28 January 2019
Photo scoopdyga.com
The 2018 jumps season in France has been the scene of several major upheavals in the trainers' tables. Guillaume Macaire could not retain his title after nine years at the summit, fourteen in total. It is from his neighborhood that came his faller since François Nicolle, who is sacred for the first time, is also based near Royan in Charentes. Third in 2015 and twice second, the trainer of De Bon Coeur and Bipolaire trained 265 horses in 2018, and saddled 922 starters, that is 40 horses and 117 more than his colleague. He also saddled 210 winners against 267 for Guillaume Macaire. It is therefore at the best level that his horses made the difference. The stable's earnings amounted to about 8.3 million euros against 7.9 million for Guillaume Macaire.
Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé is once again third, in progress over the previous three years in the absence of Guy Cherel, who stopped training in September. Chaillé-CHaillé, also a Charentais, finishes just ahead of Chantilly handler François-Marie Cottin. His 130 horses took nearly three million euros in racing, that is less than half what each of the first two stables made in 2018.
The other important news in the 2018 tables is that four trainers who started business within the last ten years are in the top thirteen: Gabriel Leenders (9th), Augustin de Boisbrunet (10th), Mickaël Seror (12th) and David Cottin ( 13th). They make their best season so far and this is a welcome news for the next generation at the top of the French Jumps races.