The seven-race jumps card at the HIPPODROME DE FONTAINEBLEAU on December 9, running from 11:40am to 3:22pm, is set to transform a typical winter afternoon into a showcase of talent and tension. With €28,000 purses at stake and the forested backdrop enhancing every moment, the races will shift from moments of quiet focus to full-throttle drama as each field navigates the famous French fences.
With young chasers learning their craft, seasoned hurdlers returning for one more test, and the course itself standing like a character in the story, the meeting feels ready to offer the kind of grounded, authentic racing that defines the winter season here. As the cold air settles on the turf and the runners line up, there’s a sense that tomorrow could reveal not stars, but the making of them.
The five €28,000 challenges form the backbone of the afternoon, each contest testing a different blend of maturity, balance and bravery. Race 2, the PRIX DES ROSEAUX (12:17pm, 3600 meters), will ask a fresh generation of three-year-olds to step into a demanding circuit where every fence shapes their confidence. With enthusiasm high and experience thin, each jump becomes a moment of truth as ETXEAN EGINA, MAMAZARA, ROMAN SKIES, AKWABA, MACARENA DU RIB, and MATADOR FOREZ look to show early signs of chaser potential.
Race 3, the PRIX DES GRANDS FEUILLARDS (12:52pm, 3600 meters), offers another €28,000 pot in a handicap designed for four-year-olds ready to prove their maturity. The tight Fontainebleau fences will keep BREEZE D’AUTEUIL, MAKE SENSE, LADY ANGE, LANCE ROQUETTE, BORVO, CAPITAINE DINO, MESSY and others honest from the start as pace, weight and judgement intertwine.
Race 4, the PRIX DE LA VILLE D’AVON (1:27pm, 3550 meters), shifts the challenge to hurdle technique for the same age group in a €28,000 contest that rewards quick feet and clean takeoffs. With runners like FOREST CROWN, LORD CIERGUES, ZAYINA, RECONSTRUCTED, BELLE GOSSE, LACCIO CONTI, FAMEUX, LOVERBOY DESLITAUX and others, the race should unfold on December ground that demands both composure and boldness. The juveniles take their turn in Race 6, the PRIX DU FER A CHEVAL (2:47pm, 3550 meters), another €28,000 hurdle where three-year-olds begin to show which ones adapt naturally.
With VENETIAN BEAUTY, ROI LEON, MA PTITE NINA, OUT OF AFRICA, LUNA NOSTRA, MICAWBER, MIKARITON, THUNDERBIRD and more in the mix, every hurdle will heighten the sense of suspense. The closing €28,000 PRIX BARON MAURICE DE NEXON (3:22pm, 3800 meters) brings seasoned hurdlers into the spotlight as KAP LORD, KIKEA DU MOU, REAL HOPE, TY ZUMS, TRESOR DE BALLON, PINACLOUDDOWN and others deliver the strategic patience and late grit that define the older brigade.
The meeting draws its soul from several threads: Fontainebleau’s forest-lined setting that adds heritage and intimacy; the contrast between youthful fearlessness and veteran experience across the card; the December surface that exposes hesitation and rewards balance; the purity of obstacle racing without festival theatrics; and the promise of discovering young talent rather than crowning champions. These elements shape the atmosphere as much as the fences themselves.
Two additional races frame the day. Race 1, the PRIX COLONEL BEAUJEAN – CHALLENGE DE L’OBSTACLE EQUINAXY (11:40am, 4600 meters, €24,000), opens the meeting with a cross-country test where stamina and agility meet across varied terrain. Race 5, the PRIX DES GENETS (2:12pm, 3550 meters, €19,000), sits at the midpoint of the afternoon, acting as a tightening hinge between early rhythm and late intensity in a contest reserved for three-year-olds.
With seven obstacle races unfolding inside one of France’s most atmospheric racecourses, tomorrow promises a winter afternoon full of texture — early quiet moments, bold middle-race moves and late surges shaped by trees, tradition and testing jumps. As the first field approaches the tapes, anticipation settles over the turf. The stage is set, the fences stand ready, and Fontainebleau waits for the stories that Tuesday will write.
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