ENGLISH TEXTS
time of 2 ' 01 " 07, erasing from the books the time set by the legendary Winx, the daughter of Fastnet Rock had already shown that she was reaching another level. In April, at Randwick, Via Sistina made a big statement by equalling the record of seven Group 1 victories in a single season, previously held exclusively by Winx, thanks to her success in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes( Gr. 1). A four-time winner of the Cox Plate, Winx now sees her younger rival edging ever closer to her record, and history may well be rewritten in the coming seasons.
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BY MÉLODIE JANVIER
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FOREVER YOUNG, FOREVER THE FIRST
If the Japanese have yet to conquer the Arc, Forever Young managed to break the spell on American soil. Third in the 2024 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Classic( Gr. 1), it was a Forever Young, forever strong, who triumphed this year. After a winning comeback at home in October, he lined up for the Group 1 with revenge on his mind, meeting again his conqueror Sierra Leone. This time the roles were reversed. The four-year-old colt held off the strong late challenge of the defending champion and delivered a first victory for the Land of the Rising Sun. Conqueror of Romantic Warrior in the Saudi Cup( Gr. 1) in February, his hopes of remaining unbeaten in the Gulf were dashed in the Dubai
World Cup( Gr. 1), where he finished in third place.
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BY LOÏC STECHER CHOCRON
BREEDERS ' CUP 2025: AND 21 FOR AIDAN O ' BRIEN
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He is used to records, but this one has a very special flavour. At the end of the 2025 edition, two trainers now share the honour of having won the most Breeders’ Cup races: Bob Baffert and Aidan O ' Brien, with 21 victories each. When Gstaad and Christophe Soumillon won the Breeders ' Cup Juvenile Turf this year, the man behind Ballydoyle surpassed one of his mentors, D. Wayne Lukas, in terms of victories at this worldwide championship with 21 wins. Along the way, Aidan O’ Brien paid tribute to the American legend, who passed away on June 28, 2025. He told the Racing Post:“ It’ s a special moment. Wayne was an exceptional man, and I cannot tell you enough how much he helped us throughout my career. He would call constantly, and he was truly someone incredibly exceptional.” But that was without counting on Bob Baffert’ s comeback on Saturday during the second day of racing. French jockey Flavien Prat delivered two further victories on a silver platter in the Breeders ' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and the Breeders ' Cup Dirt Mile. While the American can boast four wins in the Classic( Authentic, Arrogate, American Pharoah,
Bayern), Aidan O’ Brien has yet to taste that ultimate glory— but his other winners made us dream: Johannesburg, High Chaparral, S t Nicholas Abbey, Magician, Found, Auguste Rodin. Yet although the Ballydoyle master equalled this record this year, he fell a few units short of matching another he holds: the most Group 1 wins in a single year, 27. His 2025 season ended with“ only” 24 victories at the highest level.
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THEY’ RE HANGING UP THEIR BOOTS
BY CÉLINE GUALDE
JEHAN BERTRAN DE BALANDA BOWS OUT IN STYLE On 29 November at Auteuil, after the day’ s finest race, the Prix Sytaj, everyone was in tears in the parade ring. Jockey Bertrand Lestrade, breeder Karine Perreau of the winning mare, her owner Matthieu Ponson in partnership with Natalie Carter, and above all Jehan de Balanda, his family, his friends. For the beautiful Ocre was the final runner saddled by the Maisons-Laffitte trainer, still sprightly at seventy-one. The final full stop of a career spanning several decades and rich with numerous Group victories: three Grande Course de Haies d’ Auteuil( two of them with Le Sauvignon), as many Prix Maurice Gillois, a Grand Prix d’ Automne, as well as the Prix de La Haye Jousselin and a Prix Ferdinand
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