ENGLISH TEXTS
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OWNER
By Emmanuel Roussel
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN “ IT WAS MY FATHER ’ S DREAM , IT HAS BECOME MINE ”
Now well established in the racing world and a favourite among fans , the Griezmann stable ’ s colours represent a shared adventure between a father and son , a journey of discovery between a top-level striker and the equine athletes he admires and respects .
The black silks with pink epaulettes of the Griezmann stable are seven years old . If we are to believe the famous Billy Wilder film ( in which Marilyn Monroe ’ s white dress is lifted by the blast of a passing subway train ), it is after “ Seven Year Itch ”, or rather seven years of marriage , that a husband is most likely to stray . But these black and pink silks seem to have settled comfortably into the peloton , both in trotting and galloping , and the international footballer ’ s interest , born from his racing enthusiast father , Alain , remains strong . Indeed , after building up his stable through the purchase of yearlings , the Griezmann stable is also diversifying into breeding . Two foals out of Terre Australe , herself sold in February , one of which raced this winter at Cagnes , and three foals out of Eristars , winner at Aix-les-Bains and Moulins , for example . But above all Principito , a son of Tornibush and Princesa who won his maiden , and his sister Txirimiri ( Hello Youmzain ), placed this winter . “ It wasn ’ t necessarily planned at the beginning ,” Antoine Griezmann tells us , as he waits to score his 200 th goal for Atletico Madrid . “ We ’ ve just started , and we ’ re trying to create something beautiful that will last . Because my goal is to last in galloping and trotting . I hope we ’ re on the right track . And I hope the new foals will prove it to us ! At the very beginning , we didn ’ t really think about it because we weren ’ t necessarily aware of everything that was going on upstream . So we took intensive courses with Philippe ( Decouz ) to understand better , and when you see your new foals , they ’ re your new babies , they ’ re 100 % yours , and that ’ s what I loved about breeding . It was really a very nice surprise .” The silks also made their mark at the sales by selling Txope , bought as a yearling for € 310,000 by Broadhurst ( Laurent Benoît ), for € 1.2 million after her victory in the German 1,000 Guineas . “ The objective is , as far as possible , to keep a close eye on the accounts ,” explains Philippe Decouz , the stable ’ s appointed Flat trainer . “ It ’ s not just a passion , it has to work .”
A very beautiful surprise Antoine Griezmann agrees , and this activity has already fulfilled a large part of his objectives : “ Often ,” says the sportsman , “ my father and I would go and watch the horses with a coffee , and we would also go to the races near our home from time to time . In the end , it stuck with me . I often used to put on the Equidia channel , which helped me to have a little nap . And then one day , I said to my father : ‘ Why don ’ t we try with a horse ? I know it ’ s your dream . And it could be mine too !’ We started like that , without any objective , just to have fun with my father . It brought us a little closer together , him and me , because with the distance , we don ’ t see each other much , but when there ’ s a race , we call each other , we talk about it . And then we go to Chantilly together from time to time , to see the foals at the stable , we spend all that time together . We were already quite close , but it brought us even closer .” Alain and Antoine are therefore very involved in the careers of their horses , and Philippe Decouz keeps them informed of the life of the stable , which has a dozen horses in training , several times a week during the season . “ Almost every day ,” confirms Antoine Griezmann . “ He sends me videos , he gives me news after each race , gives me a little report of what the jockey says , how the horse took the race ... I ’ m very interested in the horse ’ s
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