ENGLISH TEXTS
� PAGE 55
By Serge Okey
MARADONA , THE IDOL WHO LOVED HORSES
A genius with the ball at his feet , an idol of an entire nation . Between his exploits and his scandals , Diego Maradona nurtured another passion - horse racing - under the blue and yellow colors borrowed from his beloved club . In Buenos Aires , Argentina , “ La Bombonera ” is a famous pressure cooker of a stadium , affectionately nicknamed the “ candy box .” It is the iconic home of Boca Juniors , the club where Diego Armando Maradona ( 1960-2020 ) began and ended his career . Could the “ Pibe de Oro ”, the “ Golden Boy ”, have found a better name for his racing stable than this footballing volcano ? Fittingly , the stadium itself is shaped like a horseshoe . After his glorious European career , the man many consider the greatest footballer of all time ( - though the debate rages on with Pelé , Messi and Ronaldo ) devoted himself to one of his many passions : horses . Naturally , his racing stable , “ Stud La Bombonera ” bore Boca ’ s signature colors : blue and yellow . Under this banner , the idol of an entire nation won 18 Group 1 races .
Diegol , Cani , Nob ... Maradona had his friend Hector del Piano to thank . A horse owner and breeder , he reignited an old childhood passion in Maradona and introduced him to horse racing . Thanks to him , Maradona acquired Diegol , a fittingly named horse that won six times , including the coveted Gran Premio Joaquín V . González in La Plata . A master of dazzling solo runs with the ball , the legendary yet diminutive Diego ( 1.65m ) was also a model teammate . As a tribute to his former partners , he named some of his horses Cani ( after Claudio Caniggia *), Nob ( after his second-to-last club , Newell ’ s Old Boys ) and Guillote ( a nod to his impresario , Guillermo Coppola ). Maradona entrusted his horses to the celebrated jockey Jorge Valdivieso ( 4,630 wins ) and among his trainers was Ignacio Correas , who later won the Breeders ’ Cup Distaff in 2019 . On the day of Maradona ’ s funeral , amidst the vast crowd and numerous public figures , stood Jorge Ricardo , a Brazilian jockey who ranks high in the annals of Carreras de las Estrellas ( 10 victories ), the Argentine equivalent of the Breeders ’ Cup . In his honor , Argentina declared three days of national mourning .
* Famous goal-scorer for Argentina ’ s national team ( La Albiceleste ).
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� PAGE 57
By Olivier Villepreux
CLÉMENT TROPRÈS
“ TONY PARKER ’ S FAME ENABLES INNOVATION ”
The president of Infinity Nine Horses sees the many advantages of integrating top athletes into the horse racing world as owners .
Are elite athletes the great racehorse owners of tomorrow ? Possibly . This idea is reflected in the history of the Haras de Quétiéville ( Calvados ), where , in the 1970s , the horses of Simone del Duca , one of France ’ s wealthiest figures , were bred . The widow of a press mogul and renowned publisher , she combined her passion for horses - winning the 1962 Prix de l ’ Arc de Triomphe with Soltykoff , among other trophies - with her husband ’ s love of literature , music and research by creating a foundation in his name . Surrounding her were industrial magnates , bankers , businessmen , and artists - but no footballers or basketball players . At the time , elite athletes were not the symbols of success they have become today . No one knows if Tony Parker was aware of this slice of history or the exceptional horses that had once come from this 86-hectare estate when he first visited it with Nicolas Batum . What is certain
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