The View number 14: Milestones

We’ve had a great occasion to celebrate this week as Jack O’ Boy won his second handicap in a row, and in so doing pushed my career earnings as a trainer over the three-million-euro mark. This is my thirteen year as a public trainer, and I’m determined to make this the yard’s lucky number.


From the left: Glorious Emaraty with his owners after his win in Cagnes-sur-Mer; the familiar company of Mickael Forest wearing the silks of Bryan Gusdal (Posing for a win by Ray of Hope) and members of High Street Racing at enjoying a day at Longchamp.


We’re settling in well to the fantastic facilities in Chantilly, and we have a top-class team that includes two former jockeys and one active jockey. The quality of the riders and the rest of the staff is really starting to show through in the horses and we are looking forward to a very exciting year. We are putting in grass paddocks for summer turnout, and other facilities are being added.

The only thing we’re missing is the ability to throw a huge party to officially open our stable, which is obviously on hold because of Covid. Luckily racing wasn’t canceled this year so we’re able to continue to work. Hopefully with vaccinations rolling out (a process that has been painfully slow in France, but we live in hope), we can soon start to see each other again.

Me and my entire team extend a huge thank you to our owners, past and present. We could not have built this business without every one of you. Nothing makes us happier than putting all of you in the winner’s circle!

JACK THE STAR!

Owner Susanne Born bought Jack O’ Boy when he finished 2nd in a claimer in Cagnes sur Mer. He’s a small horse but nicely bred, with two black-type brothers, so while he didn’t have a stellar form so far, he seemed worth the risk. He clearly enjoyed the change from the huge yard of Henri-Alex Pantall to a small stable with plenty of attention. We also decided pretty quickly that his best distance might be shorter than the 2000 meters he was currently running, and that fibersand might not be his preference.

Jack O'Boy
Jack O’Boy

When we switched to 1600 meters on the turf at St. Cloud, he rewarded us with an easy win at odds of 70-1! Those odds dropped to 9-1 on his outing on Friday in Compiegne, but no matter, Jack won anyway. We’ll be taking a hit in the handicap ratings for those back-to-back performances, but we’ll see how far Jack can go before we have to worry about that. He’s come out of his race well and we’ll see where he takes us next.

A CAGNES MEETING UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Cagnes sur Mer this year was certainly a different experience than we’re used to, with no public allowed on the track and even owners restricted to one per horse. Despite that, though, the sun was still shining and our horses were in form.

We left Cagnes with two wins and 26 places for just under 100,000 euros in earnings. Most of our new team had never done the meeting before, and I can tell you they’re all counting the days already until next year!

Quiet Zain was the star of the meeting, with a win and two seconds for his three starts there. We’ve always been lucky enough to have one or two horses that absolutely love this track and keep coming up with the goods year after year. He’s one of them. Four of his five wins have been in Cagnes.

My Sweet Boy finally got his nose in front, too; unfortunately, so did a competitor and we had to settle for a dead heat victory. Next time he won’t share!

LOOKING AHEAD

March and April are always challenging months for us, because we have the after-Cagnes lull when those horses who worked hard leading up to and through the meeting need a break, and we’re still bringing on the horses for the summer.

Obviously, the next meeting in our sights is Vichy, which is set for mid-July, and this year we hope to have a stronger showing this August in Deauville than we’ve had in previous years.

France Galop has raised the owners’ premiums for two-year-olds to 70 percent this year, and those premiums will carry over to the three-year-old season for these horses. We are working on putting together some partnerships on two-year-olds to take advantage of these premiums, so if you’d like to be involved, please let us know!

STATUS REPORT

Here’s where our current string are in their training and plans:

Actively racing:

  • El Viso
  • Folle Passion
  • Junvieve
  • Jack O’Boy
  • Lover Mimi

Coming off layoffs and racing soon:

  • Nile Paris
  • Aborigene
  • King Siyouni

Unraced three-year-olds in training:

  • Addiction
  • Loup Royans
  • Francoise

On vacation at Horsefield Aquacenter and Spa:

  • My Sweet Boy
  • Quiet Zain
  • Space Ace
  • L’Aida
  • Gratiane
  • Lightning War

In foal (we hope!) and returning to race soon:

  • Pantomime

The starting line-up for Cagnes-sur-Mer: Older Horses

Quiet Zain, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, winning the Quinte Prix du Palais du Tokyo at Longchamp.

Quiet Zain (Youmzain out of a Sulamani mare), a six-year-old two-time Quinte winner, carries Bryan Gusdal’s colors. Effective on any ground or surface, QZ is a bulldozer of a horse who runs 2,400 meters and possibly longer. He will make his Cagnes debut on either Jan. 14 or Jan. 18.

Pantomime, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, winning the Prix du Gazon d’Acheres in Maisons-Laffitte

Pantomime (Mastercraftsman out of a Green Desert mare), now eight years old, runs for Paul Philippeau, Brian Dunn, Kay Minton and Roger Straus. She’s a big grey mare who runs from the front and wants either top of the ground or fibersand. Can run anything from 2,400 and longer. Nicely placed at 28 in the handicaps, she’ll start on Jan. 20.

Ray of Hope (Layman out of a Verglas mare) loves Cagnes, and at age 10, he’ll be having his final season in the sun. Ray has won five handicaps in Cagnes sur Mer and if he wins one more, he’ll hold the record! He’s ready to go for it! He’s a great horse and he certainly isn’t showing his age. He is a specialist at 2,000 meters on the fibersand. He carries a 28.5 rating into the meeting and will start on Jan. 21.

The starting line-up for Cagnes-sur-Mer: Five-Year-Olds

Dubai Empire at Chantilly.

Dubai Empire (Motivator out of a Langfuhr mare) runs for Bryan Gusdal. An impressive big chestnut, Dubai is a lovely horse and has run some great races for us but hasn’t managed to win yet! We’re expecting to remedy that situation in Cagnes, because he’s in great form and should easily be able to run to his rating of 32. Best on the fibersand at 2,400 meters and maybe more, his first outing is Jan. 29.

Folle Passion arriving at Ecurie Rarick in Maisons-Laffitte.

Folle Passion (Motivator out of a Dashing Blade mare) carries the silks of Susanne Born. Another impressive big chestnut, Passion is another distance specialist, happy from 2,000 meters on up. He likes heavy turf but can also handle the fibersand, and is nicely placed in the handicaps at 30.5. His first Cagnes target is Jan. 18.

The starting line-up for Cagnes-sur-Mer: Four-year-olds

Aborigene, ridden by Greg Benoist, winning the Prix de l’Etang Neuf in Chantilly.

Aborigene (George Vancouver out of a Johannesburg mare) runs for Jacques Jarnet and Paule Descargues. So far Aborigene has been the little horse that could. He runs on the turf from 2,000 to 2,400 meters and now we’ll have to see if his small size stops him from being effective against older horses. But he has a great attitude and leaves his heart on the track every time, so we’re expecting him to do well. Working off a rating of 29, his first run will be Jan. 23.

El Viso in the Maisons-Laffitte training center, rond Poniatowski, ridden by Olivier Thirion

El Viso (Camelot our of an Elusive City mare) is owned by Bryan Gusdal and Kay Minton. He seems to have plenty of ability but is a very nervous horse at the track, so hopefully the Cagnes experience will agree with him. He runs 2,000 meters and longer, and we’re still testing his distance limits. He likes to come from behind and loves the fibersand. Fairly rated at 28.5, his first run will be Jan. 18.

Glorious Emaraty at the Tattersalls July 2019 Horses in Training sale.

Glorious Emaraty (George Vancouver out of a Kheleyf mare) carries Roger Straus’s silks with co-owners Brian Dunn, Kay Minton and Susanne Born. Another horse with plenty of ability who has been reluctant to show it so far, Glorious is our only sprinter in Cagnes this year. That gives him plenty of options on both surfaces at distances from 1,300 to 1,500 meters. His last run in Deauville was promising, and he will debut in Cagnes on Jan. 14 or 15, still working off a prohibitively high rating of 34.5.

Midas Girl at the Tattersalls October 2019 Horses in Training sale.

Midas Girl (Dabirsim out of a Kodiac mare) will carry Kay Minton’s colors with co-owner Tim Rarick. Her last run in Deauville was impressive as she closed from dead last to finish third in a maiden. She was running sprint distances in England but that was clearly not her sport, despite having speed breeding. We think her distance is 2,000 meters and if she can confirm her Deauville run, she will make money in Cagnes. She is running off an initial rating of 32.5, which is higher than it should be, so will run the claimer on Opening Day, Jan. 13.

Starstruck, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, taking the Prix des Haras at St Cloud.

Starstruck (Masterstroke out of a Montjeu mare) will carry the colors of Roger Straus and is co-owned by Susanne Born, Brian Dunn and Manuela Groll. She’s been an absolute star in 2019 winning three races for us, but that means she’s coming into Cagnes with a high rating of 34. She’s a gazelle on heavy ground and runs any distance from 2,200 meters on up, the longer the better. She has already beaten older horses, so she comes with solid experience. Her comeback race will be Jan. 18.

THE VIEW by Gina Rarick, vol 2

A Look Back

BAYLAGAN taking second place in Clairefontaine.

Baylagan (above) ran a solid race to finish 2nd in Clairefontaine. He’s turned a page physically and is turning into a nice horse. Pantomime ran her comeback race and finished only 9th, and then got unlucky with her entry in Deauville falling into the first division rather than the second, so she had to settle for 6 h place. She is a very big mare, and it’s taking a little racing to get her going, but she’ll be back in the money soon.

Poor Aborigene had a horrible time in Le Lion d’Angers. It poured rain the entire day and by post time the track was knee-deep in mud. He didn’t care for it at all and came home without any money and desperately needing a shower.

New claim Radja has joined the team. He’s a four-year-old colt with a solid record behind him who should be effective on the soft ground going into fall. He had a few niggles physically, but hopefully, we’re on the right track with him.

Overall, August has been a slow rebuilding month for us, so we plan to start September with a bang!

The Look Ahead

Lots of action coming up in the next week. Baylagan will start us off in Chantilly on Saturday, Aug. 31, in a 1600-meter (one-mile) claimer. He’s been falling nicely in the handicap ratings, so this race should accomplish two purposes: Bring him down to a rating of 30, which opens doors to some favorable handicap entries, and see how he handles the longer distance. If he can stay a mile, we have lots of options.

Dubai Empire is likely to have his comeback race at Longchamp on Sunday, Sept. 1. He’s not quite ready, but we don’t have good entries behind this one so we’ll have to take it and look at it as a race to advance his fitness. We won’t push him but rather see what he will do of his own accord.

The Racetrack at Craon.

On Monday, Sept. 2, we’ll hit the road for Croan, one of our favorite country tracks, with Starstruck and Glorious Emaraty, who will be having his debut for us. Starstruck will hopefully fall into the second division of the Quinte, but that’s not sure yet. We’ll have to take a crack at it even if she’s in the first division because once again, she is in form. If she’s in the second division, she should have a good chance to win. If she’s unlucky to find herself at the bottom of the first division, either she’ll place, or her handicap mark will come down. But she needs to run. Glorious will run a Class 2 conditions race over a distance of 1,350 meters. The objective here is to see how he races; he needs two more races in France to get a handicap mark, and we’d rather not have him too highly rated to start.

Simon’s Smile, our other English acquisition, will debut for us on Thursday, Sept. 4, just up the road at our home track in Maisons-Laffitte. He’ll try a one-mile claimer for jockeys who haven’t won 12 races this year. Aude Duporte will take the ride. We’re looking forward to seeing both of these English horses run.

And Aborigene will be back in action on Thursday, Sept. 5, at Longchamp, where the ground should suit him quite a lot better than the bog at Le Lion d’Angers!

Contact Me For Details

We are going to Tattersalls sale at Newmarket in late October.  There we look for horses with French premiums and opportunities to improve.  If you or a friend are interested in ownership, please contact me.  We offer you the opportunity to buy your own horse or as we say in the yard “take a leg of a horse” which means anywhere from 5% to 50% of the horse.  We have owners who like to spread the costs, and new owners are always welcome.

Cagnes-sur-Mer is not that far off.  Join us for a day, a week, a fortnight, or the entire six weeks from mid-January to late February on the French Riviera.  Many owners and friends are around, and we enjoy days at the races and sightseeing on off days.  Cagnes is an American-style racetrack where the horses live at the track so you can hang out in the barn area, meet many owners and other racetrack characters and they have a great restaurant there.

THE VIEW by Gina Rarick, vol 1

A Look Back

After our two wins in July, August is off to a slow start with Starstruck as our only runner so far this month. She came up short in the Quinte handicap, the victim of a horrible outside draw and ground not to her liking. She has come back fine and we’re looking for another race for her.

A Look at Curent Events

BAYLAGAN winning in Chantilly.

Baylagan and Pantomime will run tomorrow in Clairefontaine. Baylagan is in a 1400-meter claimer and Pantomime runs a 2400-meter conditions race. Baylagan should be in the money, although this race is not his objective. We’d like to see his handicap mark come down another notch so we can have some fun with him without risk of him being bought. Pantomime is having her first race back after a short break. She’ll probably need the race to get fit for her objective, which is Aug. 24 on the main Deauville turf track. She has an outside draw of 12 and we’ll let her run the race she wants. If she makes money, it’s a bonus! Then next Saturday, Aug. 17, Aborigine is likely to head to Le Lion d’Angers to run a 2400-meter handicap there. He’s a solid little horse and it is shaping up to be a good entry.

A Look Ahead

Our two new horses from Newmarket in July are settling in and should be ready to race by the end of August. Both Simon’s Smile and Glorious Emaraty had minor problems to solve, but we seem to be on the right track with them and it will be exciting to get them running for us. Glorious Emaraty’s sire, George Vancouver, just got his first black-type progeny and it would be nice to add our name to that list!

I’m happy to report that Quiet Zain is coming back well from the injury he sustained winning his Quinte in July and is now back under saddle. He should be ready to run in October. Dubai Empire is also coming along and hopefully will be fit for September. We’ve had to have plenty of patience for our youngsters who haven’t raced yet – Kako Koritsi, Kallistos and Gold Eagle – but hopefully we’ll get there with all of them over the course of the autumn! Gavotte had her debut in July but unfortunately came back with sore shins, so she’ll need more time before she tries again.

The View From the Yard

We are going to Tattersalls sale at Newmarket in late October.  This is one of the sales we look for horses with French premiums and opportunities to improve.  If you or a friend are interested in ownership please contact me.  We offer you the opportunity to buy your own horse or as we say in the yard “take a leg of a horse” which means anywhere from 5% to 50% of the horse.  We have owners who like to spread the costs and new owners are always welcome.

Cagnes-sur-Mer is not that far off.  Come join us for a day, a week, a fortnight or the entire 6 weeks from mid-January to late February on the French Riviera.  Many owners and friends are around an we enjoy days at the races and sightseeing on off days.  This is an American-style racetrack where the horses live at the track so you can hang out in the barn area, meet many owners and other racetrack characters and they have a great restaurant there.

Our Home away from Home

Today is the last day of the winter flat race meeting at Cagnes-sur-Mer. The days are now getting longer and temperatures warmer, but it’s time to think about packing our gear and heading north, back to Maisons-Laffitte.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and mention the welcome and hospitality of everyone at the Motel Ascot. Christopher and Virginie, racehorse owners themselves, opened their doors and treated us like good old friends for the past six weeks. We’re near the track and on the promenade with a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean. What could be better?

Our owners have all been shown the same hospitality. There is always room at the Inn for anyone that mentions Gina’s name.

It’s a long time until next year, and a lot will happen between now and then, including improvements to our favorite place to stay in Cagnes-sur-Mer. Until then, we’ll keep ticking over and make sure that we’re ready for the winter meeting version 2020!

Guest author: Christopher Doussot

We know and love this small corner of France near Nice very well since Gina has been coming here for almost 10 years! While those up north are suffering in the cold, we are basking in the warm sun of the French Riviera, from mid-January through the end of February.

Our horses love it. They perform very well in this climate and at this track. Meanwhile, their owners are spending more and more time here, coming from various destinations, including Canada, the United States, England, and Germany.

Cagnes, the place to be

Alors que le Grand Vincennes vit au rythme des courses de prestige, Cagnes-sur-mer et son incontournable meeting hivernal rayonnent dans l’ombre de l’ogre et ses célèbres joutes parisiennes. Loin de se concurrencer, les deux tournois sont complémentaires. D’un côté les cracks et la fraîcheur de Grosbois. De l’autre le petit hippodrome azuréen avec son soleil et les cracks du turf français. De plus en plus beau avec des installations en perpétuelles améliorations, l’hippodrome provincial attire les plus grands. Soumillon, Boudot, Guyon et tous les autres ne se trompent pas. C’est bien à Cagnes qu’il faut être. La recette est simple mais efficace: soleil, pistes de qualité et un accueil chaleureux. La présence de nos meilleurs jockeys fait le bonheur des parieurs, petits entraîneurs et propriétaires. Et des commerces locaux. Evénement majeur de la vie cagnoise et de son économie, les courses et toute sa « caravane » ( professionnels, jockeys, parieurs…) occupent une place  répondérante dans la vie économique de Cagnes. Les meilleurs attirent et font jouer. Et de par leur présence permettent au meeting de rester ce qu’il a toujours: une éclaircie au beau milieu de l’hiver et un poumon essentiel pour l’activité des commerçants.

Les temps sont durs pour les courses françaises mais l’optimisme est de rigueur. Si les Grands jouent le jeu, on est forcé d’y croire. Leur présence est indispensable. Remercions les!

La course à la Cravache d’Or y est sûrement pour quelque chose. Nous ne pouvons que nous en réjouir. Encore plus si la finale se joue à Pornichet ou à Marseille. Pour le bonheur de tous.

Christopher Doussot  is the owner and manager of the Motel Ascot in Cagnes-sur-Mer and thoroughbred owner in France. We and several of our owners have enjoyed his hospitality and the comfort of his hotel for years.

This article appeared in the Paris Turf, dated February 1, 2019, in Le Point de Vue on page one.

One week, two winners!

Ray of Hope runs a clinic on winning in Cagnes-sur-Mer

Chicken dinner! Ray of Hope gives us our first win of the year (and of the Cagnes meeting). Good old Ray absolutely loves it down here and the wide draw was no problem at all. He was in control from start to finish and won without a single crack of the whip.
From Gina Rarick on Facebook

Ray was cursed with the worst draw on the 2000m fibersand course in Cagnes, 16 out of 16. However, Mickael Forest, who knows the horse perfectly, ran it just right, taking control of a field that never threatened. It was a demonstration by the jockey and horse team that controlled events from beginning to end.

Ray has now run 11 times in Cagnes-sur-Mer, with an incredible record of 4 wins*, 4 seconds, and a 6th. Only twice was he out of the money.

*Ray actually won 5 races but was distanced once to second.

Bleu Astral holds on for the win!

Coralie Pacaut held on to win with Bleu Astral. Crossing the finish line first, by a short nose, ahead of  Magic Mystery who was finishing very strong. Coralie managed the ride very well taking advantage of an open rail to pick up ground on the backstretch, then gain and hold on the lead until the end.

This marks Bleu’s first win since his long layoff because of an injury in 2017, and a job well done by all of the team to bring him back to form. Special credit goes to Cat Ternynck and Kimara Hoste for helping him in his rehabilitation.

It was a very good year

Winners for Gina Rarick from the 2018 season.

Looking back

Time flies, and so it is the moment for a quick look back at the year that was 2018. We had 151 runners this past year, and 80 of them came home earning some money; Twelve of them won, and our total yard earnings topped 400,000 euros for the first time, finishing at 410,258. We never have more than 18 horses in training at any one time and started a total of 31 different horses. That makes those numbers something our team can be proud of. We had some sales-ring thrills this year, too, watching Ardara Belle top 200,000 euros in the Arc sale.

Looking ahead

In the 10 years that I’ve been a public trainer, the numbers have improved every year. We have every expectation that the trend will continue in 2019. We have some very interesting horses in the yard at the moment, and the search for even better performers never stops. But nothing can happen without our owners, and this is the moment to say a huge thank you for coming aboard and having the faith to stay aboard!

We are going to put every effort into making 2019 a truly spectacular year for our yard and our owners. As you all know, French racing is struggling and after next year there will be some serious questions about prize money and the situation going forward. So over the next year, let’s take all the money we can, and hope that France Galop can sort itself out so that next year when I’m writing my annual wrap, it won’t be an obituary for racing.

Heading south

We’re off to Cagnes-sur-Mer in two weeks to start the year with a bang, and after that, we have some very specific goals to reach. We need more winners and more black type next year. Stay tuned to see if we can make it happen!