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Ante-post King George favourite Il Est Francais lost his unbeaten record over fences when trailing home last of five in the Grade 2 Prix Murat at Auteuil on Saturday.
An uber-impressive winner of the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, the Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm-trained six-year-old was sent off long odds-on to score on his prep run for next month's Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris – the French equivalent of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
However, as was documented, James Revley opted to drop his mount in towards the rear of the five-runner field. The Yorkshire-born rider allowed Il Est Francais to stride into a clear advantage after an exuberant leap, but the petrol gauge was soon verging on empty, and the Noel George-trained runner eventually trailed home last of the five contestants.
The Grade 2 prize eventually went the way of Youtwo Glass, who battled on bravely to get the better of the George and Zetterholm-trained second-string Gallipoli.
George said: "I'm obviously a bit disappointed with Il Est Francais. The horse raced a bit freely and he didn't channel his energy properly. That cost him in the end.
"The aim was to teach him a good lesson in view of the Grand Steeple. Maybe the horse was too fresh, and we had given too much thought to the Grand Steeple.
"He's going to get a lot fitter. We need to think about how we're going to ride him (in future), so as to channel his energy accordingly.
"Given that he's so easy in the morning, it's really difficult to know what condition the horse is really in. Few are able to lay up with him."
Il Est Francais is now a general 6/1 chance for the festive feature at Kempton on Boxing Day.