Francois Monfort I Trainer

Coming from a family rooted in racehorses for several generations, I have always been passionate about horses.

After starting out on a pony, I was quickly drawn to the thoroughbreds that my father trained. I followed him to the races and tracks every weekend, learning the first steps of my future job. It was obvious that I would become a trainer.

My racing career started as a gentleman rider, when I was 16 years old.

I have ridden a hundred races reserved for amateurs up to 19 years old, but after a bad fall in a race, it was impossible to get my license back.

At the same time, I was studying accounting / management with the aim of setting myself up as a public trainer, but I was more focused on races than on studies, so I started travelling abroad.

When I worked for Mark Johnston in Great Britain for one year, I learned a lot about his training methods. This great professional is in the top 5 of the English Trainers every year.

The one-year stay in Australia with Robert Smerdon in Melbourne gave me the opportunity to see a completely different vision of racing and allowed me to discover their techniques (stopwatch canters, swimming in the ocean ... ) and last but not least, I improved my English.

Back in France, I became assistant trainer and managed the team for seven years (2013 - 2020) in association with my father.

Building on several successful seasons, François Monfort’s stable has recorded over 280 winners since 2020, highlighting the team’s consistency and competitiveness on the national stage.

This momentum reflects the steady development of the yard, driven by the same commitment to excellence and passion for racing.