“The happiest day of my life.” Jules Leroulley doesn’t beat around the bush when asked what memory he has of his victory in the Green Trophy final in Craon with Harry de Sassy. “That day, he did the job alone, countered Ibiki de Houelle, Indy de Jyr… He had been exceptional.” Established for two and a half years in Troarn (Calvados) “between Caen and Cabourg” and at the head of a squad of around fifteen horses, the young Norman trainer (26 years old) experienced his first great laurels in 2024. However, the path was far from being mapped out. “I played football at a good level (Editor’s note, former resident of the Stade Malherbe training center in Caen)I was totally into it. But I knew it would be complicated to turn pro. Next door, my father was an owner and had a few friends in horses. I liked it. It clicked.” From the ball to the sulky, Jules Leroulley must start from scratch. “I had never touched a horse in my life before arriving at the school in Graignes”he confesses. But the sequel proves him right.
The meeting with Harry
Then an employee at Charley Mottier, where he worked for two years, Jules Leroulley met Harry de Sassy. “Charley (Mottier) sold me 25% on the same basis he bought it. It’s a nice gesture.” Without knowing it, the young man, who is also associated with Mathilde Collet and Charley Heslouin, has just unearthed the future locomotive of his stable. Under his training in the summer of 2022, the son of Why? stands out and now has 19 victories on the clock, including 5 in 2024 and a bank account of just over 280,000 euros. “Sans Harrythe year is “normal”, he specifies. With him, I can afford to buy other horses, equipment… Because it’s not easy to make a place in the profession. Harryit’s my best ad!”
The GNT: a new challenge
A man of challenge, Jules Leroulley, after shining in the Green Trophy, is now trying his luck in another tournament: The GNT. Harry de Sassy is aligned at the start of the 12e stage, Wednesday in Nantes. “He is very strong on grass but he can go fast on sand too, supports his coach. He’s done the whole season but I think he’s still very good. I let myself be seduced by this stage but it won’t last all winter, that’s for sure. Maybe it will be his last of the season…” Very efficient when he can take the train on his own, Harry de Sassy could take advantage of his position at the first level to lead the debates. But nothing has been done yet: “Are we going to go ahead and make the fort? I haven’t decided on my tactics yet. He’s a fighter, he likes to dominate. But if it’s war, maybe we won’t act crazy… It’s a good lot but its place is at the finish. I leave confident.” It’s difficult to do otherwise with a horse who has had a 46% success rate in winning since the start of his career and a 78% success rate in the first five.
Also read:
Monday September 2, 2024 – Green Trophy Final in Craon (group III): Total success for Harry de Sassy
Sunday May 26, 2024 in Eauze – 5th stage of the Green Trophy: contract fulfilled for Harry de Sassy
