ENGLISH TEXTS
“ You don’ t give me orders.” I could trust him blindly.
G. Like in 1979, when Freddy won for your training the Poule d’ Essai des Pouliches, the Prix Saint-Alary, the Prix Vermeille, and the Arc de Triomphe with Three Troikas, in your mother’ s colors?
C. H. A fantastic filly! Some inaccuracies have been said about her. I was the one who bought her at the Newmarket sales. Freddy gave me my first“ Arc” with her, just two years after I set up as a trainer. A memorable moment, especially as training was reserved for men at the time. As an anecdote, it was with Freddy that I won my first Group 1 in 1978: the Prix de l’ Abbaye de Longchamp with Sigy, in the colors of Mr. Roland de Chambure.
G. Apart from racing, what binds you and Freddy?
C. H. Like me, he enjoys good food, going to a nice restaurant. When we were younger, our parents often took us skiing with our two sisters, Martine and Patricia. We were lucky they took us everywhere. Freddy was very sporty. He played golf very well. We went to nightclubs together. But above all, we went racing. Our parents passed their passion on to us. One mustn’ t forget that our mother was a Van de Poële, the daughter of a trainer as well. All together, we lived through the golden age of racing and wonderful moments at Le Quesnay. We enjoy getting together as a family. Our children and their cousins adore each other.
G. Which horses were important for Freddy?
C. H. Many. Bon Mot gave him his first“ Arc” at a very young age( 19), when he was riding for our grandfather William. For François Boutin, he won many races as a jockey: Group races, numerous successes with two-yearolds. As a jockey, naturally there was Miesque. She was exceptional. As a trainer: Goldikova, of course. He kept her in training until she was six. He loved his horses very much and made them last. As for me, even though our father had made the cross, Trêve was a gift from heaven. When she shifted into top gear, she had incredible speed.
G. Do you see Freddy regularly?
C. H. Yes, like me, he lives in Geneva. He enjoys family gatherings, like at our two sisters’ place in the Bahamas. There, I fulfilled my dream: having my own sailboat. I love sailing. I feel like I’ m 25. I’ m well equipped: I watch the races from my boat( laughs).
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BY SERGE OKEY
“ A FATHER AND A MENTOR”
Behind the name of Freddy Head, his son Christopher Head sees two men in one: the mentor and the father. More than a testimony: a true tribute, deep and sincere.
“ Impartial and fair”“ I had the good fortune to accompany my father for twelve of the finest years of his career as a trainer, as a rider in his team. Goldikova, the three Breeders ' Cup Mile … The great victories that built his reputation, I witnessed them with my own eyes. A privilege. Very few men in this profession have the stature of Freddy Head. Having been able to work alongside him for twelve years remains, even today, one of the greatest opportunities of my professional life. My father then led a team that had been loyal to him for a long time. Most of these men had worked for François Boutin and had seen him ride, in his years as a jockey. They knew what he was worth, and their respect, respect earned in races, race after race, gave his stable an atmosphere that few yards possess. Among them, my father always proved impartial and fair: it is this integrity, more than anything else, that defined his way of leading. My father is not a man who explains. He belongs to
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