ENGLISH TEXTS
Quesnay was occupied by the Germans and left abandoned until William Head and his sons, Alec and Peter Head, acquired it in 1958. What followed is better known. Alongside his wife Ghislaine, Alec Head turned these 280 hectares into a model of excellence. In the lineage of Le Fabuleux and Anabaa, up to Trêve, Quesnay became an exceptional cradle whose prestige easily extended beyond France’ s borders. Queen Elizabeth II visited the site on three occasions, as if to endorse the descendants of the“ English Racing Colony” and confer upon this legendary stud its letters of nobility. As an anecdote, Michel Sardou greatly appreciated being its neighbor. It is said in Vauville that the sale of Quesnay may have prompted him to sell his nearby property.
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CHRO- NICLES OF THE WORLD
THE GRAND NATIONAL: THE PRIDE OF THE CITY
BY KATHERINE FORD
The Liverpool Grand National is an institution- English, but above all“ Scouse”. If you were on social media around the second weekend of April, you likely saw numerous videos of well-refreshed racegoers, sometimes dressed very lightly, mixed in with posts about the sporting achievements of champions on the track. From a French perspective, the excessive behaviour of this ultra-festive crowd may seem shocking, but local enthusiasm is an integral part of the Grand National’ s legend. In 2026, the threeday meeting attracted 141,196 people, a record since 2018, including 59,962 on Saturday, which was completely sold out. The Grand National has survived many controversies and challenges over recent decades and remains a sporting event known by all. British punters wager more than £ 250,000 each year on this marathon steeplechase. In a survey conducted by the equine welfare association The Brooke, Red Rum- the three-time Grand National winner of the 1970s- was named the most famous horse, ahead of Black Beauty, the fictional horse that“ won” a Grand National in a film. Scousers fully embrace their extravagance and are, quite rightly, proud of their race, which draws worldwide attention to their city. This connection with Liverpool and its residents has been carefully nurtured for years by the teams at Aintree, who continue to develop initiatives bringing the racecourse and its famous race closer to all sectors of the population. 2026 marked the 25 th anniversary of an iconic partnership between the racecourse and Alder Hey Children’ s Hospital. Each year, leading jockeys, along with Grand National hero Neptune Collonges, visit patients and staff on the eve of the race, offering a special moment to sick children as well as to the jockeys themselves. Patrick Mullins is one of the regular participants in this initiative:“ I think the relationship between Aintree and Alder Hey is one of the most important aspects of this race. Visiting the children in hospital is simply inspiring, the staff at this facility are incredible.” Sam Twiston-Davies added:“ We live in a small bubble in the racing world, and when we come here, it reminds us of reality in the outside world.” Going even further, since 2017 the Jockey Club and its sponsor partner Randox Health have added a symbolic“ 35 th runner” to the Grand National starting line. In 2026, this was Oliver Christie, a five-year-old boy suffering from a heart condition who has undergone four open-heart surgeries at Alder Hey. The hospital organised a live broadcast of the race in its cinema for Oliver, and ITV provided a live interaction with him and his fellow young patients just moments before the start of the race. Among other community initiatives, Aintree Racecourse presents the Rose Paterson Community Award, given to a woman who is making a difference in sport within
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