ENGLISH VERSION
JEAN-CLAUDE ROUGET AND THE MILLKOM EFFECT The mid-1990s marked a turning point for the Rouget stable, which gained national and, soon, international recognition with Millkom, who came up from Pau to win two Group 1s in Paris at three, even arriving unbeaten in ten races for the Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe, and winning an American Grade 1 the following season. This was, precisely, 1994 and 1995. Until then, Jean-Claude Rouget had contented himself, so to speak, with“ cornering” the big regional races, mainly in the south-west, his adopted home, and in the west, his native region, where his great rival of the day, Henri-Alex Pantall, was based. Pantall often took him on in the Derbys and Critériums, with comparable success, which fostered a certain healthy rivalry between them.
RIDDING THE PROVINCES OF THEIR“ COMPLEX” Henri-Alex Pantall and Jean- Claude Rouget in fact shared the same goal of ridding the provinces of their“ complex” towards Paris, and they set out to give themselves the means to do so( in the same spirit, and at the same time, as Guillaume Macaire or Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé over jumps). Henri-Alex Pantall would be the first to win a Group race, with Harvest Time, in the colours of Paul de Moussac and ridden by stable jockey Joël Boisnard, in the Prix du Lys( Gr. 3) at Chantilly in 1989. In 1991, Jean-
Claude Rouget followed suit with Flanaghan Cocktail, for Jean-Michel Lorca, who won the Grand Prix des Provinces – Prix André Baboin( Gr. 3) at Bordeaux, ridden by Philippe Dumortier, who would long be part of his boss’ s success, like his counterparts Jean-René Dubosc, Jean- Bernard Eyquem, Patrice Julien, Ioritz Mendizabal and David Morisson, among others. That same year, 1991, with 178 wins, Jean-Claude Rouget broke the record for the number of wins in a single season, held by the legendary François Mathet since 1972. In 1994, alongside the rise of Millkom, he would take the tally to 242 wins in a year, a total that remains the record to this day.
A TRUE PIONEER From then on, Jean-Claude Rouget moved into another league. With Millkom and success that kept building, all the way to the capital, he proved that, from Pau, one could stand alongside the greatest professionals in the Paris region. Quietly, a new outlook on racing and on performance was emerging. There is a before and an after Jean-Claude Rouget. Before, the provinces were somewhat inward-looking and lacked boldness. After, it was quite the opposite: they set out to conquer Paris, a springboard to the most varied and prestigious horizons, right up to targets abroad. Jean-Claude Rouget brought many other trainers along in his wake, from Pau and elsewhere. He himself also worked, with the same success, in Deauville. Owners, among them some of the most famous, followed, and the results kept growing. Jean-Claude Rouget was a pioneer, a true one.
ITW
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ALAIN DE ROYER DUPRÉ
BY SERGE OKEY
“ HE USED HIS METHOD ADMIRABLY”
Alain de Royer-Dupré and Jean-Claude Rouget have a lot in common. Both are leading figures of the famous Aga Khan Studs colours, both trained across half a century of racing, both grew up in Normandy, and both are distinguished members of the Hall of Fame. Above all, they hold two of the finest records in French racing. So when the first talks about the second, it pays to listen closely.
GALORAMA. You crossed swords for many years. How did you view his work?
Alain de Royer-Dupré. It was a period when we often came up against each other, and we were both lucky to have very good jockeys. We had some good times. When you are privileged to have a strong stable, you are naturally more competitive. What all this inspires in me
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