Tim Carroll 's Bio

Tim started off as a jockey in Australia before pursuing a media career. He is a highly experienced and respected racing presenter who has been based in England since 2005. Tim has travelled the world covering many of the major meetings, including Royal Ascot, The Epsom Derby, The International meeting from Sha Tin, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Saudi Cup and The Breeders. He is currently a presenter for Sky Sports Racing, specialising in both the local and international scene. Tim is a regular contributor to the At The Races Website where his twice weekly tipping column on Hong Kong racing has gathered a strong following.

Chantilly Racecourse – Track Analysis (Prix du Jockey Club):

Chantilly racecourse is located approximately 50km from Paris, and is considered one of the most beautiful venues in the world. It consists of a network of three right-handed courses, plus a straight course, and includes the first All-Weather track to be installed on a Parisian racecourse, in 2011. The layout used for The Prix du Jockey Club, is The Jockey Club track, which has a circumference of 2400m and is a teardrop in shape. The home straight is 600m in length, rising approximately 10m to the winning post, which places emphasis on stamina.

The Prix du Jockey Club was originally run over 2500m and then 2400m, but was shortened to its current distance of 2100m in 2005. Over the 2100m they jump from the top of the back straight on the left hand side of the course. They have a straight run of approximately 800m before they hit the start of the bend, which has a sweeping aspect to it at first, but the final part of the turn, before they enter the 600m rising straight, is sharp. There is no cut-away rail in the straight at Chantilly, meaning horses need to be ridden prominently or look to sweep down the outside, as trying to thread through the field from the rear is a very difficult thing to do. More so than most French tracks, there is a high number of hard luck stories, especially for horses strung up in behind on the rail. As such, horses that draw low need to use up some of their early speed to hold a forward position if they can, or risk finding themselves trapped in a pocket on the rail.

There is a barrier bias over 2100m, which favours horses drawn low to middle. During the last 10 renewals of the Prix du Jockey Club the average field size has been 16.3, whilst the average winning barrier has been 6.9. During that time only three horses have won from double figure draws, the last of those being NEW BAY in 2015. Of the last ten winners, whilst no outright leader has won the race, seven have either tracked the speed or sat midfield, whilst only three have been late closers from the back.

Last year's Prix du Jockey Club was run on soft ground with a field of 19 going to post. One of the outsiders, NORMANDY BRIDGE, took up the running, with EL DRAMA and BABY RIDER directly in behind, whilst the favourite, ST MARK’S BASILICA was able to grab a prominent spot on the rail, tracking the speed in fourth. The shape of the race barely changed complexion, and as they entered the home straight, NORMANDY BRIDGE and EL DRAMA both came under a ride, with ST MARK’S BASILICA travelling strongly on the inside, whilst SEALIWAY came out of the pack to lay down a challenge on the outside. Both SEALIWAY and ST MARK’S BASILICA simultaneously hit the front at the 300m mark, but it was ST MARK’S BASILICA who pulled away over the concluding stages to win by 1.75 lengths from SEALIWAY, with a never nearer MILLEBOSC, a head away in third, in a time that was spot on standard. 

The last ten renewals of the Prix du Jockey Club has been run on varying ground, but good to soft is the most common description. The weather forecast sees the possibility of light rain during the week and possible light showers on the weekend. However, there is also plenty of clear weather in the forecast, and if the weather holds, it’s worth noting, the French tend to water more so than other jurisdictions. Thus if the forecasts are correct, and from a recent historically perspective, it is likely the meeting will be run on good to soft ground.

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