HALLELUJAH! Five days after Germany became the first major European nation to allow racing to recommence, France’s thoroughbred population will on Monday again be able to do what it was born to do, with resumption meetings scheduled for ParisLongchamp (starting late morning), Compiegne (mid afternoon) and Toulouse (evening).

Unlike Germany’s relatively low key restart, France will return with a bang. Although the quality of the action will surely be of strictly limited succour to the loved ones of its 25,000 coronavirus victims, it will be the nation’s solitary sporting action as it celebrates re-emergence from an eight-week lockdown.