ENGLISH TEXTS races reserved for Purebred Arabians are not run over 1,600 meters, but over 2,000 and 2,400 meters.
ITW
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ROBERT BOURDETTE
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By Cécile Adonias
Galorama. Which stallion has impressed you the most in terms of lineage?
Robert Bourdette. It’ s difficult to say, as there isn’ t really one that stands out more than the others. Recently, indeed, Al Mourtajez is the one who rises above the rest, the others follow. But what is rather surprising is that some stallions perform very well abroad and less so in France, and vice versa. We must also keep in mind that the number of offspring makes it easier for a stallion to emerge. However, stud fees are starting to become significant, especially for Al Mourtajez. That should reshuffle the cards.
G. And personally?
R. B. A stallion I have high hopes for is Yazeed. He has a superb pedigree, not to mention his performances. Unfortunately, people tend to wait until the progeny prove themselves on the track before sending mares to young stallions, even if the stud fee is attractive.
G. What would be, in your view, the ideal cross to produce a stallion?
R. B. Again, it’ s not so simple. We no longer have a French lineage as in the past. There are many mares by Amer, so it is absolutely necessary to cross them with bloodlines free of him, and that is becoming difficult. The pure“ FR” lines have become very rare. We must also bear in mind that we need to follow the trend. Not everyone can afford to make the ideal cross and then bring it all the way to the races. It requires resources and a bit of luck, as happened to us with Al Mamun Monlau. We were the first to go to Munjiz.
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4. TROT- TERS
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By Mélodie Janvier
THE BLOODLINES THAT SHAPED THE FRENCH TROTTER
Before taking stock of the founding bloodlines of the modern Trotter, let us go back to the origins of the breed, which in reality has more in common with the thoroughbred than it might seem.
Distant though they are, the origins of the trotter also trace back to the Purebred Arabian Godolphin Arabian, Darley Arabian and Byerley Turk. Proof, if needed, that trotters and thoroughbreds are not so far apart. The french trotter, as we know it today, was created in the early 19 th century, originally to serve in the army and for transport. Under the impetus of Ephrem Houel, future Director of the National Stud, the first trotting races were held in Normandy in the mid-1830s. Following the success of these competitions, Norman breeders decided to cross their half-bred Norman mares with thoroughbreds or Purebred Arabian stallions. Not fully satisfied with the results, they turned to half-breds such as the Norfolk( a now-extinct British breed), before crossing them with Orlov trotters from Russia and American Standardbreds. The French Trotter descends from six foundation sires: Conquérant( 1858), Normand( 1869), Lavater( 1867), Niger( 1869), Phaëton( 1871) and Hambletonian( 1849). In 2013, it was estimated that 95 % of 19 th-century French Trotters descended from the first five sires named above.
Conquérant: The Inescapable Born in 1858 in the Cotentin, Conquérant was the offspring of the mare Élisa and the stallion Kapirat, a descendant of the near-thoroughbred Young Rattler. After a remarkable career
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