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Looking forward to the 2021 French Classics
Jocelyn de Moubray interviews Pauline Chehboub of Haras de la Gousserie, the owner of the top-rated French juvenile Sealiway, 41 horses in training for 2021 and with a new stallion at the farm this spring
THE GREEN AND YELLOW COLOURS of the Haras de la Gousserie have become familiar to everybody who follows French racing. The racing and breeding operation of the Chehboub brothers Kamel and Bouzid has grown into one of the most significant operations in the country with around 41 horses in training and, in recent years, a growing number of high-class performers.
At the beginning of a new season their string includes two of France’s most likely Classic winners – Sealiway, France’s champion two year-colt and the winner of last autumn’s Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardère on Arc weekend, and the filly Rougir. She was also a Group winner and finished third in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp on Arc day.
The Chehboub family has made some excellent decisions to put themselves in this position – they have enjoyed some luck too – but, aside from their own choices, the rise of Haras de la Gousserie is a reflection of the way French racing has changed in recent years.
A sport which for a long time revolved around Paris and its training centres has evolved into a national sport with excellence and high-class horses all over the country, while a new generation of French owners have built important stables and enjoyed plenty of success at the highest level.
The year 2020 was, among many other things, the year in which Marseille became one of the centres of the French racing business.
Among the top ten trainers in France by wins three – Frederic Rossi, Christophe Escuder and Jerome Reynier – are based at the Calas training centre (of the others only two, Andre Fabré and Francis Graffard, are in Chantilly).
Two of the top ten owners, Jean Claude Seroul and the Haras de la Gousserie, have the majority of their horses based at the centre.
There has been racing in Marseille for more than 150 years and Marseille Borely, along with Marseille Pont de Vivaux, one of the city’s two tracks, was completely rebuilt only 20 years ago.
However, until recently racing in Marseille was seen as very provincial and of little interest to those not directly involved, particularly when viewed from Longchamp or Chantilly.
The training centre is situated about 20 miles from the city on the way to Aixen-Provence and was first established in the 1970s, but there has been significant investment in the stables and the training tracks and this, together with new trainers and owners prepared to invest, has seen its profile transformed.
The racing passion
The Chehboub brothers grew up in Marseille without any direct involvement with the racing world. Kamel Chehboub’s daughter Pauline, who is the family’s racing manager, takes up the story.
“My father knows how to do things on his own,” she explains. “He has achieved many things setting out on his own. He is the one who has a feeling for horses and he picks the yearlings we buy.
“He asks the agents and trainers we work with for advice and conformation, but he is the one who makes the selection. He used to go to the races, then some of his friends began to have horses so he took a share, then half of one. One of the first he bought on his own was a filly called Lavayssiere.”
Chehboub was, she says, far too young at the time to remember the details of how he chose Lavayssiere, but she turned out to have been an inspired choice.
The daughter of Sicyos ran 58 times on the Flat and over hurdles from two to five for seven wins and 28 places.
She was only an average performer with a rating in the high 70s, but she was tough and sound and became an outstanding foundation broodmare launching the Chehboub family’s breeding operation.
Lavayssiere produced nine colts and one filly, the colts included five black-type horses – Master’s Spirit, Salsalava, Salsalavie, Spirit Of The King and Spirit One, a top two-year-old in France in 2006 and the winner of the Grade 1 Arlington Million in 2008.
“Spirit One was trained by Philippe Demercastel in Chantilly,” remembers Chehboub, “and was a top twoyear-old. It took time to work him out and he was beaten on his first two starts, but he was at his best when allowed to go on in front at his own pace. “He won three in a row very easily, including a Listed and a Group 3 and was then only beaten a head by Mount Nelson in the Group 1 Criterium International.
“He was unlucky as he just lacked experience having never been challenged before.”
Spirit One failed to win as a three-yearold, despite running well in defeat in top races but at four he regained winning ways.
“There were several offers for Spirit One from the US from people, who wanted to run in the Arlington Million,” Chehboub remembers. “My father has always loved American racing and he decided not to sell but to run in Chicago himself.”
Spirit One made all the running and held on to beat Archipenko and Mount Nelson giving the Chehboub family its first win at the top level.
SEALIWAY, a son of Galiway owned in partnership with his breeder Guy Pariente and trained by Frederic Rossi at the Calas training centre, became the second Group 1 winner for the Chehboubs when making all the running to win the Prix Jean Luc Lagardère by 8l.
Sealiway was bought as a yearling for €62,000, the top price for his sire at the time.
“Sealiway is in great form,” Chehboub confirms, “and we are impatient to see him on the track again!
“The plan is to run in the Prix Fontainebleau at ParisLongchamp in mid-April and then the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) and the Prix du Jockey-Club (G1). His trainer Michaël Rossi is convinced he will stay the Jockey-Club trip.”
Sealiway is in many ways a similar type to Spirit One, and he has looked at his best when allowed to go in front and make his own running.
“In France we tend to expect all horses to be held up and come with a late run,” Chehboub continues, “and it took us a bit of time to work out Sealiway.
“We always held him in high regard and from early on he was better than the other two-year-olds in training.”
After the Arc weekend, Sealiway went to Keeneland to run in the Breeders’ Cup, and thought the race did not go his way, he still finished a respectable fifth.
“We don’t regret going on to Keeneland, even if we might have done things differently. He lost the race before the first bend by which point he had already been interfered with and was at the rear of the field.
“He was on such good form when he returned to Marseille that we said it was a pity there no more races for him to run in. He has put on weight and strength and the last time our vet examined him he failed to find any faults!”
The Haras de la Gousserie owns Sealiway’s full-brother Seagali in partnership with Pariente and he is also in training with Frederic Rossi. The younger brother is already showing promise, even if at this early stage he appears to be less precocious.
Rougir, the Chehboub family’s top filly, is a daughter of Territories, who was bought as a yearling at Arqana for €55,000 and is trained by Cedric Rossi, the nephew of trainer Frederic, who is also based in Marseille.
Success days: family Chehboub poses in the winners’ spot after Sealiway’s Lagardère win
Rougir made a winning debut at Chantilly in June defeating some wellregarded rivals from top stables and then made an even bigger impression when overcoming trouble in running to get up close home and win at Saint-Cloud.
A couple of disappointing runs followed, but she returned in the autumn to finish third in the Group 1 at ParisLongchamp and win her Group 3 at Deauville later in October.
“She is a super filly,” Chehboub confirms. “She is being aimed at the Prix de la Grotte (G3) and then the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1). Rougir has an exceptional turn of foot and just needed to learn to relax during her races and was far too tense when she was well-beaten in a Group 3 in Deauville in August.
The Chehboub’s have a third good threeyear-old prospect in the Kendargent colt Smile Makers, a son of the Group 1 winner Pearly Shells who, at €80,000, was one of the top prices at the 2019 Osarus September Sale.
Still a maiden, Smile Makers’ three runs last year included a second place in a Listed race at Marseille.
“He has a great temperament,” Chehboub notes. “We are very happy with him and he should be running at Cagnes, once he has won his race we will see how he develops.”
HARAS DE LA GOUSSERIE will have 40 horses in training this season once all of their two-year-olds are in place. Half of these are with Frederic Rossi and the majority based at the Calas training centre.
“We used to have a lot of horses in Chantilly,” Chehboub explains, “but in the end it is a large part of our fun to be able to go and see them work in the mornings.
“Everybody has now seen it is possible to win the best races from Marseille, which is the result of the investments made in the facilities. There are some excellent young trainers, such as Cedric Rossi and Jerome Reynier among others, based there now.
As everybody knows the prize-money and premiums that can be earned by the owners and breeders of French-bred horses is the best in Europe.
The Chehboub family’s success is a good illustration. Over the last two seasons the Haras de la Gousserie’s horses have won 53 races and just over €2 million in prize-money and owner’s premiums together with a further €300,000 in breeder’s premiums.
“We are,” Chehboub underlines, “careful with our costs and we don’t buy at the top of the yearling market but in France there are good returns if you win races.”
The family bought 17 yearlings at Arqana in 2020 for an average price of €35,000.
The most expensive was Sealiway’s brother at €115,000. They also bought an Almanzor filly and an Attendu colt for €70,000 and €72,000, as well as others for as little as €4,000 and €5,000.
The Chehboub’s have also enjoyed success buying horses in training, notably Stunning Spirit, who was purchased through Paul Nataf from George Strawbridge at the 2019 Arqana Arc Sale for only €65,000. He went on to win in Doha and an August Group 3 in Deauville.
The son of Invincible Spirit starts his stallion career at Haras de Hoguenet this year.
“He is a son of Invincible Spirit from a great American family,” says Chehboub. “He was such a tough horse – he ran 29 times for eight wins and 15 places and his win in a Group 3 in Deauville on his last start was about his best.”
The Chehboub family will be supporting him and their other sire Master’s Spirit, a Mastercraftsman half-brother to One Spirit who stands at the Haras de Corlay, with some of 30 mares who are based at the Haras de la Gousserie.
“My family bought the Haras de la Gousserie after One Spirit’s win at Arlington as they wished to support him as a stallion,” Chehboub recalls. “It is in the Mayenne region between Le Mans and Rennes and is surrounded by trotting farms, which are traditionally based in the area.
“Master’s Spirit is more of a sentimental choice as we feel One Spirit was just beginning to make a mark as a sire when he died as a 12-year-old. Perhaps Master’s Spirit will be luckier than his half-brother, and in any event it will be fun to race his progeny!”
Given the scope and success of the Haras de la Gousserie’s operation it is not surprising that managing the horses now takes up a significant proportion of Pauline Chehboub’s time.
When she was younger Chehboub was a keen show jumper and competed at a national level, but is now happy to focus on the racing instead.
“There is a lot of paperwork to be done and things to follow, it was not for instance straight-forward to send Sealiway to Kentucky during COVID, and neither my father nor Monsieur Rossi have great English,” she laughs. “However, I love it and the whole family enjoys our horses together.”
“Everybody has now seen it is possible to win the best races from Marseille, the result of the investments made in the facilities
Stunning Spirit won the ITM Cup in Doha last year. Now at stud, he is by Invincible Spirit and out of a Dynaformer full-sister to Group 1 winner Rainbow View
