ENGLISH TEXTS be made with the trotting , and we could have managed this site together . And we would have had more weight negotiating together .
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NICOLAS CAULLERY
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1I went to Vincennes for the Prix d ’ Amérique and was able to see all my trotting friends again . I have a lot of them because as a child , in the North , I used to play with some of them at the racetracks . Franck Nivard ’ s brother had horses in training at La Capelle , so I knew him well . When I go to the races , I spend my time chatting with them , and I don ’ t really have time to watch the races . We talk a bit about business , personal stuff and all that , but not about this subject . One day , in Avranches , before a concert , I met Jean-Claude Hallais , who came to talk to me kindly . I was as impressed as I was when I was a kid , but he couldn ’ t guess what he still meant to me . I ’ ve seen the evolution of trotting over the years , the riding style , the times , the sulkies . They ’ ve come a long way !
2We were expecting it , but it ’ s still a shock . He leaves us at a delicate mo- ment because we sometimes have the impression of not knowing where we are going . Such inspiration , we will miss it . He did so much in Chantilly for the chateau , the racecourse ... He gave so many people a livelihood here . We have to see what will happen now .
3I haven ’ t really followed this affair . And when I went to Vincennes , I wasn ’ t told about it , neither by the young nor the old .
4Vincennes is a myth , and it ’ s always difficult to break . But when I see what happened in Lille after we left the Stade Grimonprez-Jooris , nobody regrets it today . Many huge sports arenas have been abandoned or completely rebuilt , and it ’ s generally for the better . We mustn ’ t be closed-minded . If they can make good tracks and spaces capable of hosting other events , why not ? Sometimes you have to break the myth to move forward .
EMMANUEL ROUSSEL
1The way races are run has changed a lot . I sometimes feel like I ’ m watching Yonkers races on a track two and a half times bigger - and not because of the American sulkies and the position the drivers have adopted . It ’ s interesting because it ’ s very tense , very tactical , and I understand why now only very high-level drivers have a chance . There is also a tremendous amount of work done to prepare the big meetings by the communication and marketing teams , led by Valérie François .
2These colours are one of the landmarks of European racing , and the fact that the Aga Khan himself presided over the destiny of his breeding operation guaranteed a long-term investment . Princess Zahra finds herself at the head of a living monument , and it is reassuring to see that the family passion has not died out with the passing of her father . I have always been amazed by this man ’ s courtesy and patience . When you travel to challenged countries in the East , his name appears everywhere , in front of a school or a hospital . You realise how important this man - or rather the role he played - is to millions of people in need .
3If we have to negotiate , let ’ s negotiate . I have always been on horseback between the two worlds , and I understand both visions . It is first and foremost a cultural debate , old and underlying , between two very different management styles . It seems legitimate to me to want to put things back on an even keel , so that they become clearer and more efficient . Let ’ s start from the general interest of the industry and work towards this common goal . However ,
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