ENGLISH TEXTS 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 .
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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 .»
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