MICHAEL O’Sullivan has been making the most of Ireland’s break from National Hunt racing, with the Grade 1-winning jockey recording his first two wins in France.

The Cork native partnered Gurzuf to victory over hurdles at Auteuil on Wednesday, with Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm’s charge earning a prize of €49,500. It came a week to the day since O’Sullivan rode stablemate Midnight Exit to make a winning debut in a three-year-old hurdle at Clairefontaine.

Less lucrative prizes will be on offer at Tipperary on Tuesday, when O’Sullivan returns to Irish tracks, but he hopes to maintain the connections he has made in France.

“I’ve been riding out in as many places as possible to network as much as I could,” he explained. “My rides and responsibilities in Ireland come first and foremost, but I’ll take what I can get over here.

“We’re quite busy then for the summer and gearing up to Galway, so that’s definitely my main focus. Then if there’s racing in France when there’s no racing in Ireland, I’ll be more than willing to travel.”

O’Sullivan believes his time in France will stand to him, reflecting, “I love how they do things. They start them off as two or three-year-olds and there’s a lot of schooling. They’re producing a lot of good horses at the minute and the experience has helped me no end.”