ENGLISH TEXTS
for it. She was ridden in the mornings by Thierry Blaise, a former jockey. Freddy had a superb team. I always had complete trust in Freddy.
G. How would you describe Freddy Head?
O. P. Freddy is MISTER! I have a very great respect for him. He was as a trainer as he had been as a jockey. Never a word out of place. I had raced against him when he was still riding in the peloton, and everything was straightforward with him. Personally, I find that the relationship isn’ t the same with a trainer who used to be a jockey. The connection comes more naturally; there are things you don’ t even need to say.
G. Even though Goldikova was beaten by Zarkava in the Poule d’ Essai, you have won these prestigious races six times, fillies and colts combined. What do these two races represent?
O. P. For the fillies, it’ s like the Prix de Diane ahead of time. Personally, I prefer the Poules d’ Essai on the straight track at Deauville. It’ s a shame that the prep races— the Djebel and the Imprudence— are run on a straight course, while the Poules are run on a track with a turn. It’ s really not the same sport at all. Draw numbers play an extremely important role in the Poules d’ Essai, which gives these Group 1 races a somewhat random aspect.
G. What is life like for Olivier Peslier in retirement?
O. P. It’ s going very well. I ride every Tuesday at Antoine de Watrigant’ s yard. I have a good morning each time because I enjoy it. Even though I no longer ride in races, it’ s still a pleasure to see the horses perform well in competition afterward.
DAVY BONILLA:
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“ FREDDY HEAD HAS ALWAYS BEEN PRAGMATIC”
With more than 1,000 wins over the course of his career, former jockey Davy Bonilla— who became a trainer in 2024— first crossed paths with Freddy Head in the peloton during his early days. After working alongside him for around fifteen years, the man who also became his son-in-law experienced more highs than lows, and above all an extraordinary journey with Marchand d’ Or, a five-time Group 1 winner.
G. As a young jockey, you had a certain Freddy Head as a rival in the peloton …
Davy Bonilla. That’ s right. I first met Freddy Head in the weighing room, as a jockey. I was just starting out in the profession, while he was already a star, much like Yves Saint-Martin. He was fairly reserved, in the sense that he wasn’ t someone who would go out of his way to ap-proach younger riders. There was still a certain distance between young jockeys and the older generation. We didn’ t mix much at the time. He was discreet, but not unfriendly.
G. After riding against him in the peloton, Freddy Head became your boss a few years later. What was he like on a daily basis?
D. B. We always had a very good relationship. I worked for him for about fifteen years, while also being his son-in-law. Freddy was quite a pragmatic trainer, demanding professionally, but also very realistic. I was lucky to ride the stable’ s best horses alongside Olivier Peslier, who was associated with the Wertheimer & Frère’ horses.
G. Among the stable’ s top horses, we can mention Marchand d’ Or, with whom you won five Group 1 races, including the July Cup. Is he the best horse of your career?
D. B. Marchand d’ Or was an exceptional horse, but he was very difficult in the mornings at training. He was hard to settle as a two-yearold. Aurélien Malenfant really did an excellent job with him. I rode him for the first time at three, when he returned to the yard after being gelded. He had developed in the right way. I remember his first win at Compiègne before climbing the ranks. He was one of the best sprinters in Europe, I truly experienced an incredible journey, but Freddy Head’ s yard was thriving at that time. Everything was very well run and perfectly or-chestrated.
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