Beyond the Track: The French Industry Discusses Post-Race Options and Funding

The need to address post-retirement options for Thoroughbred racehorses at the end of their career in France in a more centralized way was the topic of an exploratory meeting held by Godolphin and the Aga Khan Studs yesterday at the Arqana Sales Complex in Deauville.

The event was attended by industry executives, farm owners and managers and sales attendees who listed to a presentation from Godolphin's Lisa-Jane Graffard and the Aga Khan Stud's Nemone Routh, who outlined the successful initiatives in Great Britain, Australia and the U.S., including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the Retired Racehorse Makover Project.

The presentation was called Au-Dela Des Pistes (Beyond the Track), which outlined several key ideas for an initiative in France, including: stimulating a demand for a secondary market for horses, a systematic industry funding method of small donations, an improvement of the image of racing, and to attract a new and different fan base to the racetrack.

The presentation asked everyone to write the name of a horse of whom the audience has lost touch. and on the other side of the card to write suggestions as to how horses' well-being could be improved in France.

“It is important to promote the horses who have successfully gone on to a second career,” said Routh. “It shows the public that the industry cares about them, and that we simply don't use them.”

“The next step,” said Diana Cooper, also speaking on behalf of Godolphin, “is to put together a working group, an association with a structure, made up of people in the industry to explore funding and to promote the horse as an athlete,” she said. Cooper mentioned Ecurie des Monceaux's Henri Bozo, Arqana's Olivier Delloye and Bertrand Le Metayer as supporters who had said they would step up and participate.

Georges Rimaud, manager of the Aga Khan Studs, attended the meeting and participated in a Q and A afterwards. “I think that this is a very good initiative,” said Rimaud. “I think it is time for us to focus on horse welfare. I think we may be a bit late, but I think there are plenty of people today who are concerned and hopefully this will lead further into improving not only the horse welfare, but the rehabilitation of horses in the future. I think it's a very good idea.”

For more information or to participate in the initiative, contact Lisa-Jane Graffard at lgraffard@darley.co.uk.