did not run in 2025 and made his successful steeple-chase debut in February at Auteuil after a more than 12 months absence.

Trainer says

At the age of nin he made his debut over fences this year. There was him and the others, he just did his thing. He will now go for the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. He has won his Grade 1, has been involved in battles with the best of them like Thelème and we love him. We have a lot of respect for him.

Form profile

Very gifted hurdler and chaser who has won Grade 2 races over hurdles and has been placed in a Grade 1 over fences. He was the runner-up in the Grade 3 Prix Troytown that leads to the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

Trainer says

He will run in another prep race for the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris and then he will run in the Grand Steeple. I was a little surprised the other day when he was beaten into second place. I was counting on winning that race. He is now one of the older boys who knows the score. He used to have some breathing issues in the past, which might explain that he sometimes gave the impression he had enough. But the horse is in good form, he is still enthusiastic and has a clear eye. When he ran at Auteuil last time, he jumped a bit big, especially over the water, but then he got into his rhythm. I don’t have many options with him, so he will go for the Grand Steeple.

Form profile

A Listed winner and Grade 2 placed over hurdles in 2025; he made his seasonal reappearance in a 2m3f chase at Compiegne which he won comfortably.

Trainer says

He has just won a chase at Compiegne, so I will give him a little bit of time. He will be entered in the Grande Course de Haies. I don’t know if he will run in it, but we shall see.

Form profile

Very consistent mare who is equally efficient over hurdles and fences. Runner-up in a 2m6f Listed chase at the end of last year at Auteuil, she was pulled up on her final start in a Grade 3 chase in November.

Trainer says

She has a lot going for but it’s probably a bit cheeky to go straight for a major handicap on her seasonal reappearance this Sunday. She is well placed in the handicap, and I don’t have that many options for her. It’s complicated for a five-year-old mare who has won quite a bit of prize-money. I think she could be placed and the drying ground should help her.

Form profile

Involved in a tight finish in the 2m6f Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure for four-year-old chasers where he finished third, he made his reappearance in a Listed hurdle race where he was well beaten into fifth place behind Goliath d’Authou.

Trainer says

He didn’t run too badly last time out but we were a little disappointed with the way he finished his race. He faded in the final phase of the race. I think we might keep him over hurdles this spring. I don’t want to him to win a steeplechase at Auteuil in the beginning of the year as he otherwise will be blocked for the rest of the season. So, we will keep him over hurdles. It’s not really his cup of tea, but he produced some nice performances as a 3-year-old over hurdles, and he is in good form. In really good form. He has filled in and I am quite eager to see where he will go.

Form profile

Third on his hurdles debut at Auteuil last autumn, he finished fourth in another 2m1 ½ f hurdle race at Auteuil this month.

Trainer says

He hasn’t been with me very long. I ran him over hurdles and he finished fourth. He will now run over fences, this Sunday probably. He is a good jumper, who has a bit of character like most of the Gemix horses. I’m still learning things with him, but he has a lot of talent.

Form profile

Ran over hurdles at Auteuil last year without getting herself onto the podium and finished fourth in a 2m1 ½ f chase at Toulouse.

Trainer says

She is a nice little filly. She is very courageous but still has to learn to pace herself in a race. She ran ok last time out but she will improve with each run.

Form profile

Was unplaced in three starts last year in the provinces and won on her debut for her new trainer in a hurdle race at Angers.

Trainer says

She only came to us not that long ago and she needed to learn; she needed to work with other horses. She won very easily on her seasonal reappearance at Angers. She did it by going away from the others at Angers, which is not that easy. She is entered this Sunday at Auteuil, but she won’t go. I think there is an easier option for her. She is from the family of Haut les Coeurs, who was Group-placed

Form profile

Winner of a 2m6f Handicap chase at Auteuil at the back ND of last year. Runner-up on his seasonal reappearance in a similar handicap where he was on equal weights with the winner, who beat him by 15 lengths

Trainer says

He did well at Auteuil and he will now run this Sunday in the Prix Lutteur III. His recent work was good, and I think he will run well this Sunday. The race will tell us if he could run in the Prix du President (France’s biggest handicap chase). He seems to be very well, he improves with age and he will be a player in the major handicaps in the near future. He is a good horse.

Form profile

Unraced

Trainer says

He is the full brother of Matin Midi et Soir. I love this horse. He is very good, very precocious.

Form profile

He won a handicap over the mile on the Flat last season and made a successful start over hurdles this month when he won a 2m2f hurdle race at Argentan.

Trainer says

He came to us from the Flat and won on his debut at Argentan. He won that after having travelled at the back of the field. He came with a rush to the front in very heavy ground. It’s a bit of a risk to ride a horse at the back of the field in Argentan, but he did win. He is a colt I like a lot; he has run many times on the flat, even abroad, but he is still new. If he runs this Sunday, it will be interesting to see how he does at Auteuil.

Form profile

Enjoyed a fabulous 2024 season with a Grade 3 victory over hurdles and a second place in a Grade 2. Was switched to chasing in 2025 and won on his debut, but soon after had to take a break and upon his return unseated his rider.

Trainer says

She is going to run at Compiegne next week. I think I have a race for her on the 23rd. She had a little problem with her pelvis and so we gave her a bit of time off. But today, she is in good form, and she will run at Compiegne.

Form profile

Made his début at Auteuil last year when he finished third in a 2m2f hurdle race and was third again in a similar race on his seasonal reappearance.

Trainer says

He is entered in a race this Sunday, but I’m not sure if I will run him. He ran twice at Auteuil and was twice placed third. He is talented and maybe I will go for it as a fact-finding mission, or maybe I will find him an easier task. Though in any case he is a good colt who might not be a group horse over hurdles, but who will be better suited over fences.

Form profile

Was only just beaten on his hurdle debut in race for unraced three-year-olds at Fontainebleau.

Trainer says

He is owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. He made his debut at Fontainebleau where he was just beaten. I think he has a great future. He came back from that race in good form, and he will improve from that run. He is an interesting colt to follow.

Form profile

Finished in mid-field in a race for unraced three-year-olds at Fontainebleau on her debut.

Trainer says

Her first run was all right, but she is a complicated filly. She is not an easy ride, but she too will improve and will win her race.

Form profile

Has never been out of the first two in 10 career starts and was just beaten by It’s Win O’Clock in the Grad 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier, the four-year-old champion hurdle. He’s unbeaten in two starts this season and just made a successful debut over fences.

Trainer says

He won the Prix Juigne (Grade 3) on his seasonal reappearance and then won on his debut over fences. It was a difficult race to watch though for me. I didn’t like at all what I saw over the first five furlongs. He didn’t jump well and showed little respect for the fences. The issue was that when you ride a horse like him, a Grade 1 winner, you must not think that you have it in the bag. He made some big mistakes at the bullfinch and at the oxer, even though all the jockey had to do is keep him focused and follow. However, things improved when the pace picked up. He then jumped the big open ditch and the wall without any issues. You have to be vigilant with a horse like him. He will run in a 2m6f chase soon and his jockey has to be a little more alert when jumping those fences, as Sain d’Esprit could quickly just switch off and do his own thing. It’s up to his jockey to be a proper pilot.

Form profile

Finished sixth on his debut in the Prix Rush for unraced three-year-olds at Auteuil.

Trainer says

He made his debut and ran well. I liked what I saw. He has a bit of character. The way he finished showed me that there is lot of room for improvement.