Épinard made his racing debut at two by winning the Prix Yacowlef at the Deauville Racecourse. He dominated his age group in France, winning four important races and earning 1922 champion honours. As a three-year-old, he continued to win in France before being sent to compete in England. At the Goodwood Racecourse near Chichester, he won the 1923 Stewards' Cup, defeating a strong field including Pharos. After conceding a great deal of weight, he finished second by a neck to Verdict in the Cambridgeshire Handicap.