19 January 2017
credit-photo : scoopdyga.com
Our review of the 2016 leaders in France goes on with the top jump jockey James Reveley, a British rider who made it in France...
Born 27 years ago in Yorkshire in a racing family, James Reveley is the first British rider to win the "golden whip" over jumps in France for... well, a very long time.
In 2016, famed British trainer Mary Reveley's grandson rode 84 winners out of 381 rides, mostly for champion trainer Guillaume Macaire's string. Altogether his rides earned over €3.7m throughout the French season, which goes from January 1st to December 31st.
It is also the first season James Reveley spends full time in France after having crossed the Channel back and forth every year before that. He won for the first time at Auteuil, French jumps' capital racecourse, in 2008 in the Prix Finot (L) but only appeared in the French Top5 in 2015, when he finished 4th to Bertrand Lestrade with 54 wins.
2016 is also the year of James' first win in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris-French Gold Cup (Gr1) with So French (Poliglote). He took the Prix Cambaceres-Grande Course de Haies des 3ans (Gr1) in the autumn with De Bon Cœur (Vision d'État) too.
A week after that second Group 1 win however, James Reveley had to end his season sooner than expected after falling and breaking an ankle at the 2nd last in the Prix Renaud du Vivier-Grande Course de Haies des 4ans (Gr1) with the favorite Device (Poliglote). However, he already had a great lead over his main rival David Cottin, out since late August, also due to an injury.