ENGLISH VERSION and his purchases enough to then buy shares in the horse or the whole horse. Jean- Claude Rouget travelled extensively to the sales, in France and abroad, mainly to Keeneland. He eagerly awaited the catalogues. He studied the pedigrees, and the physique did the rest. At first glance, he knew whether or not he liked a horse. Only then would he go into more detail( conformation, defects, etc.). Another of Jean-Claude Rouget’ s qualities highlighted by François Rohaut is his generosity and his love of a good party.“ He’ s an epicurean, and any occasion was a good excuse for a fine meal out.” The way he celebrated each thousandth winner and his big winners was incredible. He brought everyone together, clients and staff alike. Indeed, he had an extremely close-knit team, and that makes all the difference.“ You can’ t do anything without them,” explains François Rohaut. Everyone had their place, and it worked very well. The loyalty of his team was shown once again when they turned out on“ Arc” weekend to pay tribute to him.“ Very early on, he knew how to bring together his team, the jockeys, the apprentices. He built himself up step by step and grew in strength over the years. Everyone was queuing up to work for him,” says François with a smile. The youngsters of that era stayed loyal to the very end.
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THE TRAINER
JEAN-CLAUDE ROUGET, OR THE IRRESISTIBLE RISE
BY PIERRE CHAMPION
In a career spanning almost fifty years, Jean-Claude Rouget became the most successful French trainer in terms of number of wins, with nearly 7,500 victories, including 50 Group 1 successes, some of them abroad. He owed the very first of these to Millkom, who in 1994 gave him the Prix Jean Prat and then the Grand Prix de Paris, then run over 2,000 metres. Partnered by the loyal Jean-René Dubosc, who would remain Jean-Claude Rouget’ s righthand man until the very end, Millkom even arrived unbeaten for the Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe, with ten wins from as many starts at two and three. A run that was at first exclusively provincial – six wins in the south-west – and then Parisian. At four, Millkom went abroad and gave Jean-Claude Rouget his third Group 1 by landing the Man O’ War Stakes in the United States, which remains the only American Grade 1 on the Pau trainer’ s record.
MILLKOM LEADS THE WAY So Millkom was the one who paved the way. Dozens of others would follow in his footsteps. The first to do so was Shaka, in 1996, winner of the Critérium de Saint- Cloud, again with Jean-René Dubosc. Then came a wait until 2004 and the victory of Ask for the Moon in the Prix Saint-Alary, in the colours of Jean-Pierre Dubois. The“ Saint-Alary” again in 2006 and 2007, with Germance and Coquerelle respectively. The year 2007 also brought Jean-Claude Rouget his first British success, thanks to politician Hervé Morin’ s colt Literato, winner of the Champion Stakes, which was then run over Newmarket’ s highly selective straight 2,000 metres.
LE HAVRE’ S“ JOCKEY CLUB” AND STACELITA’ S“ DIANE”: THE TURNING POINT The 2009 season was the one in which the stable burst onto the highest level, with Le Havre winning the Prix du Jockey Club and Stacelita the Prix de Diane. A historic double. That year, Stacelita also won the Monjeu Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary and the Qatar Prix Vermeille, while Elusive Wave took the Poule d’ Essai des Pouliches and Never on Sunday the Prix d’ Ispahan. It was an exceptional vintage for Jean-Claude Rouget, bringing him Classic recognition. It did not go unnoticed by His Highness the Aga Khan, who soon sent him some of his horses. Then came the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris with Behkabad in 2010, a second Prix de Diane with Valyra in 2012, the Poule d’ Essai des Pouliches, the Coronation Stakes and the Qatar Prix du Moulin de
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