ENGLISH TEXTS
had run only four times and , while he had won twice , the best of those victories was simply a Listed race . However , on that occasion , and in the colours of Alexandrine , he had beaten two 4-year-olds who would go on to make a name for themselves : Milord Thomas and Un Temps pour Tout . The former went on to win five Group 1 races , including three Prix La Haye Jousselin Chases ( Gr . 1 ) and a Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris ( Gr . 1 ). The latter won a Grande Course de Haies d ’ Auteuil ( Gr . 1 ) and several Group races across the Channel ... This promising victory was to be Cokoriko ’ s last , however : “ He was a talented colt , powerful and no nonsense type of colt ,“ recalls his breeder-trainer . “ He started by winning on his debut at Auteuil , in April of his 4-year-old season . I had left him entire because I had regretted gelding his two-year-older brother , Caesar ’ s Palace , the first foal out of his dam Cardounika . He was a superb individual and very quickly became a champion . Then Cokoriko finished 5th and , as his first jockey had gone off to live his life , I had to find another one for his third start . I did but he didn ’ t come around the colt . Then , before running his last race , he injured himself because of the stones that have always infected the Maisons-Laffitte tracks . He wasn ’ t 100 % on the day of the race , but he had got used to his problem . I never injected my horses for the races . After this great victory , however , I had to face the facts : his career was over ...“ As Jean-Paul Gallorini recalls , Cokoriko ’ s dam , Cardounika ( Nikos ), had already produced a very talented colt , Caesar ’ s Palace , winner of three Gr . 3s at Auteuil at 4 , but who fell in the Grand Prix d ’ Automne in his second season after a two-year break . After Cokoriko , she also produced Chanducoq ( Voix du Nord ), a full brother to Cokoriko , and also a stallion . “ Cokoriko and Chanducoq are called that because when I passed Yannick Fouin ’ s house in the morning on my way to the Rond Adam in Maisons-Laffitte , I was hearing his cockerel crowing , and it reminded me of my youth in Marseilles , where we also heard it ,“ explains the most Mediterranean of all Maisons-Laffitte residents . Jean-Paul Gallorini bought Cardounika at 3 years old for € 16,000 at the July sales , which were then held at Saint- Cloud . “ I love all the progeny of Nikos ,“ he explains , “ and with Cadoudal on the dam ’ s side , it was even better . What beautiful French bloodlines ! And then , I liked her . I outbid Robert Collet , who wanted her for the same reasons as me . We brought her home and when he saw her , my head lad , Rémi Passelande , told me he knew her from having broken her in and that she was impossible to ride ! Never mind ... We started her on the Flat at Evreux because we had worked her on speed and on that track , if you get away well at the start , you can make the difference . She finished 4th , good : I entered her in the Prix Finot at Auteuil over hurdles ( a very popular race for novice hurdlers , editor ’ s note ). Who was she battling with on the final bend ? Maia Eria ! The future champion ! Except that she slipped and almost fell : she finished 6th . She was a difficult mare , but she had quality .“ Cardounika ran 20 times , won only one race but earned over € 77,000 before retiring to stud . The story doesn ’ t end there . Indeed , Jean-Paul Gallorini also trained the dam of Robin des Champs , Cokoriko ’ s sire . This mare , Relayeuse ( Iron Duke ), won seven races from 26 starts ... “ The fact is that after his short racing career , no one was very interested in Cokoriko ,“ recalls Jean-Paul Gallorini . “ Jean-Louis Berger , Alexandrine ’ s father , a great breeder from Saôneet-Loire , then reminded me that the Haras de Cercy was looking for stallions . I got in touch with Jacky Cyprès , who was in charge of the stud farm acquisitions , and that was that . I must say they have done an exceptional job with him . His stud career is very well managed by all the staff and I am very happy about that . It ’ s a real pleasure to see him there . On the other hand , I wasn ’ t very happy with Cardounika ’ s daughters at stud , who were unlucky . But one of them , Cesarine Palace , still gave me the very good Chichi de la Vega , who earned nearly € 300,000 for Robert Collet , who ended up finding Cardounika ’ s line , after all !“
“ COKORIKO AND CHANDUCOQ ARE NAMED LIKE THAT BECAUSE , IN THE MORNINGS , WHEN PASSING BY YANNICK FOUIN ’ S PLACE ON THE WAY TO THE ROND ADAM AT MAISONS-LAFFITTE , I WOULD HEAR THE SOUND OF HIS ROOSTER , AND IT REMINDED ME OF MY CHILDHOOD IN MARSEILLE , WHERE WE WOULD HEAR IT TOO .”
Jean-Paul Gallorini
PAGE 16 Jean-Paul Gallorini ( holding the trophy ) poses for a photo alongside Cokoriko after his victory in the Prix Claude Cohen at Auteuil . © APRH
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“ RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PANORAMIC RESTAURANT AT AUTEUIL , SHE SCREAMED AT HER
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