ENGLISH VERSION special relationship with Gabriel, doesn’ t he??
A. H. L. Gabriel and Clément are very close— almost like a couple! Clément was an apprentice under Alain de Royer Dupré when Gabriel was a pupil assistant there. Gabriel quickly offered him an opportunity to work together at the stable. Clément actually rode Gabriel’ s very first PMU winner, Verdel de Kerza at Fontainebleau. A few days after Gold Tweet’ s third place in the Grand Steeple, we celebrated it at Clément’ s place.
G. Sharing victories with loved ones seems to be a constant with Gabriel...
A. H. L. Sharing is essential to him. Gabriel loves welcoming people who are passionate about racing. He is always happy to open his doors and let them discover his profession and the environment in which he develops his horses and works with his staff. With many owners, it begins as a simple owner-trainer relationship that often evolves into friendship. Gabriel is very loyal in friendship. He shares his passion with them and sees it through to the end. He can call them simply to give good news about their horses. Owners are not really used to that.
G. What kind of relationship does he have with his staff?
A. H. L. Gabriel is demanding but very close to them. The core team from the beginning is still there. We often organize lunchtime barbecues with the staff to celebrate good moments, as we did the day after the Grand Steeple. Whenever a horse wins, the first person Gabriel calls is always the rider who worked the horse, to thank and congratulate them. Every time Gabriel goes racing and has a runner, he always makes sure to have a drink with the travelling staff. Thanks to that, owners can share moments with members of the stable and really get to know the team. Gabriel loves creating moments between people who would never have met without this shared passion for horses. It reflects who he is because Gabriel is deeply human. He also has his own character, but that’ s necessary in such a demanding profession. I see him suffer because of his job sometimes. For example, after the Prix Ingré, it took him a while to come back down to the weighing room. He was in tears, releasing the pressure accumulated over recent months. Generally speaking, he follows his ideas through to the end.
G. Like the idea that he had to ride again after twelve days in a coma following a violent fall during a race...
A. H. L. We were not very close at that time, when Gabriel crashed into an electricity pole during a race, but I know that when he entered the rehabilitation center, there wasn’ t a single day when he didn’ t watch footage of his fall to remind himself why he was there. He needed that in order to move forward and keep his goal of riding again.
G. Gabriel once told me at the start of his career that he only thought about winning. Does he still have that temperament?
A. H. L. It has softened a little. Before, his ultimate goal was to be number one. Now, he prioritizes his quality of life and being able to spend time with his son Henri. He absolutely adores his son!
G. Gabriel started his activity with five horses in 2014 and now trains nearly ninety. How did you handle this evolution?
A. H. L. When we created the stable, we had a deal: he would take care of the horses and I would handle the administration. With only five horses at the beginning, it wasn’ t difficult for me. I could do it alongside my job, but things quickly expanded. We managed to organize ourselves. Gabriel has an assistant and a secretary, but I still take care of the business management alongside my own job, which I reduced so I could support him as best as possible.
G. Coming from outside the racing world, how did you adapt to this very particular lifestyle?
A. H. L. I was never afraid of it. As a farmer’ s daughter, I already knew what it meant to work every day throughout the year. I’ ve been riding horses since I was a child, but
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