FRENCH racing has been thrown into turmoil following the successful takeover bid for international hotel group Forte by the corporate giant Granada - a new sponsor for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe must now be found.
Contracts for Forte's sponsorship of Europe's premier all-aged contest will remain in place this year, but in 1997 the French will have to look elsewhere for financial backing as Granada have no intention of extending the sponsorship.
Louis Romanet, the director of French racing's international affairs, said: 'There is a three-year contract with Forte and this is binding on Granada for this year. 'We will have to meet the chief executive of Granada to discuss how they want this year's Arc meeting advertised. As for future sponsorship, we will talk with Granada and see if there is a chance that it wants to sponsor the Arc in the future, although we have heard that is not the case.' Obviously, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is one of Europe's highest profile sporting events, and a suitable backer is usually considered to be one with a tasteful product to sell or promote. Hotels, especially prestige ones such as Sir Rocco Forte's group were seeking to promote, are ideal, especially due to international connections and other obvious spin-offs. Forte followed the Ciga Hotel group into sponsorship of the Arc, and it would not be a major shock if another prestige chain with international links became associated with the 76-year-old championship race. It is, after all, a leading social occasion as well.
Obviously, future plans for the race will have some effect on simulcast betting in Hong Kong. There are seven weeks to the Cheltenham Festival, and already the perils of the jumping game threaten to deprive punters of a big name or two as the season builds up to its natural climax in March.
The latest injury suffered by Adrian Maguire, for instance, has sent David Nicholson searching for a suitable replacement for Barton Bank in today's Pillar Property Investments Chase at Cheltenham, while still other changes will be necessary in the interim.
Nicholson has gone for Tony McCoy for Barton Bank, while he will also use Richard Dunwoody when available. Maguire, who injured his knee in a bad fall at Leicester, will be out for three to four weeks. This can be a difficult and tense time for anybody connected with a leading Festival contender, knowing that injury to horse or rider could threaten the entire campaign at any given moment.