ENGLISH TEXTS
was a big advantage for him.
G. Why does he spend his winters in Dragey and not in Pau?
P. Q. I only had seven horses in Pau this winter and Saint Godefroy is now used to his paddock at home. We have always worked on his mental strength, which is why he is aging well. Since he only runs three or four times a year, the fact that he is 11 years old didn’ t worry me at all.
G. From where did you experience this victory, you who are usually very stressed during races?
P. Q. I watched the race at the racecourse, quietly, alone, in front of the trucks and before the final hurdle. I urged him on but, from where I was standing, I thought he was beaten. The emotions were different from his first success because we were favorites in 2022, unlike this season.
G. Thomas Beaurain fell a few days before the race and was uncertain for the big day. Did you have a plan B?
P. Q. There were some doubts about Thomas’ s participation, as he had to undergo medical examinations. While waiting, I called his usual jockey, Félix de Giles, who was unavailable this winter. Félix told me it wasn’ t planned for him to return that day but that he would be ready just in case. Félix therefore came to Pau with his saddle in the trunk and was entitled to ride him if Thomas had been unable
to, Thomas who deserved this reward after riding two superb prep races.
G. Winning the Grand Cross de Pau under your daughter’ s colors must be special, isn’ t it?
P. Q. The emotions are indeed stronger, especially since Maud rides him every day. My other daughter Lisa schools him over fences. Saint Godefroy usually jumps the steeple two or three times before his comeback. And between two Pau races, he only jumps cross-country fences. Currently on semirest, Saint Godefroy will go out to pasture in mid-March when the weather improves and will resume work in October for further Pau adventures.
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LA UNE
01 THE EUROPEAN MARKET
BY CÉLINE GUALDE
TATTS-GOFFS
FROM PIONEERING TATTERSALLS TO AMBITIOUS GOFFS: THE HOUSES THAT HAVE SHAPED THE EUROPEAN MARKET
Tattersalls has been Britain’ s and therefore Europe’ s leading bloodstock auctioneer for a long time. The company was founded by Richard Tattersall who left his native Yorkshire in the North of England to seek his fortune in London. After working for Beevor’ s Horse Repository and then as a stud manager for the Duke of Kingston Tattersalls acquired sufficient capital to start his own company in 1766 at Hyde Park having succeeded in negotiating a 99 year lease on the property.‘ The Corner’ which held two sales a week soon became both the centre of the horse business and a fashionable meeting place. There were stables, kennels, as hounds and dogs were sold as well and stands for the sale carriages. The premises also included a special room reserved for members of the Jockey Club.
Tattersall’ s business success was taken to another level when he bought the colt Highflyer in training in 1779 for £ 800, a not insignificant sum the equivalent of around £ 120,000 today. Highflyer was a great racehorse, unbeaten in twelve starts all at Newmarket, and an even better stallion, thirteen times Britain’ s Champion sire and his progeny included three Derby winners. Tattersalls built himself a country seat called Highflyer Hall near Ely, and when his Champion died in 1794 he inscribed the horse’ s memorial with the words;‘ Here lieth the perfect and beautiful sym-
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