ENGLISH TEXTS prived of the premiums that the horses would win if they were successful in France . Today , I try to sell my production later , and only partially , so that it stays more in France , with partners like Kelvin Hughes , the McLennans or Simon Munir , for example .” This is the model for Il Est Français , who will carry the colours of Kelvin Hughes and Saint-Voir at the Cheltenham Festival next March in the Ryanair Chase .
Committed team members Nicolas de Lageneste ’ s Haras de Saint-Voir has thus become a model of organisation that is practically unique in the world of French jump racing . We can be proud to have in this country some of the best breeders and trainers in the world , as we see at every edition of the Cheltenham Festival , where our products take centre stage . We can also congratulate ourselves on having a system of resource allocation that allows passionate and committed owners to invest to support the ecosystem . More generally , we have farmers who know their land better than anyone else and bring their environment to life . However , those who excel in each of these activities are rare , be it in France and elsewhere .
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TRAINER
By Emmanuel Roussel
NICOLAS CAULLERY ON EVERY STAGE
The news cycle is such that trainers aren ’ t always in the headlines for the right reasons . A single brilliant coup can thrust a trainer into the spotlight more surely than the meticulous , daily , and sometimes tedious work of training horses , managing a stable , and keeping it financially afloat . Nicolas Caullery ’ s career is a case in point .
The surprise victory of King Gold on January 24 th in a Group 3 race in Dubai , defeating Laurel River , the “ world ’ s best horse ” according to seasonal classifications , propelled his trainer Nicolas Caullery onto the global racing stage . This trainee owned by the Wingtans family had already done so in the summer of 2023 at Deauville by winning the Prix Maurice de Gheest ( Gr . 1 ). Of course , in reality , Laurel River was never the “ world ’ s best horse ,” nor is King Gold now , but this magnificent victory is another stroke of luck for the trainer who discovered racing as a child with his parents at racetracks in the north of France , mostly trotting tracks . La Capelle , Berck-sur-Mer , the best chip shops in the world , the slides , the Sunday crowds , and those accessible meetings were the backdrop to young Nicolas ’ s early years . “ I wanted to get into trotting from the age of 14 ,” he explains , “ but I was still too young , so as they thought at the time that I wouldn ’ t grow much more , I tried my luck at Chantilly . I joined David Smaga in the hope of becoming a jockey .” Six years and enough growth to reach six feet tall later , Nicolas Caullery had made Chantilly his permanent home . But it was more than fifteen years after his arrival at the training centre that he decided to train himself , in 2011 , in his early 30s . After a stint with Valérie Dissaux , he had been working alongside the late trainer Patrice Chatelain who , following an accident , had entrusted him with the day-to-day running of the stable while awaiting his return . This full-scale test convinced Nicolas to take the plunge himself . In June 2011 , he set up shop with a handful of supporters , notably Claude Bodin , Alain Chérifi and Paul Normand , who became his owners . He invested € 27,007 to claim Star Dust Melody when she won at Longchamp , only to see her win again in the colours of Alain Chérifi at Maisons-Laffitte .
First , the Claimers Then there was Zack Hope , claimed in October from Peter Schiergen for € 23,007 , again for Alain Chérifi . “ I was at Newmarket looking for first-hand horses from
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