Dupuis Finds Success

By Christie DeBernardis 

Francoise Dupuis, a bloodstock agent and California breeder, has enjoyed a lot of success throughout her career in horse racing, but she achieved her biggest success as a breeder last Saturday when she watched Masochistic (Sought After) win the GI Triple Bend S. 

“It is something I have never experienced before and I have to assume will never happen again,” Dupuis said of seeing a horse she bred win a Grade I. “The beauty of this is, it's an example that the little guy can make it because I am a little, little, mini-breeder. That is the beauty of the game. You still have a chance. It may be a longshot, but you still have a chance!” 

Masochistic's performance even caught the eye of Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who pulled Dupuis aside after the race. 
“It's a funny story actually,” Dupuis remarked. “I saw Bob Baffert Saturday and he said, 'You got a good horse. Why didn't you send it to me?' I said, 'Who cares? You have the Triple Crown winner!' We laughed and I said, 'You don't want a Cal-bred. That's not you,' and we laughed some more.” 

Dupuis bred Masochistic along with longtime friend Louise Julian. The pair originally planned to keep and race the bay, who was initially trained by Dupuis's husband Jean-Pierre DuPuis. When Julian decided she wanted out and their home base at San Luis Rey closed, Dupuis was forced to sell Masochistic. 

“After my partner backed out and the training center closed, I sold the horse privately to [trainer] A.C. Avila and he brought in a partner [Los Pollos Hermanos Racing],” Dupuis said. “After the horse won his first race this year, Avila sold his half to Samantha Siegel [of Jay Em Ess Stable] and that is why the horse has been with [trainer] Ron Ellis. So far, he has two starts and two wins [for Ellis], the GII Kona Gold S. and now a Grade I, so that is fantastic.” 

Masochistic did not make his first start until March of his 4-year-old season and Dupuis believes his recent success is due to the extra time he was given to develop. 

“The key about Masochistic is he was a very late developer, as was the rest of his family,” the French native commented. “If we didn't have him, he probably would never have made it because we had to stop twice on him because his skeleton was just not ready yet. He showed so much ability, but we had to stop on him twice. That's why we gelded him because when you stop on colts they get stupid, so we gelded him. We were very patient with him and I am very happy it paid off.” 

Masochistic's sire and first three dams were all unraced and Dupuis has ties to all of them, as well as the fourth dam Truffles. 

“It's amazing because I used to gallop Truffles, his fourth dam,” she enthused. “I also used to gallop [his third dam] Treasure Isle and bred and galloped [his second dam] Noblesse Oblige, but not his dam Trotinette because I had retired from galloping by then. I also bought the sire's dam Smolensk and bought the sire for a client. I have two free breedings to him a year, but haven't used any recently because he is based on Northern California and I only have one broodmare.” 

It was Truffles, or really her daughter Treasure Isle, that got Dupuis started in breeding. 

“[Truffles owner] Mr. Julian gave me Treasure Isle because she was the first foal out of Truffles,” Dupuis said. “I used to gallop [Treasure Isle's sire] Erins Isle (Ire) for Charlie Whittingham and I used to gallop Truffles. Mr. Julian died and his wife Louise said she couldn't afford to stay in horses after that, but I told her I would give her half of Treasure Isle and we can breed together and have fun. With my work [as a bloodstock agent], I got a free breeding to Falstaff and we had Noblesse Oblige and I had my free breeding to Sought After, so that is how it came up.” 

Dupuis currently only has one broodmare, Lucera (Ire) (Fasliyev), and one horse in training, Lucera's son Tribal Fighter (Tribal Rule). 

“I have one broodmare and she is still unproven,” the soon to be 60-year-old remarked. “She won $100,000 and I bought her in France. We sold her first foal and it later died of colic. The second foal was a filly I really liked and we had to put her down after a freak paddock accident. The second foal is a 2-year-old and is in training with Richard Baltas. If I didn't already own him, he is the type of horse I would buy. He has worked a few 3/8s. I cannot tell you yet if he is going to be good, but I like what I see so far!” 

An equestrian in her youth, Dupuis got her start in horse racing as an exercise rider. 

“I lived in France in Maisons-Laffitte and I was a law student, but I used to ride horses,” Dupuis recalled. “I did a little bit of show jumping when I was young and then my friend said, 'Why don't you try to gallop racehorses because it's fun and different.' So, I did. I went to ride for a steeplechase trainer and met my husband, who taught me how to ride the Thoroughbreds and we are still married. He was a trainer in California and recently retired.” 

The couple soon moved to America and Dupuis started on the East Coast galloping for the legendary Frank Whiteley before moving to California, where she worked for Whittingham for a number of years. 

“I got very lucky,” Dupuis commented. “I worked for the best American trainer in Frank Whiteley, then I worked for Bill Cox and then I wanted to come to California because they have year-round racing and you don't have to travel as much. I was supposed to go back to the university for law, but Billy Cox recommended me to Charlie Whittingham and I worked for him for several years. I was one of Charlie's Angels!” 

Dupuis continued, “I got very lucky riding the best horses he had from around the world. I stopped working for him when he won the [GI] Jockey Club Gold Cup with Exceller [in 1978]. When my husband took out his trainer's license in '82, I went to gallop for him and it was a big change galloping his horses compared to Charlie Whittingham's horses because I was riding five Grade I winners in one set for Whittingham. It was pretty amazing!” 

It was just a couple of years after Dupuis started galloping for her husband that she got her start as a bloodstock agent. 
“The first horse I bought was for my husband,” Dupuis said. “I bought Charming Duke (Fr) in 1985 and we won the [GI] Hollywood Derby with him in 1985.” 

Dupuis has had a hand in buying many champions since then in both Europe and America. Some of her top buys include 2001 champion older mare Gourmet Girl; Sovereign Award winner Musketier (Ger); MGISW and co-champion sprinter in the world Pico Central (Brz); Macoumba, dam of Malibu Moon; and GI Donn H. winner Albertus Maximus. 

“I try to find what my clients ask me and it's not that easy,” Dupuis commented. “I mostly buy in Europe because I have connections there. I bought a lot of horses for D. Wayne Lukas. I bought him Macoumba, Smolensk, who is the dam of Sought After, but lately I don't do much for him. He has his Kentucky team and they just want American horses.” 
Dupuis's most recent success story as a bloodstock agent is last month's GI Shoemaker Mile S. winner Talco (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}), who she bought in France for trainer John Sadler and Hronis Racing. 

“I bought Talco last year for John Sadler,” she said. “I was in France when he won the Shoemaker Mile. I go two or three times a year to see my family and look at horses. It was very good. I really liked the horse last year and John Sadler and his team have done a wonderful job to have him perform at the top.” 

Despite the many successes Dupuis has enjoyed as an exercise rider, breeder and bloodstock agent, she remains both humble and grateful. 

“This is a very humbling business I have learned,” Dupuis stated. “One day everything goes good and the next day it goes bad, but the little guy can have a chance in this business. We are losing owners every day, so I feel we need to encourage people to get into the business. Anybody has a chance!”