ENGLISH TEXTS
his disposal . He was able to gather all the fuel he needed to move to another level . 1994 and 2009 were two milestones that undoubtedly marked his rise the most , moments of liberation . The machine then went into overdrive , and the big wins piled up , with five more Prix du Jockey Clubs , three more Prix de Dianes , seven Poules d ’ Essai des Pouliches and two Prix de l ’ Arc de Triomphes ... Only malign forces beyond our control could have influenced this flamboyant trajectory . Yet the stable held on during the ordeal . The ship is still there , following the currents , waiting for her captain to be able to devote all his heart and all his reason to her once again .
“ I DON ’ T KNOW IF THE PHONE RANG MORE THAN USUAL FROM THAT MOMENT ON , BUT THE PEOPLE WHO CALLED WERE NO LONGER THE SAME !” Jean-Claude Rouget in TRC , 2015
PAGE 24 Jean-Claude Rouget flatters Millkom after his victory in the 1994 Grand Prix de Paris with Jean-René Dubosc . His career has just taken on a new dimension . © APRH
PAGE 25 Le Havre , one of the main roles at the Rouget Festival in June 2009 . © APRH
PAGE 26 Jean-Claude Rouget . © APRH
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JOCKEY
By Emmanuel Roussel
MARIE VÉLON : ALWAYS MORE TO CLOSE THE GAP
Crowned best French female jockey for the fifth consecutive year in 2024 , Marie Velon is naturally our “ jockey of the month .“
Marie Velon is at the top of her trade as a professional flat jockey in France . She boasts a win percentage close to 10 %, and with nearly a hundred victories , she once again occupies 10 th position in the jockeys ’ rankings for 2024 . Since her first title among female jockeys in 2020 , her fifth season ( fourth full season ), she has also consistently ranked among the top ten riders in the country , including a 7 th place in 2020 with a win percentage exceeding 12 %. Last year , she won 99 races from 984 rides , another remarkable sporting achievement . However , these successes , built over time and through daily effort , have done less for her career and renown than the victories she achieved with Irésine , the champion trained by Jean-Pierre Gauvin . It was also for the trainer from the Loire region that she won her first race , at Cavaillon , in 2017 . She was riding a former Aga Khan colt that day , having started her career with Alain de Royer Dupré . In retrospect , this can be seen as an omen , an encouragement to follow the path destiny had laid out for her . 2017 also marked the first season of the weight allowance for female jockeys in France , which accompanied her apprenticeship from then on . This controversial measure has become established practice and continues to serve its purpose of persuasion and justice . While they remain a minority in the fields , women now make up the majority of stable staff in the Country . They fill the ranks when fewer men pursue the challenging profession of jockey , which demands high-level athletic performance and conditions its practice to weights that have become rarer with the recent evolution of our species ( read our study on the place of female jockeys in French racing in this issue ). It is the intensity of this raw performance that often casts doubt on women ’ s ability to compete on equal terms with men . Thus , women are still rare in top-level races , as they do not benefit from their weight allowance at this level of competition . Marie Velon ’ s exploits with Irésine are therefore crucial for the cause of female jockeys in France . Jean-Pierre Gauvin ’ s champion won the Prix Royal-Oak ( Gr . 1 ) in 2023 and the Prix Ganay ( Gr . 1 ) in 2024 , and his rider did not receive any weight allowance from her opponents . None of Irésine ’ s victories at the top level reflected an overwhelming superiority of the horse . It was a partnership that won these championships . “ I ’ ve known him since the very beginning of his career ,“ explains Marie . “ He always had health problems and at the beginning he was just an average horse , rather fragile , but Jean-Pierre Gauvin knew how to respect him , to give him his chance , and I don ’ t know if he would have had such a career elsewhere . He ran the first time without me , but I had already ridden him in training . Then Alexis Larue took care of him , and Jean-Pierre took over last year when his usual exercise left . Irésine won his maiden on his second outing , at Vichy , and I didn ’ t ride him well that day , which made me think he
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