Edouard de Rothschild: upholding traditions
By Cédric Philippe
On the eve of his champion Mqse de Sévigné’s participation in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the owner [is currently] in 11th position in the 2024 French flat owners’ championship, by prizemoney and premiums, with 23 runners who have contested 69 races, winning 11 of them and earning just over a million euros.
Last year, the blue silks and straw cap, synonymous with the Rothschild family, finished the flat season in 12th position. 13th in 2015, the year of Esotérique, 187th five years later, then 94th, 56th and, therefore, 11th yesterday, the stable associated with Haras de Meautry has been represented, over the past ten years, by 12 to 23 horses. The number of its successes over the same period varies between 5 and 18. In 2024, it is the one among the top eleven in the French rankings that has had the fewest runners. With such a small string, luck plays a big part. Stars like Méandre, Esotérique and, in the last two seasons, Mqse de Sévigné, all Group 1 winners, propel the prize money and the colours into the leading pack. When, on the other hand, the team no longer has a leader, the statistics stagnate.
Twice winner of the two Group races for fillies at the Deauville meeting, Mqse de Sévigné is now, along with the promising Alcantor, the flagbearer for the Rothschild silks. The champion’s dam, Penne, occupied a prominent place in the history of Haras de Meautry before this rise to prominence: ‘‘She is a daughter of Sèvres Rose,’’ recalls Edouard de Rothschild, who announced the death of this stallion in September. ‘‘He was extremely well-bred, being by Indian Rose, winner of the Vermeille, out of Caerleon, himself a very good Coolmore stallion. My father loved this cross, but the horse couldn’t race. He said to himself, ‘never mind, I’ll use him as a stallion.’ And it worked rather well! Sèvres Rose covered few mares, obviously, and he produced good horses, nonetheless. Penne first foaled Méandre. He didn’t win at 2 because he was a late developer, and he ran several times at that age. He was ready to race, but he was quite delicate. His full potential had not been revealed. And then, at 3, he won the Prix de l’Avre very well, and the logical next step was to run him in the Grand Prix de Paris, which he won. Then the Grand Prix de Berlin and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, before continuing his adventures elsewhere.’’
Eleven years later, it was Mqse de Sévigné’s turn to highlight Penne’s legacy. Raced over 2,000 metres until the start of her 4-year-old season, it was ultimately over a mile that she made her name. She will retire from racing on Sunday evening after a swansong over the 2,400 metres of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, following in the footsteps of Luth Enchantée, a top-class miler who eventually finished 3rd in the 1983 Arc, or more recently Persian King, 3rd in the 2020 Arc after having made his career as a miler. ‘‘Mqse undoubtedly has more class, more speed than Méandre,’’ believes Edouard de Rothschild. ‘‘We had decided, with André Fabre (also the trainer of Persian King, Ed.), to keep her in training at 5 with the aim of preparing her for the Arc. She’s a big mare, who has obviously strengthened up well at 4 and even more so at 5. Her pedigree is not incompatible with such a goal. And she has already had the opportunity to prove herself over the Arc trip, albeit without success.’’
Jérôme Reynier’s
Three Aces
Jérôme Reynier is 38 years old and even though his planned association with Jean-Claude Rouget fell through, he has established himself this year as one of the leading trainers in France. Two years ago, for the first time, his Calas stable passed the 100-win mark in France, but it is also on the international scene that the Frenchman, a graduate of Darley’s Flying Start programme, has made his mark, and it is again outside of France that he intends to ride this Mediterranean wave, with three exceptional charges...
Zarakem
«We were thinking about the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe very early in the season for Zarakem. As soon as he won the Prix d’Harcourt (Gr2) on April 7th on very testing ground. He confirmed that potential on good ground at Royal Ascot (2nd in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes-Gr1, June 19th). He hasn’t raced over further than 2,100 metres this season, but he was successful over the Classic distance last year. And I honestly have no doubts about his stamina. He can deal with any ground conditions, appreciating a strong pace and the Longchamp course. He ticks a lot of boxes. This will be my second runner in the Arc de Triomphe after Royal Julius, who ran in 2020 (10th). We’re going there with ambition but without pressure, on a traditional and classic preparation, with a gallop on the grass at Borely, eight days before the race. Finally, he’s a colt and many excellent horses these days are geldings and therefore not allowed to run in this prestigious race. A frustration concerning geldings that I have experienced with quite a few of my best horses, like Facteur Cheval and Lazzat.»
Facteur Cheval
«He obviously gave us immense pleasure at Meydan by winning the Dubai Turf (Gr1) on March 30th. He then confirmed his quality and potential without always having favourable race conditions. Like at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne Stakes, when he pulled a shoe coming out of the stalls and raced on his own throughout. So we can’t blame him. As for his latest run in the Sussex Stakes (Gr1), he didn’t disgrace himself on ground that was a bit quick for him. He has nothing to be ashamed of in that performance. He has an entry at Ascot in mid-October or we will try an American adventure with the Breeders’ Cup Classic which could also be an option. It was certainly only morning work but at Meydan, he had a very good action and was particularly pleasing on the dirt. It is possible that his owners will be tempted by this magnificent American race.»
Lazzat
«All year long he has been incredible, pushing his limits with each race and success. His most recent victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Gr1, August 4th), facing older horses and the cream of European sprinters, was his most emphatic. Ridden offensively, he didn’t even look at them, so to speak. If he had been a colt, we would naturally have aimed him at the Prix de la Forêt (Gr1) with a view to his stallion career. But as Lazzat is a gelding, the doors to these races remain closed. A small personal point: I find the prize money for this Prix de la Forêt insufficient. Because offering a little less than 200,000 euros to the winner of a race of such a level and with such a global reach seems paltry. Lazzat is scheduled to run in Australia in early November in a Group 1 over 1,200 metres. It’s a very exciting prospect for many reasons. The logistics are very complicated for this race, however. His quarantine in Newmarket started on September 26th. It runs until October 13th. Then he will fly to Australia. He will arrive on October 15th for another two weeks of quarantine. He will be ‘released’ only three days before the race as the competition, the Golden Eagle, is scheduled for November 2nd. It is a race over 1,500 metres on a straight course with no traps, a bend that is taken twice and a 400-metre straight. There will probably be a lot of runners and the race promises to be a fast one. We know that the horse has a lot of natural speed and has no problem with the 1,500 metres. It is a long journey and a drastic change of environment. We deliberately made him spend the whole month of August in Deauville to see how he would adapt over time to this upheaval in his daily life and he did very well. Besides, this Deauville meeting, away from Calas, has made him mature a lot, in my opinion.»
Zarigana: Another Expression of Genius
In two stunning victories, the 2-year-old filly Zarigana has rekindled the flame ignited 17 years earlier by her granddam, the champion Zarkava. But can we really compare the two fillies at this stage of their careers? Alain de Royer Dupré, who trained Zarkava and is closely following Zarigana, whose dam he also trained, gives us his analysis...
All those who witnessed the career of the champion Zarkava have been searching for a filly worthy of succeeding her. Initially, attention focused on her progeny, but while some, like Zarak, who became a sought-after stallion after winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr1), made their mark, none reached the heights achieved by the prodigious winner of the 2007 Arc.
This is very likely one of the reasons why Chantilly was buzzing well before the fireworks of July 14th, when Zarigana passed the post in the Prix de la Butte Blanche with a four-length lead. Bred by the Aga Khan, whose colours she carries, she was making her racecourse debut against nine other newcomers, starting as the 11/10 favourite. She is not one of Zarkava’s five daughters, but one of her eight granddaughters, out of Zarkamiya (Frankel), who ended a short racing career with a 3rd place in the Prix Vermeille (Gr1).
Zarkava’s trainer, Alain de Royer Dupré, now retired, was at Chantilly when Zarigana won for the first time, and he was enthusiastic when interviewed by Equidia immediately after this first victory. There was a real buzz.
The Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1), the championship race for 2-year-old fillies on Arc weekend, was immediately mentioned for Zarigana. Zarkava went straight there after winning her debut, but two months later than her granddaughter, who could have an extra trial before stepping into the big arena. Her trainer, Francis-Henri Graffard, therefore prepared her for the Prix d’Aumale (Gr3), and as expected, the filly passed the test with flying colours: she won by three lengths against rivals whose form was already well established.
Comparisons between Zarigana and Zarkava have been rife ever since, and Sunday’s verdict in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac will undoubtedly add fuel to the fire. In the meantime, Alain de Royer Dupré gives us his analysis: «Zarigana is more like her dam than her granddam, Zarkava. Her dam Zarkamiya had a slightly high knee action but she didn’t use her hindquarters quite like this one. The common point between Zarkava and Zarigana is their class, their responsiveness and their acceleration. Physically, they are very different. Zarkava is rather small, close to the ground, discreet physically. Zarigana has an impressive physique with great scope and a lot of reach. This physical difference results in a different flow. Zarkava lowers herself to accelerate. Zarigana covers a lot of ground without fully using her hindquarters. They both have genius, there’s no doubt, but not the same expression of that genius.»
The adventure continues this Sunday over the 1,600 metres of the Critérium des Pouliches, the other name for the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.
Look de Vega, the magnificent
His two breeding careers, his association with Mr. Urano, the Arc and what’s next. The breeder of Look de Vega, Joëlle Mestrallet, confides in us for D-day.
The gate opens to reveal an instantly calming place, where everything is dedicated to the horse and where beauty blends with functionality. The paddocks have historically been home to sport horses that have taken breeding to the highest level. For some time now, they have also been home to Thoroughbreds, with their finer physiques. The stud has indeed opened its doors to racehorses for rest after sales or during their racing careers, but also for breeding. A discipline that has always fascinated Joëlle Mestrallet, a genetics enthusiast at the head of Haras de la Morsanglière, where she succeeded her mother in 2011 to steer it towards racing and welcome mares for breeding and youngstock for sales preparation.
This is where Look de Vega was bred. The impressive winner of the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) in June is now lining up for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr1).
The champion is the result of a decisive encounter with Lucien Urano, a horseman with a keen knowledge of racing and bloodlines. On the advice of Henri Bozo, the duo acquired a mare named Lucelle, after Lucien and Joëlle. She would first carry the stud’s colours to victory and produce the winners Graine de Pastel, Alma Bella, and then the prodigious Look de Vega. A son of Lope de Vega, the colt «already walked like a god at the stud». The gleam in Joëlle’s eyes when she talks about her horses is mirrored in that of Clément Daussin, her right-hand man, who has been in charge of breeding for many years. In his calm voice, he can talk for hours about his horses... «As a youngster, Look had his own little character and already an incredible class,» he recalls. «From the very beginning, he was very calm. He walked like a god. He always had a tremendous stride, a very serene hip movement. Nothing could faze him.»
Look de Vega writes a new chapter in his story on the first Sunday in October, before starting his next career as a stallion.
The fate of his dam has been the subject of much reflection. However, the decision has been made since the Jockey Club: Lucelle will cross the Channel to meet Blue Point, while her daughter, Look’s sister, is logically destined for Lope de Vega, the great Ballylinch Stud sire, to reproduce the cross that produced Look de Vega.
Julie Mestrallet (Joëlle’s cousin) presented Look de Vega at the ARQANA August 2022 sales under the Haras de l’Aumônerie banner. «Look was magnificent, a great model, very masculine, but he didn’t reach his reserve price,» she recalls. Disappointing at the time, this return to the stable was only a prelude to a great adventure. Trainers Carlos and Yann Lerner then joined forces with Joëlle, and it was at their yard in Maisons-Laffitte that the colt then launched his career.
The sales session was decidedly full of emotion for Julie, as the second foal, a filly, that she presented there was injured the day before entering the ring, after months of work and long days of walking. This was Almara, winner of the Psyché (Gr3) this season. «Now, the story is a happy one for both Look and Almara,» smiles the bubbly Julie, who also saw the birth of Coeursamba, winner of the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches in 2021. On Sunday, at Longchamp, her heart will be pounding for Almara, for the L’Aumônerie draft, but also, of course, for Look de Vega, in whom she has always believed.
Gérald Mossé makes it last
Gérald Mossé won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at the age of 25, in 1990, with an outsider named Saumarez. But if he is our jockey of the season today, it is not because of the thousands of victories he has accumulated since, but because, at 57, he has decided to take the plunge and set up as a trainer in Chantilly, in a yard he has just completely renovated.
Throughout his forty-year career, Gérald Mossé has worn the most famous silks, from Jean-Luc Lagardère’s to the Aga Khan’s. He has also raced on tracks all over the world and worked alongside many leading trainers who, from his mentor Patrick Biancone to Alain de Royer Dupré, greatly appreciated his judgement: «It was a real opportunity to be able to work with him in the mornings,» explains the latter. «He’s always loved training. He needed to get a feel for the horses he was going to ride. He didn’t over-test them on the gallops, which was a big advantage.»
Gérald Mossé obtained his trainer’s licence two years ago. He has been preparing for this new life ever since, but as always, he first wanted everything to be perfect. «The work needed to set up at Porch House, my yard in Chantilly, which is now called Le Manoir aux Sangliers, took a little longer than expected,» he explains. «André Fabre and Criquette Head have trained here, among others. It’s a remarkable site, very close to Les Aigles turf gallops. I now have 40 boxes and about eight horses of all ages. You need a bit of everything to start out in this profession, to get the ball rolling. We could have our first runners in early October. I ride my horses myself in training, as I have done for so many trainers up to now. Working with horses has always been my passion, and I want to do things the way I like them. I’m making the pleasure last.»