France has always been on many Singaporeans’ bucket list when it is time to pack their bags and latest multi-currency plastic cards for a holiday, especially romantic Paris for honeymooners.

Less keyed in on the destination search box is Normandy, unless you are a devout Christian or serious World War II history buff.

France’s northwestern-most region gets busloads of tourists and pilgrims alike to one of its most iconic landmarks, the Mont Saint-Michel. Further up north in the Calvados, the Omaha and Utah beaches are flocked, not so much by sunbathers, but for their famous Normandy D-Day landings.

That Allied Forces – hence partly American – link has stretched into peacetime for cinephiles who have long circled September in red on their calendar for its American Film Festival at Deauville.

Now that is a chic beach resort that rings a bell, not only for its picture-postcard Les Planches boardwalk, but also to world racing fans.

Around two to three hours away by road from Paris, Deauville is known as the Parisian Riviera for a reason. It is home to the rich and famous in search of a luxury lifestyle or weekend getaway.

Over the years, one of the wealthy society’s playgrounds to have popped up along with plenty of champagne is equestrian sport, namely polo and horse racing.

Every summer, Deauville attracts both racing enthusiasts and casual visitors to the historic La Touques hippodrome, which sprawls over 75 hectares.

First held during the Second French Empire at the Duc de Morny’s initiative, the August carnival known as the Barriere Deauville meeting has taken centre stage on the international racing calendar and become one of the highlights of the European flat season.

This year, the festival began on Aug 2 with the Group 1 Prix Rothschild (1,600m), which was captured by English raider Blue Bolt for Juddmonte and the Andrew Balding yard and will end on Aug 30 with the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville (2,500m) traditionally bringing the curtain down on the f...