3 minute read
Into The Group One Spotlight.
They are part of the next generation. Their names are less famous than Philippe Allaire, Jean-Michel Bazire or Thierry Duvaldestin but Romain Larue and François-Pierre Bossuet have one thing in common: they will each have, like the "big guys", a starter at the start of Groups 1 from Saturday 4 September at Vincennes: Gelati Cut in the 5 year old Criterium for Romain Larue and Havanaise for François-Pierre Bossuet in the 4 year old Criterium. They have two things in common: both trainers can claim the podium.
5 year old Criterium: Romain Larue, a trainer back to the top after a burn out
"It's time for him to run, I can't hold him anymore!" This is how the conversation begins with Romain Larue. The 37-year-old trainer is with us on the phone and on the Gelati Cut sulky. We are two days away from the 5 year old Critérium and the Coktail Jet's son is pumped up. Gelati Cut knows his job by heart: while he is explosive in the morning in training, he's a treat to drive in the afternoon, he trots freely without any accessories. Romain Larue already knows the high level, he had trained a few years ago the good little chestnut mare Bardane du Houlbet, who had to fight against the so-called "golden" generation of "B". Winner of a Group 2, she had found her place in Groups 1, battling with Bold Eagle, Bird Parker or Billie de Montfort.
Being a trainer is a tough job physically and especially mentally. "Everyone has had their ups and downs, even the biggest ones. I'm not ashamed to talk about it, I had a "burnout" 7 years after I started, when I bought my property near Lisieux. Fortunately, I was supported by my parents, who have always been by my side. I started from zero and in 2010, I started from zero again then! "
Romain Larue had his apprenticeship with Michel Lenoir, then with Tony Le Beller, private trainer for the Cayron Family at Haras de l'Orne at that time. His last boss was Louis Baudron. Romain spent five years at Haras des Rouges Terres. His size and weight allow him to race in mounted races and his fine hands have been associated with good horses like North America. The professional remains modest and forgets to mention that he has run in two Prix de Cornulier (G1) with Lâcheuse du Val and Lellamika. He was also the jockey of Quinta des Lucas, winner with him of the Prix Lavater (G2), Saga Besp, Précieux Perrine... He has more than 90 victories in mounted races, which was a discipline that he gradually gave up when he started training.
"I was able to start with the support of my family but also that of Louis Baudron. That's how I started training for Hervé Karsenty, the breeder and owner of Gelati Cut. He has been breeding standardbreds for 40 years. " A great and long experience which allows him to decide that Gelati Cut will not start his stallion career right away. Hervé Karsenty plays the sportsman's card and puts aside the financial aspect of a double career: Gelati Cut can calmly carry out his European campaign. He proved his efficiency on the mile at the end of the season, in Treviso, Italy when he took 3rd place in the Gran Premio Giuseppe Biasuzzi (G1) and obtained the same placing in Modena during the Gran Premio Unione Europea (G1).
"After his fourth place in Goteborg, I made sure my horse stayed in Sweden, I didn't want him to make several trips and be tired. So my dad stayed with him and I traveled back and forth to work with him for his biggest spring deadline, the Elitloppet. I was so stressed that day! It' such a hard race with heats and then the final, plus I was far from home. The horse won his qualifying race, it was beautiful and intense. His fourth place in the Final is like a victory for us, especially as his driver Gabriele Gelormini respected him, which means that we have a competitive horse for this Criterium. Running and fighting in an Elitloppet is hard, be stronger after that even more! "Gelati" didn't dip into his reserves that day, so I'm bringing a horse in top form on Saturday! " In a rush, Romain, Larue concludes: "We must not forget that he won at 2 years old, at 3 years old, reached the places of fourteen out of fifteen races at 4 years old. He won two Group races earlier in the year. " Gelati Cut has always been part of the Top 5 of the generation and doesn't want to give it up at Vincennes!
Critérium des 4 ans: François-Pierre Bossuet close to the feat
If Romain Larue is one of the youngest trainers with a runner in the start of the Critérium des 5 ans, with Matthieu Abrivard (36), this is also the case of François-Pierre Bossuet aged 31, who lines up Havanaise at the start of the 4 year old Critérium (G1) which now takes place in September instead of May.
They have a different profile. François-Pierre Bossuet has a last name that does not go unnoticed. His father Jean-Baptiste Bossuet was the man of the great Tenor of Baune, who raced undefeated in the Prix d'Amérique 1991 (30 races, 30 win), then, he was the trainer of Dryade des Bois, who came back from nowhere to win the Prix d'Amerique 1998. François-Pierre was only 8 years old!
"My father only had one boss, it was Michel Triguel (the man of the horses with the racing suffix "Speed"). When he started as a trainer, he rented a share from a yard. Then he was able to buy the place where I still train today, La Grande Touche, near Meslay-du-Maine (Mayenne)". Whilst the patriarch passed the baton last year, the heat of competition has always been there for François-Pierre Bossuet, who had his first starter as a trainer in 2013, at Laval with Trazom. It was a month later in Angers, then 23, that he gained his first winner – success with Roy de Vore. This same horse gave him his first success at Vincennes, a success filled with emotions as the horse was associated with his sister, Béatrice Bossuet.
"I learned everything from my father. I'm lucky he trusted me from the start. He made me race Sissi Charentaise with whom I won 11 races including Group 3, the Coupe des 4 ans at Vincennes. " If Sissi Charentaise was the first good mare as a driver, Havanaise is "his" first as a trainer: "I have only seven horses ready to race and only one 2 year old. At the moment, I also have fifteen yearlings at home "
A small workforce compared to the larger stables, but François-Pierre Bossuet modestly forgot to mention that seven includes Idylle Speed, which has just won the Prix Guy Deloison (G2) in Vincennes and Havanaise currently on his way to running the 4 year old Criterium. His 2021 statistics also highlight his success and strike rate: with eight different horses, he has had starters in a total of 43 races, with nine wins and 15 places in the top five, i.e. a success rate in the top five of 55%!
"Speaking of Saturday, Havanaise is in good shape. I haven't changed anything since her last race. She was associated with Franck Nivard, and broke her personal record, she had a real race. Unfortunately, the program is one where we have to run within nine days. I tried to give her some rest. " Franck Nivard, her driver from the last time, will be her rival with Hohneck on Saturday. It is therefore François-Pierre Bossuet who will pilot Havanaise himself and he will have to try to run a great race as his father used to with Dryade des Bois!