CÉCILE ADONIAS
CAVA ASSOCIATES
Bloodstock agent Cécile Adonias , who founded Cava Associates , highlights the differences between racing in France and Qatar and the key criteria for acquiring horses for Qatari interests :
Galorama. Can you explain how you came to collaborate with the Qataris ?
Cécile Adonais. I founded my bloodstock agency , Cava Associate , in October 2019 . At the beginning , my client base was primarily focused on NH racing , but over time , my network expanded and diversified . My first Qatari client involved the purchase of Selous , bred by Al Shahania , who quickly won races in Doha after his arrival and continued to perform well each season , except for one year due to a health issue . Thanks to Selous ’ success , which met the expectations of his connections , I was able to develop my client base in Qatar .
G. Are there significant differences between racing in France and in Qatar ?
C.A. Racing in Qatar is different from racing in France . Over there , races are much faster-paced and you need horses that can adapt to quick tracks or perform well on dirt . They also have to be capable of producing multiple bursts of acceleration during a race . The quality of racing is continuously improving , so you need competitive horses to perform well in Doha .
G. The Gulf countries are known for their special attachment to Purebred Arabians ( PA ). Can you tell us more about this ?
C.A. The Purebred Arabian market is very well-developed in Qatar , largely due to their love for the breed . An owner of thoroughbreds often owns Purebred Arabians as well . The purchasing criteria for Purebred Arabians are similar to those for thoroughbreds , with the main difference being in the racing program . There are two distinct programs for Purebred Arabians : one reserved for locally-bred PAs and another open to all , including imports . The Qatari program offers more variety in race distances for Purebred Arabians , providing more opportunities than the French program can offer .
G. Is the racing atmosphere in Qatar different from that in France ?
C.A. The atmosphere at the races in Qatar is different from that in France . Horses are deeply rooted in their culture . It ’ s a very family-friendly and warm environment .
G. What are your most recent purchases exported to Qatar that you have high hopes for ?
C.A. This year , two horses I purchased participated in the Qatar Derby on December 27 , which is very encouraging . They competed against horses of a higher caliber , likely bought with larger budgets . There is a significant disparity in purchase budgets , which is an advantage because it allows for investment in different markets and horse profiles . For example , Swann , who just ran in the Qatar Derby , was a horse I purchased from a claimer in September 2024 .
In each edition of our magazine , we will pose four questions to four personalities from the racing world whom we believe can provide different insights on current topics .
MARIE VÉLON
2020-2024 TOP FEMALE FLAT
JOCKEY IN FRANCE
BERTRAND LE MÉTAYER
BREEDER , BLOODSTOCK AGENT
NICOLAS DE CHAMBURE
BREEDER , STUD MANAGER ,
OWNER , BREEDER
JEAN-PAUL GALLORINI
FORMER TRAINER , BREEDER
have agreed to answer us .
1. TROTTING ACROSS EUROPE HAVE JUST ACCEPTED THE PRINCIPLE OF ABANDONING THE WHIP . SHOULD WE FOLLOW SUIT ?
2. JOCKEYS WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO RIDE AT TWO PREMIUM MEETINGS IN ONE DAY . WHAT DO YOU THINK ?
3. CLAIMING RACES : ARE THERE ENOUGH ? NOT ENOUGH ?
4. IS THERE A YOUNG HORSE THAT HAS GOT YOU DREAMING FOR 2025 ?
MARIE VÉLON
1. Flat jockeysrideshortandtherefore cannotusetheirlegsmuchfor assistance.Intheseconditions,the whipistheonlyaidtheyhavetogive commands.Fourstrikesperraceisa verystrictlimitanditisscrupulously respected.Youhavetomisunderstand ourprofessiontowanttoabandon thewhip.Wehandlehorsesweighing over500kilos,sometimes,andat veryhighspeed.Youhavetorealise whatthatmeans.
2. I’mtornonthissubject.WhileI mustsaythatthereductionof thejockeyschampionshipcalendar hashadacleareffectandleftmore opportunitiestolocalriders,Idon’t knowifthisnewruleaffectsmany ofus.
3. It seemstomethatthereare enoughclaimersaround,but thisisnotmyareaofexpertise.I don’treallyhaveanopiniononthis question,whichisprobablymore fortrainersandowners.WhileI’ve alwayswantedtobeajockey,I’ve neverwantedtobeatrainer,even aftermycareer.SoIfocusonthe thingsthatconcernmedirectly,so thatmycareeristhebestitcanbe.
4. I’mlookingforwardtoriding Irésineagain!Amongtheyounger horses,IthinktheAgaKhanfilly whofinished2nd inthePrixMarcel Boussac(Gr.1),Zarigana,hasagreat potential.Otherwise,Isawavery goodlittlegreyhorsethiswinterin Cagnes.HisnameisDioptase,he istrainedbyJean-ClaudeRouget andhelookslikesomethingoutof theordinarytome!
BERTRAND LE MÉTAYER
1. This isatopicIhavediscussed alot.Iunderstandthatfromthe rider’spointofview,withanimalsof thissizegoingatsuchspeeds,you mightneedawhiptobalanceyour mount.So,it’smainlyasafetyissue, inmyopinion.However,Ihatetosee ajockeygoingattheirmountandwe don’tseethatanymore.Buthaving spokentopeoplewhoweren’tinthe racingworld,andI’mtalkingabout pragmaticpeople,notideologues,it’s unacceptable.Youcan’tasktoday’s publictoloveasportwhereananimal ishit,evenpainlessly.
2. This typeofmeasurecanallow moremodestjockeystocome totheforeandridemoreoften.The declineinourjockeypopulationposes aproblemthatwecouldhelpsolveby givingmoreopportunitiesforlocal jockeystodistinguishthemselves.
3. The arenotenough,especially inthehigherclaimingprices. IntheUSA,theyhaveclaimersat $100,000andwedon’thavethem anymoreoverhere.However,Ithink it’sagoodwaytokeepthestable tickingover,tobringinsomecash whenthetimingisn’trightduetoa setbackorbecausethehorseisready atatimethatdoesn’tcorrespond toasale.
4. On theFlat,Zariganamadeabig impressiononmelastyearand shehascapturedmyimagination, forallthatsherepresentsandforher owntalent.Overjumps,Ihavehigh hopesforHassadam.Weownhim withtheHubdeMontmirailstable andtheMacLennans.He’sasonof Kapgardeandthechampionmare PerfectImpulse,bredbyRichard CorvellerandArnaudChaillé-Chaillé, andhe’sturning4.Hewononhis debutinSeptemberandinmyview, he’saGrandSteeple-Chasehorse.
NICOLAS DE CHAMBURE
1. This is asubjectonwhichwe needtobepersuasiveandnot makereactivechoices.Therefore,in ordertobeabletomakeandstand byadecision,weneedtobuildthe widestpossibleconsensusandthen beconsistent.Itisanimportantand evenstrategicissue,whichiswhy weneedtotakethetimetoforma properopinion.
2. That seemsquitesensible tome.Avoidingbigjourneys betweentwodistantmeetingswill undoubtedlyallowdifferentjockeysto findopportunities.Thisrulehasbeen thesubjectofdebateandwehave, Ibelieve,chosenahappymedium, leavingthedooropenforminor, localmeetingsthatmaybeclose toPremiumfixturesintheregions.
3. weretoomanyclaiming racesatonepointandthat createdaparallelmarketthatwasn’t functioninghealthily,becausethe horsesweren’tchanginghands. Thisresultedindisguisedtakeovers thatdistortedthesystem.Claimers werenotbeingusedwisely.However, theseracesmustgeneratetradeto servetheindustry.Theycanprovide anexitrouteforcertaincategoriesof horsesandthatiswhytheyareuseful.