3. The
dynasty
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By Céline Gualde
Renowned bloodstock agent Frédéric Sauque has worked with major clients in both trotting and flat racing. Among many successful ventures, he syndicated the stallion career of the legendary Ready Cash and managed the interests of Lebanese owner Moufid Dabaghi, who owned Al Nasr, André Fabre’s first Group 1 winner on the flat. Frédéric Sauque was also the trusted advisor of art dealer, owner and breeder Daniel Wildenstein, whom he encouraged to partner with none other than Jean-Pierre Dubois. That adventure led to victories in both the Prix d’Amérique and the Grand Steeplechase de Paris!
Galorama. How and why did Daniel Wildenstein and Jean-Pierre Dubois become partners?
Frédéric Sauque. At that time, Mr. Wildenstein had already won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe three times*. He wanted to become the best in trotting too and I advised him to team up with Jean-Pierre Dubois to help him on that path. I told him Dubois was an exceptional man, who was twenty years ahead of everyone else in trotting thanks to his American bloodlines. At first, Mr. Wildenstein declined, he didn’t want a partner. I told him bluntly, “Then you’ll never top the standings!” Two days later, he called me back. He’d thought it over and was on board. Jean-Pierre Dubois visited him at his gallery on rue de la Boétie in Paris. The meeting lasted twenty minutes, they hit it off immediately. That was in 1992.
G. Had you already met Jean-Pierre Dubois yourself?
F.S. Not really. Our first real meeting was in Normandy during the Wildenstein project. I’d just arrived from Paris, in a suit, and we started off with two hours on a tractor! He wanted to see if I could handle it. We began talking and by dinnertime, I was still there!
G. A partnership between two men as different as Dubois and Wildenstein seems surprising!
F.S. They may have seemed like polar opposites, but they had deep respect for one another. Each wanted to please the other and never let him down. Daniel Wildenstein used to say of Jean-Pierre Dubois: “He’s not a man, he’s a horse, he thinks like a horse!” He became the leading trotting owner in France and stayed at the top for seven years, up to the year 2000. In 1996, Coktail Jet won the Prix d’Amérique before becoming a leading sire.
G. But why partner with Jean-Pierre Dubois in jumps racing? That seems less natural...
F.S. On rare occasions, Mr. Wildenstein and Jean-Pierre Dubois would have lunch together, with me present. One of those lunches was in 1996, four years into their partnership, just after the Prix d’Amérique win. A memorable lunch! Jean-Pierre asked Mr. Wildenstein what his ultimate dream in racing was. The answer came instantly: “To win the Grand Steeple!” Jean-Pierre immediately replied, “we’ll do it together!” As we left Wildenstein’s place, Jean-Pierre said to me: “Now it’s your turn, find the right horse!” I called Count de Montesson, who had an excellent breeding operation—he’d bred Katko, a three-time Grand Steeple winner, and brother to Kotkijet. He told me he had four outstanding yearling colts to sell as a lot for 800,000 francs. That was a lot of money back then! He added that he wouldn’t show me any others, they weren’t worth it. Mr. Wildenstein gave me full authority. So Jean-Pierre and I went to Haras des Coudraies in the Orne. It was a Sunday morning. They showed us four beautiful bay colts and Kotkijet was among them. But Jean-Pierre wanted to see the rest. When we got back in the car, he said: “We have to buy them all.” One of his golden rules was that if you buy a lot, you don’t leave a horse behind. I called Mr. de Montesson and said: “We’ll take all eight for 700,000 francs.” He was taken aback but agreed. I had an unbeatable argument, he’d told me the other four were worthless! Yet one of them, Indien Bleu, turned out to be a very good horse. All eight turned out well. It was the deal of the century!
G. And how did Kotkijet become Kotkijet?
F.S. Forty-eight hours after our visit, as soon as Mr. de Montesson gave the green light, Jean-Pierre took all eight yearlings. Two days later, they were gelded and turned out for a year in a large uphill pasture on his stud farm, to build strength and develop properly. Kotkijet was broken in by Jean-Pierre himself, who was also his first trainer. In 2000, after a long break due to a health issue, he was entrusted to Jean-Paul Gallorini. At training, Kotkijet was so full of energy he went out with every lot! In the afternoons, he jogged in the park at Maisons-Laffitte, it helped his fragile legs. Jean-Pierre even had a swimming pool built for him. He’s the most impressive horse I’ve ever seen at Auteuil.
G. Tell us about the day of the 2001 Grand Steeplechase de Paris...
F.S. We had enormous hope and pressure. Jean-Pierre had said he might not come, but I spotted his chauffeur, so I knew he was there. He stayed outside, among the crowd, and was the first to congratulate Kotkijet’s jockey, Thierry Majorcryk, on the track. Daniel Wildenstein was upstairs in the owners’ area. He was already ill, his doctor was with him, incidentally the father of actor Michel Boujenah. After the victory, Daniel was so moved that he felt unwell—he was visibly shaken. Dr. Boujenah suggested I go down for the trophy ceremony with Sylvia, Mr. Wildenstein’s wife, while he stayed with him.
Later, Mr. Wildenstein felt better. Jean-Pierre went up to congratulate him. They had realized their dream! Daniel didn’t drink Champagne, but out of courtesy, he touched the glass to his lips. That day, Mr. Wildenstein stayed at Auteuil until the last race, a rare thing for him. At the end of the day, he said to me: “I’ve got bad news for you: Mr. Viel waited fifty years to win the Prix d’Amérique. He won it and died three months later. Today, I’ve lived my dream, so you might be about to lose a major client!” Daniel Wildenstein passed away in October, five months after Kotkijet’s first Grand Steeple.
G. Did your partnership with Jean-Pierre Dubois end with your shared client’s death?
F.S. No, because that led into Jean-Pierre Dubois’ American phase. He’s an adventurer and a pioneer! It was a stroke of genius to send trotting mares to be covered in the U.S. Jean-Pierre wanted to conquer the States. He settled in New Jersey, where there was a good trotting circuit, but success was limited, I think he would’ve needed to be there full-time.
Then we went to Lexington to buy thoroughbreds and partnered on broodmares. We also traveled to Dubai, Abu Dhabi... It was never boring, always a challenge!
G. After all these experiences with Jean-Pierre Dubois, how would you describe the man?
F.S. He’s the hardest worker I’ve ever met. His days start at 5 a.m. and run into the night. He spends his life on planes and never complains, though I know he hates the cold and loves the sun! He has incredibly sharp instincts. When a horse walks by, he just knows if it’s good. He started very young and carries seventy years of passion. He’s intensely curious. When he visits a stud farm, the first place he goes is the feed room, he believes
nutrition is fundamental. Jean-Pierre Dubois is remarkably kind and loyal. When he shakes your hand, it means more than a signed contract. You only meet someone like him once in a lifetime. He could’ve been a film star! It was an incredible privilege to work with him for nearly twenty years.
*Daniel Wildenstein won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1972 with Allez France, in 1983 with All Along, and in 1984 with Sagace. The Wildenstein silks also triumphed in the 1997 Arc with Peintre Célèbre