Tom George has issued a positive bulletin as Il Est Francais continues to gear up towards the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Formerly trained by France under the banner of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, Il Est Francais will begin his 2025 campaign having been prepped on British soil by Noel's father Tom, who trains just outside Cheltenham, with the view to running back at Kempton in the King George on Boxing Day.

The seven-year-old son of Karaktar somewhat burst onto the scene with a sensational performance in the Kauto Star Novices Chase at Kempton in 2023 and despite an up and down 2024, Il Est Francais went on to confirm his liking for the same track when a gallant runner-up in the King George on the same card the following season.

A return to Kempton in a bid to go one spot better looks on the horizon, with George reporting Il Est Francais to be thriving in his new surroundings.

Speaking on Sky Sports Racing, Tom George said: "He's in good shape, we're just ticking along with him,"

"I was in France over the weekend, and Noel was over and actually watched him on the gallops this morning. He was thrilled with him, and he has changed. His whole physique has changed, physically he does look stronger but he's probably going to because it's a different style of training. Whether that helps, only time will tell.

"I think next time you see him, he'll look stronger. I just hope we can have him in the shape he's been to Kempton the last couple of times.

"He'll definitely have a run before then (King George). We haven't finalised where we're going to go yet but we'll keep stepping his work up and hopefully he stays in the shape he's in at the moment and continues to thrive with what we're doing."