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impression on Marcel was Jehan Bertran de Balanda’ s 50 th birthday, a large celebration held at Maisons-Laffitte with family and friends, where the atmosphere was wonderful. There were also, of course, all the victories on the racecourses of their respective training careers.“ We always take great pleasure in seeing one or the other win. We don’ t need big speeches or grand words to understand each other.”“ Jehan is a loyal and forthright person. We belong to the same generation, the old one!” Marcel Rolland continues.“ Communication and social media are not part of our generation. Those who stayed until the end were not just owners; above all, they were friends, people who were always there, right up to the last day. Today, to wear just one hat, you need enormous resources: communication, commercial skills, staff and administrative management, relationships with bloodstock agents, and of course training the horses. You have to win races and avoid spreading yourself too thin, otherwise it isn’ t healthy. That’ s how Jehan was able to see his career through to the very end.” Jehan comes from a great horse family, through his father and his brother, among others. His entire life has been devoted to horses, and he will continue to be involved with them. From what he has told me, he will follow the horses of his friends. Even though he has stopped training, he will remain involved, because above all, it is a pleasure! Marcel Rolland concludes the interview with an anecdote:“ When we were at François Boutin’ s, he used to ride the morning gallops. And he wanted to win the morning gallops just like the afternoon races( laughs). That earned him a reprimand from Mr Boutin. He’ s a winner!”
TOLD BY HIS ENTOURAGE
BY EMMANUEL RIVRON
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CHRISTOPHE TARANNE
“ AN EXCEPTIONAL MAN”
After spending his entire professional career in the Maisons-Laffitte yard, Christophe Taranne is a privileged witness when it comes to speaking about both the boss and the man that is Jehan Bertran de Balanda. Having just returned from a day spent with his former employer on the stallion trail, this most loyal of lieutenants looks back with us on a lifetime experience alongside the native of Catalonia.
GALORAMA. How long did you work for Jehan Bertran de Balanda?
Christophe Taranne. I worked in the yard for 38 years and one month, to be exact. I even remember the names of the horses I rode on my very first day, on October 22, 1987. To tell the truth, that day
I was more holding onto the horses than actually riding them. I barely knew how to hold a broom when I joined Mr de Balanda, who had been based at Maisons-Laffitte for about a year, with Patrice Lemaire as his first jockey. I did every job you can possibly do in a training yard. Mr de Balanda taught me everything from A to Z. When I arrived, there were around 30 to 35 horses in the string, which at one point grew to nearly one hundred.
G. Staying that many years in the same company is quite rare. How do you explain such loyalty?
C. T. I liked the way the work was done. In recent years, I had Mr de Balanda’ s complete trust and could work freely as I wished, while of course reporting back. In addition to being an excellent boss, Mr de Balanda is a deeply human person. In times of personal difficulty, he always had the right words or a small gesture to help you get back in the saddle. He is an exceptional man.
G. How do you explain the rise and success of this yard?
C. T. Hard work and discipline are the main reasons for its rise. From a shoe that didn’ t suit a horse to one he felt wasn’ t eating properly, he always had that eye. You learned something new every day with him. Without discipline, there is no success. Through that discipline, he helped us improve and learn faster. Mr de Balanda was
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