ENGLISH TEXTS always frank and straightforward. But once something was said, it was done and over with.
G. How would you sum up Jehan Bertran de Balanda’ s training method in a few words?
C. T. We trained to go racing, without being too hard on the horses. They generally improved through racing, but we were still capable of winning with a debutant. He loved educating young horses. Everything was done without rushing them. He took time with those that were less gifted. Mr de Balanda adapted to each horse, helped by the jockeys and riders, whom he listened to closely. He built careers, and every horse had very specific entries, with a programme carefully planned in advance. And when a horse didn’ t have the required level, the owner was informed straight away. Mr de Balanda is an honest man. He always respected both his horses and his teams.
G. How do you explain that he so often had very good jockeys in his yard?
C. T. You improve faster when you ride good horses, which in turn attract good jockeys. There was always a great atmosphere among them. In the days of stable jockeys, they each had their own clients and silks. It all worked very well. From start to finish, I was fortunate to work with the best jump jockeys such as Christophe Pieux, Gaëtan Masure, Jacques Ricou,
Bertrand Lestrade, Boris Chameraud, Denis Leblond, Yannick Fouin, Laurent Métais, Dominique Bressou— and I’ m certainly forgetting some. He also trained many riders himself, such as Antoine Sanglard, Mathieu Androuin, and Thierry Gillet on the Flat.
G. Did the less successful results of recent seasons affect the atmosphere in the yard?
C. T. Not at all. It was certainly more difficult, but we never lowered our standards, the same discipline and quality of work remained. Even without top-class horses, we always tried to hit the mark according to the level of each individual. Every time a horse arrived at the yard, there was always the hope of having a future crack. In any case, whether a horse is top-class or not, it deserves the same level of care. Mr de Balanda still exited through the front door, with two winners from his last two runners, Klovis des Mottes and Ocre in a Group 3. They were two great team victories, crowning my work as well as that of Léonie and Ludo. We were all very proud to have delivered a first Group win to Mr Ponson and to the Searching stable. I find the ending of the story magnificent.
G. How do you see your own future?
C. T. I’ m not retired, but I’ m not working at the moment, after more than 38 years in this wonderful yard. I haven’ t yet found what I’ m looking for, so I’ m giving myself a bit of time. I want to find the right project. For now, I am a“ professional orphan” of Mr de Balanda( voice trembling). When I joined Mr de Balanda, I thought I knew everything, but in reality, I knew nothing. He taught me a profession and passed on a passion. For all of that, I thank him deeply.
BY EMMANUEL RIVRON
LUDOVIC VIAUX
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” A WELL- ORGANIZED STABLE”
No successful racing stable can do without a dedicated travelling groom who listens closely to the horses. Having taken meticulous care of the horses owned by Jehan Bertran de Balanda for many years, Ludovic Viaux looks back with us on this fine professional and human adventure.
Galorama. How long did you work for Jehan Bertran de Balanda?
Ludovic Viaux. After working in particular for Yannick Fouin, I joined Mr. de Balanda, for whom I worked for 17 years as a travelling lad. I stayed until the very end of the adventure. When I arrived at the stable, there were nearly 120 horses. It was an excellent operation with a large number of runners. There wasn’ t a single NH meeting where we were not represented.
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