Before Le Cornulier leaves, you win on points. Of all the jockeys competing, you are the one with the most successes on the mount, with 1382 achievements. A striking number, right?
That’s true (laughs). It takes hours of flight to achieve this result. This score shows that I had the chance to ride good horses. And also, that I was not slow to put myself forward, at the time, to move forward.
You will be associated with Joumba de Guez. How has it evolved since your classic coronation in the Prix Jag de Bellouet (December 2023)?
At 6 years old, she is now reaching maturity. I see that she is more comfortable in her movements. Before, she lacked strength and had to help her in the hindquarters. I won’t hide from you, honestly, that I enjoyed his recent victory in the Prix Léon Tacquet (Gr. II). She won brilliantly.
Eric, we have to ask you this question. The last time you won the Prix du Cornulier (2015) was with a female, Roxane Griff. Is Joumba de Guez from that wood?
Roxane Griff stay Roxane Griff. She finished second in a Prix d’Amérique, not to mention that she triumphed in a Prix de Paris. In terms of similarities, they already have the same dress and a clean list. And they have another thing in common: they are very hard. “Roxane”, she had to be protected on a course but then she put her heart on the track. “Joumba” is perhaps harder. We can afford a little more in the process. Also, she always gives a boost at the start of the straight line.
Like her elder sister, does she have the makings of a Cornulier winner?
If she were to win, it wouldn’t be a scandal. What I know is that I will ride a mare who arrives in great shape at the right time. Now, there is a lot of opposition, it is no longer the same as in Léon Tacquet. But it’s an open Cornulier. In my opinion, she is one of the horses who can play the leading roles.
In recent days, Matthieu Abrivard declared in our columns that if he was given the choice to ride one of the participants, he would choose Joumba de Guez to win. We imagine that you are not going to contradict him, are you?
No, I don’t want to contradict him (laughs). It’s better in that sense rather than his choice falling on another competitor (laughs). When we know that Matthieu has won five Cornulier, I want to say that it is a good sign.
Among your opponents, there is Gazelle de Val who has hit the headlines in recent months. How do you view this meteoric rise?
It’s true that his trajectory is unique. At present, we must say that there is no longer too much of a gap between the horses. And we must also say that all the horses that are at the start of a Cornulier are all good. In the end, it’s desire that makes the difference. And Gazelle de Val has this desire. She is a mare who has been preserved during her career and now she is doing well. She will be the favorite of the event. She is undefeated in seven outings under the saddle and will be ridden by the jockey (Editor’s note, Mathieu Mottier) who knows her by heart. She is an exemplary mare. She does everything we ask of her. I think Mathieu will do his best to keep up with the pace and move through the course.
How do you see the opposition as a whole?
There is Ina you Rib. She has just run the Prix du Calvados (5And), won by Gazelle de Val. It was brought to perfection for this purpose. She hasn’t had all four feet unshod since last year’s Cornulier. From what I have seen, she will also be one of the contenders with Ideal Oak. Julien Le Mer’s resident was only prepared for that. We saw in the 2024 edition that she was well up to the level. I like it too, Jasmine de Vau. In my opinion, there is a quartet or quintet of mares, of which Joumba de Guezwho can win.
With Jean-Michel Bazire, you total 26 Sulky d’Or. So much talent in a duo, it’s perhaps not too much to aim for supreme recognition, is it?
That’s true (laughs). I have already won the Cornulier while Jean-Mi hasn’t yet. I’m going to try to give him this trophy, which would make me really happy.
Tell us about your current collaboration with Jean-Michel Bazire…
Jean-Mi has its first jockey who is Alexandre Abrivard. Unfortunately, we know the health problem Alex had to overcome last winter. He often calls on me second, which suits me very well. Casually, fortunately I had his boarders at the mounted trot this winter. If I hadn’t had Joumba de Guez et LionheartI would have found the time long. With them, I have won three groups since the start of the meeting.
More generally in the specialty, we see that Mathieu Mottier has given new impetus to moving forward. Is this also your feeling?
Of course. It is progress that is part of the era of time. There are always areas for improvement in all areas. Mathieu rides very aerodynamically. It’s the one with the least wind resistance, that’s for sure. It is very well profiled. It’s something that can be seen with the naked eye. He looks between the horse’s ears without ever having his buttocks too high. It’s the perfect ride of the moment. If you are an apprentice, I advise you to take inspiration from the riding of Mathieu Mottier.
-Are you trying to imitate him?
I try, I try… But I got some bad faults (laughs). Trying to imitate it is a big word but I try to draw inspiration from it.
Last Sunday, your father Jean paid you a beautiful tribute on the podium. Beyond your tactical intelligence in racing, it highlighted your physical qualities that the job requires. And in this regard, you have the impression that time has no control over you. What is your secret?
(laughs). I pay attention to my diet, but sometimes not enough. I’m lucky to have natural physical qualities. But over time, we lose it.
We see that jockeys who are still young (David Thomain, Antoine Wiels, Matthieu Abrivard.) and prominent, have ended their careers. At 43, you are still performing well. Do you think you will do like Minou Gougeon, who won a Cornulier at the age of 58 (Queila Gédé in 1991)?
No, that’s for sure (laughs).
Be careful because we will bring out the interview just in case (laughs)
But no problem (laughs). It’s complicated to get this far as a jockey. At 58, running harness, then changing your suit to run mounted, doing a heat… I think it will be morally exhausting, which I don’t want.
To conclude, memory sequence. A quick word about the three Cornuliers you won…
I remember all three like it was yesterday. With Jewel of Love (2003), I didn’t expect it. And he flew away. It was a sigh of relief because I had just made a mistake in the Prix de l’Ile-de-France, which was being run, at the time, a fortnight before. So, the last fortnight hasn’t been easy for me. I was young (22 years old), with not much experience, but I knew I was riding a top horse. With Roxane Griff (2014 and 2015), it is a love story. When I think about it, Roxane was a rare mare. Kind and needy like her, I never touched one. Roxane it wasn’t the explosion but the bravery and the desire to take you wherever you wanted.
Also read:
– Jean-Michel Bazire: “Joumba de Guez is not shy”
– Joumba de Guez and Ideale du Chêne training
–Joumba de Guez sets his milestones
– First classic victory for Joumba de Guez
– The starters of the Cornulier 2025
– Gazelle de Val is ready
– Gazelle of Val in seventh heaven
– Ideale du Chêne, queen of the Centaurs
Related News :