Francois-Marie Cottin Stable Tour

Form profile

Winner of last year’s Grand Steeple-Chase de Cagnes.

Trainer says

This is my champion, the best. He won the feature race in Cagnes last year. We gave him the spring and summer off, as he doesn’t seem to like running at Auteuil anymore. He has won big handicaps there, but he is now older and he really had enough of Auteuil. On top of it, he has earned so much money that I could only run him in a claiming race there or in the group races. I wouldn’t be able to run him in a handicap or in a conditions race. So we said we give him time off and he has just come back form a break. He enjoys running in Cagnes and will be hard to beat when he is at his best. His main goal will be the Grand Steeple-Chase of Cagnes. Last year I ran him in a claimer to prep him for the big race, but that won’t be possible this year. I will have to think of a different way to get him to the Grand Steeple-Chase de Cagnes.

Form profile

Has not run over jumps but proved himself capable on the flat. Was bred by the Wertheimer brothers.

Trainer says

He hasn’t run over jumps yet, but he ran well on the flat. He will make his debut on the 3rd of December in a hurdle race. I bought him out of a claiming race a couple of months ago, and he has adapted well to jumping. We shall see how he goes on the 3rd of December but hopefully he will be one to follow.

Form profile

Winner of a chase at Auteuil this season, this will be his first trip to Cagnes.

Trainer says

This is a bit of complicated case. He will go to Cagnes for the first time. He is placed all right in the handicaps. He likes the middle-distance races over 2m3f. He is the only horse of all my older horses who has never gone to Cagnes. As he did really well at Auteuil, we never thought about taking him down to Cagnes. For all we know he might be a champion at Cagnes, as he has a lot of abilities. He could win a nice handicap, but then when it comes to the longer trips it might be a bit of a problem. But you never know. There are a lot of question marks over him.

Form profile

Is unbeaten in three starts at Cagnes, but not yet back to his best after injury.

Trainer says

Has had a couple of runs this season and should be competitive throughout the meeting. He has had a few issues last year and had a long break. He is now coming back from injury and we prepared the meeting at Cagnes with a couple of runs at Auteuil. So I am hoping that he can be competitive at Cagnes from day one.

Form profile

Runs consistently in handicaps and recently won a claiming race over hurdles.

Trainer says

He doesn’t live up to his name, which means total mess in French. He is everything but messy. In fact, he is in excellent form at the moment. He won a claiming race at Compiegne and then was the runner-up in a claiming race at Auteuil on his last start. He does well at Cagnes. He can come out of the claiming races. He likes heavy ground. He will run at the start of the meeting as it has rained a lot and that will suit him. He is a horse in form who could start the meeting for us.

Form profile

Has a huge gap in her career between 2016 and 2019, but comes to Cagnes on the back of a victory in a claiming hurdle race at Auteuil.

Trainer says

She fell a few years ago and broke her jaw. And now she has come back and she has just won a claiming race where she beat her stable companion Carpharnaum. And I think she can do well again in this type of races. There wasn’t much between them on the line. She is a front runner, while Carpharnaum came from behind. In another stride he would have won. They are two completely different types of horses. She is an AQPS who has some speed, so she could do well at Cagnes.

Form profile

Was pulled up on his first start but completed the course at Fontainebleau.

Trainer says

He just started his campaign. He is one to follow for the next season, as he should like bigger obstacles. Here he might struggle with the pace. In fact, I am not certain he will adapt to the track. He is very big, but he is going in the right direction. I’m just not sure that I made the right decision to take him to Cagnes. Maybe I should have kept him for Compiegne and Auteuil in the new year, but I like taking horses to Cagnes during the winter. It gives them some experience because the steeple-chases there are not as tough as they are at Auteuil.

Form profile

Hasn’t found her footing yet.

Trainer says

She is lightly raced who is improving. She likes better ground. She doesn’t like heavy ground. She hasn’t got any form to her name, as she hasn’t run a lot, but I like what I have seen and wouldn’t be surprised if she does well.

Form profile

Has run in three claiming races without a victory nor a place.

Trainer says

She is going to run in the claiming races at Cagnes. She can go chasing as well. Her last start made me think that there is room for improvement. However, for the time being, she will run in claiming races.

Form profile

Unraced

Trainer says

She will run on the 3rd December. She has never run on the flat, but for her debut, she will run in fillies only race.

Form profile

Has mainly competed in handicap chases this season. Should be close to winning her handicap.

Trainer says

She has won hurdle races and steeple-chases at Auteuil. She is well placed in the handicap over fences. In fact, every time the ground goes soft she is nowhere to be seen and so the handicapper dropped her in the weights. I always think she can handle soft ground, but actually she likes good ground. She fell last year at Cagnes when she had the race won, but I’m hoping she will do well this year.

Form profile

Won a 2m4f handicap over hurdles at Cagnes last winter and should do well again.

Trainer says

He knows the galloping track at Cagnes and will be competitive in handicap hurdles and chases. Usually he does well at Cagnes. He has run only once over fences as he had fallen over hurdles and I didn’t want to run him too much over fences. However, I think at Cagnes the steeple-chase will be all right for him. He likes the good weather at Cagnes, which always helps.

Form profile

Unbeaten in her two starts at Cagnes last winter. Listed placed.

Trainer says

She produces some good performances, even though she hasn’t won since Cagnes last December. However, she has only run in good races. She has to carry the penalty of a very rewarding season. She is a tough little horse. She is doing well but this year she won’t be running in her own age group. I have a lot of faith in her though.

Form profile

Runner-up behind stable companion Achour in last year’s Grand Steeple-Chase de Cagnes.

Trainer says

He has just come back from a break. He needed a bit of time off as for the last two years he has been running a lot. He ran second in the big chase at Cagnes last year. He is a very good horse and I have high hopes for him as I know he likes the track.

Form profile

Hasn’t won yet in his three starts over hurdles. He was found out in a listed at Auteuil, but could do much better in Cagnes.

Trainer says

His debut over hurdles in September was good, but it takes him a long time to get over his races. He will be aimed at a handicap hurdle. I think he might still need some time. After that I think we will run him in a chase, as Cagnes has a good programme for three-year-olds who haven’t run over fences yet. He is not a big horse, so he might be a bit of a late developer. He is only three, so we shall see.

Form profile

Has run twice over hurdles without making any waves.

Trainer says

I like this horse. He will come on from his last start. He is going in the right direction and I hope he can be competitive in his category. He is a big horse and I like him.

Form profile

Hasn’t set the world alight yet but might do better at Cagnes.

Trainer says

She should be competitive in her age group and in races for fillies only.

Form profile

Made his debut at Cagnes in 2017, but never finished a race there in 2018. Hasn’t raced since April 2018.

Trainer says

He has come back from injury. He has shown ability but will have to compete against horses that have more experience. I reckon he might need a race or two to find his form, but I like this horse. He could do really well towards the middle of the meeting. He will run over hurdles, although later he might run in chases as he jumps well.

Form profile

Unraced.

Trainer says

Unraced four-year-old, who jumps well. She will have to compete against more experienced horses. She had some issues and that is why she has never run before. She works well in the morning and it is time now that she runs, as she will be five next year. She is doing well at the moment and we will know quickly if she has some talent or not.

Form profile

Twice the runner-up in handicaps at Cagnes last winter and a listed winner of a hurdle race at Auteuil this year. One to follow.

Trainer says

He is a good horse. He enjoys Cagnes and might benefit from a change of scenery. He was placed in all of his starts and won a chase at Cagnes last year. He is from an Aga Khan family.