ENGLISH TEXTS
Solyne Hayères Fouchard, and Kaliope, French Elite Cross-Country Champion, ridden by Charles Clayeux. His smile was radiant and contagious, lighting up the faces of all the parents and children there. Even many of those who were beaten came over to congratulate him with smiles on their faces. And Nicolas’ s smile doesn’ t stop there— it comes alive during celebrations, often followed by wild dancing into the night! And it continues to shine, as he now trains a new generation at home with his grandchildren, who are beginning to ride the faithful Jemina, and also continues to support young riders in training camps and refresher courses all over France. This article is a chance to thank Nicolas, but also a call to all of us to embrace our own smiles. Racing is often mentally demanding for professionals, but nothing works better than joy and contagious energy to bring in( and keep!) the public, owners, and future riders! And returning to the definition that opened this humble portrait, we find affection for and around horses, the warmth of friendship, and shared pleasure. It’ s all there- so now there’ s only one thing left to do: let’ s show off our brightest smiles!
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PEDAGO
� PAGE 102
By Céline Gualde
RACE PRO- GRAM- MING: A CHINESE PUZZLE
Racing never stops, not on May 1 st, nor on any other public holiday. The“ menu” for this continuous stream of races is anything but easy to set up, as it must take multiple factors into account. We spoke to Pierre Laperdrix, Head of the Calendar and Race Programme Department at France Galop, as well as Stephan Kalley, in charge of the National Hunt programme.
In a former life, Pierre Laperdrix was a horse racing journalist. Back then, the race programme seemed of biblical simplicity to him. He followed promising young horses from their early steps to their crowning moments in the Prix de Diane or the Arc, recounting their exploits. But Pierre Laperdrix changed silks and joined the racing institution in February
2017. Since then, his outlook has completely changed!“ As a journalist, I only covered races with high sporting stakes, without realizing the enormous volume of races listed in the calendar. That’ s what struck me when I arrived at France Galop! The programme has to cater both to trainers of so-called‘ classic’ horses, who manage large, high-quality stables, and to others with horses of lesser level. The best prospects must have a path to progress to the top level, but every horse in training must also find suitable races. Our mission is to act in the general interest.” In a tightly constrained environment, where French and foreign race meetings are numerous every day, even the tiniest building block of the programme must be carefully moved or shaped( see also the illustration on Prix du Jockey Club day).
The difference between Calendar and Programme To begin with, one must not confuse the race programme with the calendar, explains Pierre Laperdrix, who relies on a team of about ten people at France Galop, including Stephan Kalley for jumps and David Aelion for regional programming.“ The race calendar indicates which racecourse holds races on which day. The French calendar is very specific because it is shared between two parent organisations, France Galop and Le Trot, and three disciplines. The race programme
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