ENGLISH TEXTS
feeling, everything just fell right for me on the racetrack, and it was a great feeling if you pardon the pun. I was very lucky to get the support I did including from Alexi Acker as well he is a good friend of mine now and I went east a lot for him. I enjoyed riding at Compiegne the most though it’ s a very fair track. The memories cover his living room and kitchen wall having a total of 58 winners by the middle of 2024 but a bad fall on Kiroga for Beauregard left him with a broken leg and a slight rethink.“ Not all great things last. I was unhappy with a few things in France, and I was missing my family back home in the UK and fancied a change. I did my recovery in France to begin with but returned back to the UK to use the great Injured jockey fund facilities for my leg and realized how much I missed home. I went back to France, and it just wasn’ t the same being there and I was a bit sour to it all so I moved back with no plan.” A plan came to fruition though for Howie and a riding out job for James Owen, a trainer taking the UK racing world by storm by training all sorts of winners over both codes came up alongside doing a physio, rehabilitation and sports coaching online course.“ The plan was to ride out on some good horses which I did on the likes of Ambiente friendly, 2 nd in an English derby and East India Dock who was third in the triumph. After a few schooling sessions though I got the
bug again and asked James if he would hold my license and give me a few rides over jumps in England. This summer I’ ve had two, one a Worcester and one at Stratford both on a horse called Star Legend for James finishing third both times. It was great to be back racing and I didn’ t feel there was too much difference compared to France.” So, what’ s Howie’ s plan for the future?“ There is not real plan, just keep trying to get a few rides for James this Winter whilst studying and go from there, who knows I might come back to France one day.”
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PONEYS
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By Julia-Marie Penouilh
SEE YOU IN AUGUST FOR THE FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DEAUVILLE
On August 7 and 9, the Deauville racecourse will host the French Elite Pony Flat Racing Championships. Six races spread over two days will bring together the best junior riders in France during the racing festival.
These championships enjoy exceptional support from key players in the horse rac- ing world. Equality France and France Sire are among the main partners. Each of the six races is sponsored respectively by Equality France, Haras d’ Etreham, Arqana, Gousserie Racing, Al Shaqab, and AFASEC, demonstrating the unanimous commitment of the industry to supporting the next generation. The Best Turned Out Pony Prize, sponsored by Godolphin, will reward excellence in pony presentation. The week will conclude on Sunday with an additional race sponsored by the Jockeys’ Association.
Legendary Silks and Jockeys Support the Youth The sponsorship initiative launched by Cécile Madamet, President of the Poneys au Galop association, has once again been successfully renewed this year. This program allows owners and breeders to sponsor young riders. The iconic racing silks are allocated by random draw, offering juniors the unique thrill of wearing the colors of some of the most renowned names in French ownership. The initiative fosters lasting bonds between sponsors and riders, far beyond the competition itself. A standout new feature of this edition: several jockeys participating in the Deauville meeting have pledged to donate a portion of their earnings to the Poneys au Galop Association. This initiative reflects the professionals’ genuine desire to invest in the training of their future suc-
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