Paddy Power sorry for joke French tweet

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has apologised for a joke French Twitter post, which was sent as terrorist attacks occurred in Paris.

The message concerned a French horse running at Cheltenham on Saturday afternoon, but the tweet was met with condemnation by a number of social media users.

Paddy Power duly deleted the tweet and apologised for any offence caused, while admitting that the promotion was "scheduled before we knew about the tragic events in Paris".

At least 127 people have been killed in gun and bomb attacks across the French capital, including a suicide attack at the Stade de France while Les Bleus faced Germany in a international friendly.

Apologies for any offence caused by a push message sent today. This was scheduled before we knew about the tragic events in Paris.

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 14, 2015