Here it retains many horses on the duration

Insiders know it. The price of the Arc de triomphe, which takes place Sunday at Longchamp (read also page 21), is racing as the Festival de Cannes film. The ultimate consecration dream any owner, breeder or Thoroughbred trainer. The selection official, draconian, in fact the first event in the world for the quality of the participants. This year, "Arc" also became the race on grass the better with the world: thanks to the partnership with the Qatar, its allocation is increased from 2 to 4 million euros!

This event aired in 200 countries should gather some curious 50,000 at Longchamp, half of them foreigners. "It is an opportunity to prove that the France is a great organizer nation of races, with a selection of champions program refers to the international, and also said the quality of French livestock," said Hubert Monzat, Managing Director of France gallop, association under supervision of the Ministers of Agriculture and finance, to encourage the improvement of the breeds of horses. As expected the performance of Vision d'Etat, Thoroughbreds born in the Maine-and-Loir from French parents, purchased 37,000 euros and today an estimated 3 million; He swept the price of the Jockey Club in June, and won more than 1.5 million euros this year. Another favorite: Zarkava, winner of the prize of Diane, filly born in Irish stud farm of the Agha Khan and raised in Normandy. Both unbeaten, these two horses will compete for the first time Sunday.

Whether choosing tests

Who said elite athletes said intensive preparation. At daybreak, "Criquette", alias Christiane Head, sister of the former jockey Freddy Head six times crop of gold and daughter of famous owner-breeder Alec Head, work 60 Thoroughbreds which it is responsible on the Eagles training centre, Chantilly. Like her, a hundred coaches here concoct a sports course tailored to approximately 2.700 horses, including 70 of the cracks used to walking the lawns of the Parisian tracks. Galloping elite is an all-weather playing field throughout the year, with his whereabouts turf repaired after each passage, its tracks in sand or "dirt" hersées three to ten times per day. First woman to have inscribed his name at the top of the Arc in 1979, with Three troikas, Christiane Head scans its protected in all types of exercises. "Some are complacent, it must be run more, others stress easily and should be reassured. More morning leave training as early as 6: 30 pm. "They need benchmarks, is the mental as physical," says - it. His profession, it is also to engage his horses in the events where they are best placed to win. Since the handicap races, where each competitor has its chance to the more selective meetings not less than 6.800 competitions are organized every year on 162 racetracks. It is true that, in itself, the France has half of the fields of European races...

Fuisse, a promising Colt "Criquette" has ambition. In two races, two successes, this young male reported 28,000 euros in grants to its owner, Alec Head, plus 21,000 euros of premiums because he was born and raised in the national territory. Such premiums are paid by France Gallop for the development of the sector and prevent the escape of the prestigious standards into Ireland, countries with attractive taxation registers 12,000 births per year, or twice the France or England. As colleagues André Fabre or Jean-Claude Rouget, Christiane Head developed his experience serving famous owners, in this case the Wertheimer, heirs of the House of Chanel, or Sheik Maktoum Al Maktoum. When his champions win, she gets as coach 14 gains, reverse 4 to its staff, while the jockey cash around 7, the returning balance to the owner. Income needed to cover at least in part its charges high: 70 euros in pension charged daily for every Thoroughbred, 70 correspond to costs of staff (2-3 employees per resident) and structure, 25 to food expenditures, and only 5 pay its know-how. "I don't know on Sunday." My company, it's me. "If I revends it, it is worth more little", observes.

Short careers

For its own account, it acquired the Deauville sales in August, a yearling (Thoroughbred of a year) for 27,000 euros. A very reasonable price, the top price"having been reached by a son of Galileo and Olympic Girl, a"product"of the haras de Meautry, the House of Edouard de Rothschild also Chairman France Gallop awarded 770.000 euro. With United States Lexington and Newmarket, England, the seaside city of Calvados is one of the strongholds of the world market of horses

Racing. This summer, the wealthiest Northern English, Australian, Russian, Chinese from Hong Kong, the multinational Irish Coolmore or the princes of the Middle East have been low hand on the alleged cracks of tomorrow. To avoid a flight of the auction, buyers remained secret, transmitting their orders by discrete signs.

As shows Marchand d'Or, the best of Europe on 1,200 metres, a yearling bought at a modest price may nevertheless prove to be efficient. "It takes everything to make a world, including the Thoroughbred, both aristocratic and democratic", observed François Hallopé horse racing journalist. Christiane Head, it will be next spring that its yearling has "in the belly". "I prepare and it is he who will show me what it is capable, do not burn the steps. A patient learning to a short career. The trotting engaged their first race in two years and are still rarely in competition at five.

Standards, "money machine".

They won several international events, their career is more rapid still: they then return to the stud farm to become standard reproductive (or poulinière). There, the jackpot is provided to several tens of thousands of euros the projection, at least time to gauge the results of the offspring. "It sells always more dream than reality", noted coach Nicolas Clément. "Standards shuttles" spend even from one hemisphere to another cover maximum pouliches at price of gold, artificial insemination is prohibited. Guy Thibault racing historian describes as them "money machines", citing the example of Fusaichi Pegasus, who covered 346 mares in 2004 between Kentucky and the Australia!

The head of the Mezeray stud farm, Charles-Henri de Moussac prefer Meanwhile sell its males and retain its efficient pouliches, because a good mare is a treasure, which generates a "limited series" ten foals in contrast to his partner. The cost of the projections of its 35 mares is a capital budget of 500,000 to 600,000 euros per year, that it must balance, as other structural costs, by the sale of its "production". "Should yield a thoroughbred at the right time: it is a formula 1 mechanically sophisticated, which sometimes distorts is without that inexplicably!", says the owner of the premises.

Promotion of co-ownership

The stud farms of the Agha Khan, in the pays d'Auge, manager Georges Rimaud is likely to turn to minimize the risk. Here, it retains many horses on the duration. "Knowing the family, can anticipate the behaviour and be more efficient, as in Dhalakani, now standard, winner in 2003 of the Jockey Club, the Irish Derby and the Arc." The Agha Khan raised over 100 Group 1 winners in its jumenterie. "In the purchase of livestock Lagardère, in 2005, the genetic basis has been enriched North American currents of blood, that Jean-Luc Lagardère had crossed successfully with its standard Linamix." "These matrilines are studied and analyzed carefully crosses", noted Georges Rimaud. Currently, its haras were indeed like nursery, 120 mares farrowed. Weaned and then débourrée, the offspring will soon leave to training centre.

This investment in the long term, too few owners are willing to accept it in France. At the time, there is a lack of large and medium-sized stables. "The breeding of race horses is not well seen media economic, to maximize profits in the short term;" "financial analysts fear the uncertainty that goes hand in hand with the horse racing industry," notes Guy Thibault. To remedy, France Gallop and a few enthusiasts advocate sharing. Ex-patron of a company for the sale of yearlings, the Mayor of Deauville has launched a stable of Thoroughbreds on this model, while Pascal Adda, Council in race horses, created Kazak, more speculative development. The wife of the Minister of the Budget and Mayor of Chantilly, Eric Woerth, has it created Dam's, a stable reserved for women, joined by Joëlle Mestrallet, wife of the President and CEO of GDF Suez. Widespread Australia and England, co-ownership brought luck to the current Minister of defence, Hervé Morin. With two friends, he acquired for 40,000 euros Literato and has entrusted it the palois coach Jean-Claude Rouget. In 2007, Literato won the prize of the Jockey Club, and three accomplices were resold their Thoroughbred a fortune to the Maktoum brothers Godolphin stable. Recently, the community site We have a dream attempted to federate 99 users ready to build 5200 euro to be stable. But, by Charles-Henri de Moussac, "CRA is still the most beautiful showcase to attract new adherents to that considered environment as closed". To expand its aura, the challenge of 2,400 metres by the best Thoroughbred will for the first time this year followed by the Championship of the world... Arab Thoroughbreds.