IN the shape of Le Berry, last Sunday’s €220,000 Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois winner, racing seems to have found one who not only really catches the eye but backs up that visual beauty with such exceptional talent that he may prove good enough to dominate the French steeplechasing scene for years to come.

In the build-up the Gillois was billed as a potential race of the season, and this two-and-three-quarter-mile four-year-old chase did not disappoint.