French Affair

That win came at Newbury on 15 August 2025, and the recent run of form suggests French Affair has found a level of consistency that the bare win tally doesn't fully capture. Reading the last six results from newest to oldest — second, fourth, second, third, first, sixth — you can see a horse that has figured something out. Four of its last five races have ended in the top three. For a horse that went winless for most of its career, that kind of run is exactly what a trainer watches for: not just the win, but the pattern around it.

Hannon's base at Herridge in Wiltshire is one of the most productive yards in Britain right now — 113 winners already this season, which is the kind of output that only comes from a well-run operation with serious horses at every level. French Affair competes mainly at Class 4, the solid middle tier of British racing, and at that level has won 1 from 3, or one in every three attempts. That's a healthy ratio, and it suggests the horse is placed sensibly.

The most telling detail is the distance range. French Affair has raced over five to six and a half furlongs five times and won once, a 20% win rate — or 1 in 5. That's not a coincidence; sprint trips suit this horse's style. Regular jockey Sean Levey has been on board for six of the eight races and has that one win to show for it. A win from six together isn't a spectacular partnership on paper, but Levey clearly knows the horse, and that familiarity tends to matter most when a race gets tight and decisions need to be made quickly.

Having raced just eleven days ago, French Affair is in the thick of an active campaign. The pieces are beginning to align — the right distance, a horse in form, a trainer firing on all cylinders. Another win wouldn't surprise anyone paying attention.