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France does not have an equivalent of Richard Hannon – for a start nobody across the Channel trains for the Queen. He is at home in his local ‘pub’ for whom he trains a two-year-old – his so-called speciality - as in the company of Her Majesty who takes every opportunity to visit the uninhibited Hannon establishment, a stone's throw from Stonehenge. A few years ago the Queen described events as her “annus horibilis”. 2010 is Hannon’s annus mirabilis. The three best horses of his 40-year career, Paco Boy, Canford Cliffs and Dick Turpin have arrived in a rush and the last named, the only one not to land a race at the highest Group One level, rectified that omission at Chantilly in the Prix Jean Prat.
Sheikh Mohammed takes his “the biggest risk is not taking any” from the Hannon training manual. Ignoramuses translate this with the scornful cliche "throw enough muck at a wall and some is bound to stick". It is true Hannon horses don't stand idle for long, but challenging Lope de Vega in his backyard looked a hopeless venture after Andre Fabre's colt had seemingly established an ascendancy over his generation: there seemed no good reason why Dick Turpin would reverse the result of the Poulains. Yet the attacking Hannon philosophy was fully vindicated: Lope de Vega wasn’t himself while Dick Turpin revealed even greater talent than when he was runner-up to Canford Cliffs at Royal Ascot.
No top mile race will be safe from Hannon’s three musketeers and he has gone from seeking a Group One for each of them, to seeking greedily for more. The Marois and the Moulin are in their sights.
Français beware ! Hannon will be back. His last trainer's championship was as long ago as 1992 when Mr Brooks took the Prix de l’Abbaye. Now Canford Cliffs “the best I’ve trained” has catching up to do in France after his defeat in last year's Prix Morny. Paco Boy landed last year’s Prix Foret, and Dick Turpin has performed his French party piece at Chantilly.
Each of them is now a millionaire – and the three all told didn’t cost as much as £100,000.
Another British cliché is "sell them cheap and stack 'em high". Hannon wouldn't argue with that one.
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Frogwatch, by Rolf Johnson 
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