ENGLISH TEXTS ing in that it requires a great deal of schooling, the NH discipline experienced quite spectacular growth at the dawn of the 1980s. In the wake of the Coupe d’ Or, the provinces cast aside their inferiority complexes and began conquering the capital. A turning point into which Jehan Bertran de Balanda jumped headfirst, as recounted by the racing memory of Pierre Champion.
Although the origins of NH racing in France date back to the last quarter of the 19 th century, the discipline experienced a clear before and after the Mitterrand era. First and foremost, a parity shift: the famous 50 – 50 arrangement still in force today, which established an equal sharing of revenues between flat racing and trotting.“ Previously, the distribution was closer to two-thirds for flat racing and one-third for trotting, which had not yet achieved a truly international dimension, most races being closed, with the exception of the Prix d’ Amérique and a few other events,” recalls Pierre Champion, a racing journalist for some forty years, who pays tribute in passing to Jean-Pierre Launay. After his appointment in 1983, the first Director of the National Studs not drawn from within the establishment brought about major changes.
Adèle and Pelat, the pioneers It was in this context that jump racing took a deci- sive turn. Since the 1960s, the Tiercé had embodied the great Sunday ritual. The Quarté came along in 1976 to raise the stakes. Racing resonated with the voices of commentators Léon Zitrone, André Théron, Maurice Bernardet and Pierrette Brès. Triple Prix d’ Amérique winner Bellino II appeared live on TF1’ s 1 p. m. broadcast on Yves Mourousi’ s set. Racecourses and PMU betting shops were packed. A golden age into which NH racing made its entrance.“ At the time, flat horses were recycled into jumping. Many trainers combined flat and NH racing. Alongside Georges Pelat, André Adèle was one of the few to specialize in the 1970s. Let us not forget that he trained André Fabre and Jean-Paul Gallorini, the two stars of the discipline. Far more than Chantilly, Maisons-Laffitte was its epicenter. The discipline owes much to the Coupe d’ Or de l’ Obstacle, a circuit comparable to the Grand National du Trot, whose final, the Prix Georges Courtois, took place at Auteuil in December, after a whole series of provincial steeplechases. This Coupe d’ Or called the provinces to Paris. And Jehan Bertran de Balanda followed suit, with the following year seeing Trypolo win the Prix Maurice Gillois – Grand Steeplechase des 4 Ans( 1985).”
Paris and the provinces, two worlds long divided NH racing can also thank Alain du Breil, president of the Société des Steeplechase committee from 1977 to 1987. In addition to renovating Auteuil and working in favor of AQPS horses, the instigator of this long-distance Tour de France broke down the barriers separating the capital and the provinces. As Pierre Champion, author of several books on horses and a specialist in breeding and genetics, recalls:“ At the time, running at Auteuil for a horse from Nort-sur-Erdre or elsewhere was something exceptional.” Jean-Claude Rouget learned his trade in this discipline from his base in Pau. André Fabre dominated jumping as a jockey, then as a trainer. Jean-Paul Gallorini quickly established himself as“ the great innovator.” Maisons- Laffitte, with its 2,000-meter straight, had nothing to be ashamed of when compared with Newmarket. François Doumen,“ a trainer who also changed jumping a great deal”, entered legend by defeating the English and their icon Desert Orchid with Nupsala in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park( 1987). NH racing thrived in the provinces.“ Much more so than today. Those were the good times, before a vast safety standards campaign led to the closure of a number of racecourses. At Auteuil, there were huge crowds, right out onto the grass in front of the water jump opposite the stands.”
“ Jump racing has always been well treated in France” Admittedly, NH racing will never achieve the aura of
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