Sophie Leech scorches the French

Elton based Sophie Leech is a practised winner in France. Photo: Gloucestershire Live

Forest of Dean - based Sophie Leech is putting the French to the sword presently with a  record that bears sharp contrast to her performance on this side of la Manche.

Her 46 runners from 19 individual runners have netted 4 winners and 11 placed efforts in France, and nearly €100,000. As any trainer competing in Britain's summer racing programme will attest, you need to win at least double that volume of races to get close to that sort of return over here. 

A strong run of form this past week has seen winners at Clarefontaine in a valuable handicap hurdle, and today in a conditions hurdle at St Malo. McGroaty, rated just 115 over hurdles in the UK, was driven out by Nathan Howie to win a £45,000 hurdle at Clarefontaine by 1 1/2l in a 17 runner field on soft ground. How enviously must British clerks of course look at that!

Today's effort at St Malo by 5 year old John Locke under James Reveley leaves plenty of scope to follow up in other similar races around France's provincial circuit. 

Sophie is among the UK's leading exporters of British training expertise, and arguably the most consistently successful British Jumps trainer on the French circuit. She and husband Christian have consistently bought well and improved horses, enabling their owners to win back the purchase price and then some in valuable races across France. 

Success in France is a matter of identifying the connections to help. It's little different in distance to get to Dieppe than to Carlisle or Perth, aside from the Channel in between. However, being able to base their overseas runners with Michel Seror in Lamorlaye gives them access to a range of public gallops and schooling facilities unmatched even by Lambourn or Newmarket. Add to that the advice of a trainer well used to success in his own country and success is given a hefty leg up. 

Leech runners are well respected in France after several seasons of plundering well endowed prizes at eclectic venues from Auteuil to Dieppe, and her regular visits are not sufficient yet to draw the requirement of France Galop to take out a permanent licence in France. 

A quiet-spoken success from the Forest of Dean. Vive l'ecurie Leech!

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