By Mélodie Janvier
Before becoming a pioneer of Franco-American breeding, Jean-Pierre Dubois was also a top trainer-driver. Multiple-time leading trainer, his signature style? A subtle blend of discipline, hard work and a meticulous selection of bloodlines, all in the name of performance.
Jean-Pierre Dubois is, above all, a symbol of exceptional longevity. He began competing at the age of 13, in the mid-1950s, and was soon crowned France’s best apprentice. But it was in the 1970s and 80s that he became an essential figure in the sport, winning his first Prix d’Amérique at 39 years old, driving High Echelon, a horse he had bought from Count Paul de Senneville through his father, and whom the “Dubois method” would transform. The driver masterfully stayed under the radar during the race, only to surge past his rivals at the finish. A tactic he would employ time and again.
Though he won his first Prix d’Amérique just before turning 40, Jean-Pierre Dubois didn’t wait nearly that long to go out on his own. At just 18, in 1958, the man who would later be called the “chef” set himself up as a trainer at Haras de la Beauvoisinère, in Échauffour (Orne). In this role, he would win the Prix d’Amérique again in 1982, this time with Hymour. A resounding victory, despite the fact that the horse had previously changed trainers and delivered uneven performances. That same year, as a trainer, he won 49 races out of 406 entries. And he would continue to surpass that number of wins every year until 2005, with the sole exceptions of 1997 and 2001. A rare feat of longevity and undeniable consistency: from 1987 to 2007, the trainer earned over one million euros in prize money almost every single year! That’s 16 years with 60 or more victories and 18 years topping one million in earnings. His best year? Without a doubt, 1993, when he crossed the three million euro mark.
To reach such results, a powerful stable is indispensable. Unlike most trainers, Jean-Pierre Dubois’ stables often housed more champions than modest runners.
Champions from elsewhere
Dubois breeder’s eye allowed him to train top-class horses of his own breeding, but also to spot exceptional talent, either for himself or on behalf of owners. In the early 1990s, he found success again with Vasquez, bred by Camille Pottier. Then came the rise of the great Bahama, bought from Count De Bellaigue, a true track champion (see elsewhere). Bahama wasn’t his only inspired purchase from the Count: a few years later, Ganymède, son of Buvetier d’Aunou, was destined to join Dubois’s team. With earnings of nearly €800,000, three Group 1 wins, including two in Scandinavia, and leading sire titles in 2008 and 2014, he was a spectacular acquisition. That’s what it means to have an eye for talent.
Made in Dubois
We all know the saying: “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Jean-Pierre Dubois would surely agree. Beyond the champions from Nesmile, Armbro Glamour, or Tahitienne (linked to the studbook’s opening – see elsewhere), there are many others bred and developed by the “chef.”
Starting chronologically from the 1990s, the overview begins with And Arifant, although he never won a Group 1, he proved to be an outstanding sire. Then came Camino, whose dam was a daughter of Hymour. He won his first race on the humble Moulins-la-Marche racetrack before rising to elite status, including international wins. Next was Esotico Star, a male-line descendant of Speedy Crown through Tarassa Boulba, who placed second in the prestigious Critérium des Jeunes.
Then came Extreme Dream, often only mentioned as Ready Cash’s dam-sire, but he was also a Critérium des 4 Ans winner. Fortuna Fant, by the homebred And Arifant, added another Critérium des Jeunes victory to Dubois’s tally. Goetmals Wood, both a track crack and a breeding cornerstone (see elsewhere). Hermès du Buisson continued the trend of Critérium winners, taking the “Continental.” Island Dream, Coktail Jet’s first offspring to win a Group 1. In Love With You, runner-up in the Critérium des 3 Ans behind Install, himself a son of Buvetier d’Aunou and, incidentally, the “uncle” of the aforementioned.
Juliano Star, another Buvetier d’Aunou product, claimed the 2000 Critérium des Jeunes. Then Kaisy Dream, as the name implies, a son of Extreme Dream, earned a tidy €1,012 million and won the Prix de Sélection. Think it stops there? Not quite, we’re just getting started!
Enter the great Love You, as impressive on the track as he is physically (see elsewhere).
Dubois’ fillies have often brought immense satisfaction, both in breeding and competition. Mahana, for instance, a triple Group 1 winner, is out of Goetmals Wood’s sister. Then there’s Mara Bourbon (by And Arifant and Etta Extra) and her sister Qualita Bourbon, both earned over €1 million, both classic winners. They highlighted the success of the Dubois/Engelke partnership and the exceptional “Bourbon” breeding program.Looking back, from 1992 to 2007 (when Jean-Pierre Dubois stopped training for five years), not a single year passed without him training at least one Group 2 winner. That’s 15 consecutive years of top-level success as a trainer. But what about Jean-Pierre Dubois the driver?
Mr. Dubois: The Driver
It’s well known that Jean-Pierre Dubois loves to drive. Naturally, he steered many of his horses to victory, especially in Group races. Using the same trainer timeframe of 1987 to 2007, only in 1997 did the “chef” fail to surpass €1 million in earnings, yet he still recorded 47 wins from just 197 drives. Going back even further, to 1982 (the earliest year in the Trot database), 1990 was his most prolific driving year, with 70 wins, one in every four races, at a time when racing was far less frequent than today.
Beyond the sheer number of victories, which exceed 2,400, what stands out most is his tally of Group race wins. According to the official Trot database (which reliably tracks Group races from 1992 onwards), Jean-Pierre Dubois has racked up 128 wins in Group 1, 2, or 3 races…!
Whether as a breeder, trainer, owner, or driver, Jean-Pierre Dubois has left an indelible mark on the world of horse racing in France, both in trot and gallop. A record of achievement that, remarkably, has never altered the “chef’s” mindset, whose humility rivals only his success.