ENGLISH TEXTS
Serbia to be a harness racing trainer .” He already owns his own small stable of trotters , named Dram Catcher , partly managed by his compatriot Miodrag Pantic near Melun and Italian trainer Alesandro Gocciadoro . It ’ s rarer still , but women , too , can succumb to the bug . Such is the case of Victoria Alonso , a young female jockey who has managed to carve out a spot in Spain ’ s Top 10 despite her “ pedigree ” predisposing her to follow in football ’ s footsteps . Her grandfather won five European Cups with Real Madrid in the 1960s , her father played for Rayo Vallecano before becoming a horse trainer , and her cousin played for Chelsea and Barcelona . She made an international impression in 2023 , on the eve of the Saudi Cup , competing among the ten jockeys from around the world at the International Jockey Championship in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia .
A Boon for Racing Much like celebrities , the presence of sportspeople in stables and on racecourses is a boon for the image of racing . “ It contributes to the media coverage of an event ,” regularly praise the two leading bodies , France Galop and SETF . The latest coup is very recent : the Prix d ’ Amérique , which featured guest star Teddy Riner — the greatest judoka of all time . Racing thrives on sports . PMU has certainly grasped this , having invested heavily
in football by sponsoring the Coupe de France and , more recently , eight clubs from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 , as well as in the Top 14 of rugby and in cycling . These two worlds sometimes even become the stage for very personal rivalries . After clashing over the presidency of the Ligue de Football , former PSG and OM bosses Michel Denisot and Vincent Labrune continued their duel on the sidelines of the racecourses during the latest elections for the SETF Committee — one backing Caroline Sionneau and the other supporting Jean-Pierre Barjon . On the racecourse side , however , the rivalry between these two great horse enthusiasts clearly favors the former Canal + presenter . As an owner , Labrune has never won anything notable ; some would say his record is as blank as OM ’ s over the past fifteen years . In contrast , Michel Denisot won the 2008 Président de la République with Palypso de Creek and enjoyed numerous successes with his violet silks in flat racing — not to mention that he once presided over France Galop ’ s Image , Communication , and Promotion Commission .
The cult of victory Beyond the issues of profitability , which are always uncertain in this field , sportspeople are sometimes driven by a fascination that dates back to childhood . Antoine Griezmann often speaks of this , recalling how “ his father ’ s passion ” played a decisive role in his own choices . Their stable is , in fact , based at home in Mâcon , the land of fine , joyful wine . “ He has the instinct — a level of commitment that is uncommon ,” remarks his coach Philippe Decouz , still amused by having seen him “ so excited ” that he couldn ’ t “ hold his binoculars ” during his very first race . Like Emmanuel Petit , Griezmann aims extremely high . “ My goal is to run in the Prix de l ’ Arc de Triomphe and the Prix d ’ Amérique ,” the Atletico Madrid forward confided as early as 2019 . A champion ’ s nature is to dream bigger than others - to make one ’ s dreams come true . It ’ s all about the culture and the cult of results , on every field .
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By Serge Okey
MICHAEL OWEN , LE BALLON D ’ OR DEVENU CÉLÉBRITÉ DES COURSES
Following his Ballon d ’ Or win in 2001 , Liverpool ’ s “ Wonder Boy ” treated himself to his dream home : a stunning mansion in Wales , just five minutes from his childhood home and half an hour from what , five years later , would be-
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