Robert and Rodolphe Collet | Trainer Magazine | European Trainer Article Index

Apr 27

Apr 27 Robert and Rodolphe Collet

COLLET senior was registering his first victory at the meeting since Last Tycoon’s win in the 1986 Kings Stand Stakes. For Collet junior, it was further indication that he is following fast in the footsteps of one of France’s most prominent trainers “It was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my working life,” Robert says. “She is the best filly that I have ever trained, but the result would have been even better if my son had won.” From the outset, it is obvious that the Collets’ relationship is a very strong one. Robert is more outspoken in many ways, whilst Rodolphe’s tongue-in-cheek remark after the race – “When are all these old trainers going to retire and give the young ones a chance?” – epitomises the 38-year-old’s sense of humour. Thoroughbreds have been in Robert’s blood from an early age. Although his father René did not come from an equine background, he went on to become a stud manager, first at the Haras des Breviaires near Rambouillet – now a National Stud – and then not far from Alençon. “It was always my dream to be a trainer or a Formula One driver. I chose the former, as my family didn’t have enough money for the latter as I had three brothers and two sisters! I grew up idolising the likes of François Mathet, but in reality when you strip the varnish off it is not an easy career.” After spending time with English-born Chantilly trainer Jack Cunnington (where his brother Gerard rode as a jockey) following his military service at Saumur, Robert then started up on his own in 1973. “When I applied for a permit, they refused, instead giving me a public licence. I started with nothing, and little by little I managed to buy horses out of claimers, training both on the Flat and over jumps.” That same year, Rodolphe became the latest addition to the family, joining his elder brother Bruce, now a policeman in Paris. “I think I survived because I was talented. It helped that I was young, and I wanted to do well,” says Robert. Rodolphe echoes this. “My father has an amazing talent of successfully campaigning any type of horse, whether it be a claimer or Group 1 performer. This has not always made it easy for him in the eyes of his competitors.” In the early years, to try and win more money, Robert developed a technique that was innovative to his fellow trainers at that time and which has now become his trademark. “I had to make ends meet, so I decided to run my horses a lot more in a season, as the prize money wasn’t enough if they only ran a few times. Obviously it is completely different for a top-level horse.” Based at Marcel Boussac’s former stables, which was home to more than 120 Group 1 winners, Robert’s attention to detail for every individual in his care obvious. One such example is Immortal Verse, who ran only twice as a two-year-old, and has been campaigned with extreme caution for Richard Strauss. It was another of that owner’s horses that helped Rodolphe make the decision to become a trainer. “I lived with my mother in the South of France as a child, and used to come and see my father during the school holidays. I didn’t see him that much because at the time he was really expanding thanks to his success, so I tried to keep press cuttings about him. “I wanted to be like him from the age of seven. One of my first memories of thinking what a fantastic job being a trainer must be was a year earlier when he trained Son of Love to win the Doncaster St. Leger. He rang my mother to ask her to buy a bicycle for me as a result.” Rodolphe’s decision was set in concrete aged 13 following Last Tycoon’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, where Robert made history in becoming one of the first European trainers ever to triumph at the event. “He really wanted me to come to Santa Anita, because at the time it was the most important international race meeting in the calendar. It was an incredible feat, especially as the horse had won two Group 1s over five furlongs the same season. I will never forget the crowds that day after he triumphed.” It is perhaps not by chance that one of Immortal Verse’s main targets this year is the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which returns to Santa Anita in November. Even more fitting is that the daughter of Pivotal, who was bought back for €460,000 as a yearling, is out of a half- “Her win was magical, and everything went to plan. In the paddock beforehand, Sir Michael Stoute came up to me and said that she looked magnificent, and that he thought she would win again. That really meant a lot to me” Rodolphe Collet on Sahpresa sister to Last Tycoon. Nearly 26 years later, it could make a wonderful story. Rodolphe started his training career in 1998, having spent time with John Gosden in Newmarket and Jack Van Berg in California. “I came back to continue working with my father after that, and worked extremely hard. He was very tough on me, perhaps more so than his other employees, but I am grateful for that. I only realise what he did for me now that I have three girls of my own.” After starting out with four two-year-olds sourced from his father, Rodolphe was in for a shock at the end of the season. “My first year went quite well, and then I went to see my father the following winter, and he told me that from then on it was each to their own.” Following family tradition, Rodolphe started out by buying horses out of claimers, winning his first Group race with Honorifique in the Prix Lydia Tesio at Milan in 2001. A year later, Tigertail won the Prix Minerve and enabled Rodolphe to continue his worldwide experience, finishing second in the E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine and fourth in the Yorkshire Oaks. Travelling to the best race meetings in the world is a Collet tradition, which has been passed down to the younger generation. In 1987, Robert trained Le Glorieux to achieve the extraordinary feat of winning three Group 1 races on three continents, the Grosser Preis von Berlin, Washington D.C. International, and the Japan Cup. “When I was younger, I used to travel a lot with my father’s runners throughout Europe, especially in Italy and Germany, as well as internationally. I had a good grounding and I enjoy running my horses abroad.” In true honest fashion, Robert describes the reason for his early travelling exploits as, “because of the good prize money on offer.” For Rodolphe, unprecedented triple Sun Chariot Stakes winner Sahpresa has flown the flag high in recent years. “My memories of her will always be very strong, as she gave me my first Group 1. I had some fantastic times with her, and [owner] Mr. [Teruya] Yoshida has to be thanked for his willingness to keep her in training for a third attempt at Newmarket. “I had a lot of pressure on me that day, and I began to realise what it must feel like for someone like Freddy (Head) with Goldikova. Her win was magical, and everything went to plan. In the paddock beforehand, Sir Michael Stoute came up to me and said that she looked magnificent, and that he thought she would win again. That really meant a lot to me. “I think what the mare did at Newmarket will be a very difficult feat to beat. One day I would like to be able to go back and win the race again – I think it would be very special. It’s funny, but I think I am probably better known abroad then I am in France!” Two months earlier, history had nearly repeated itself when Rodolphe’s bête noire Immortal Verse rose to the occasion once again in the Prix Jacques le Marois. After a tight finish for second with Goldikova, Rodolphe had initially thought that Sahpresa had taken the runner-up spot. “If you can imagine, I was beaten by Goldikova in the Coronation Stakes, and then everyone was telling me that I had finished second in the Marois – only to beaten by my father again. As Sahpresa was placed third, it wasn’t so bad! I did beat Immortal Verse in Japan [where Sahpresa was third in the Mile Championship at Kyoto, with Immortal Verse finishing seventh] though,” he jokes in mock rivalry. Rodolphe has an important owner in Yoshida, who bought Nova Hawk in the autumn from Rodolphe’s longstanding clients Anthony Forde and Ahmed Mouknass. “She ran fantastically well in the Guineas to be fourth, and I thought we were going into the Coronation in good form. My father then made a last minute decision to run Immortal Verse, whom I knew would be one of the main dangers.” Weighing up his opposition beforehand, Robert explains, “As Rodolphe’s filly had run so well in the Guineas, I knew mine had an outstanding chance so I was pretty confident.” Although Rodolphe may have preferred to win, he bears no grudges. “Immortal Verse is an outstanding filly, and Nova Hawk ran a brilliant race. Even if I didn’t win, the best person that could beat you is your father. We all had a fantastic party afterwards, and there were no hard feelings! It is very important to savour moments like that, as they can be few and far between.” Nova Hawk looks set to avoid another clash with Immortal Verse, as the daughter of Hawk Wing will now try her hand over 10 furlongs in the future. An addition to Rodolphe’s stable is last year’s Italian One Thousand Guineas winner Stay Alive, also for Yoshida. She makes up a string of around 40 from his Lamorlaye base, just five minutes away from his father. This year looks set to be another bumper one for pere et fils. Robert’s stable stars also include Classic prospect Topeka, as well as Group 2 winning sprinter Wizz Kid, second in the British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot last October. Both are daughters of Whipper, whom he trained to win three races at the highest level. While Rodolphe’s quip after the Coronation Stakes may have been a joke, 63-year-old Robert is set to scale down his numbers for the forthcoming season. He says, “I don’t want to go on training forever, and I would really like to give my son some of my good horses. That would make me happy. “I will reduce my stable to 40 jumpers and 60 Flat horses, and cut down again before the end of the year. For my retirement I have bought 50 hectares at nearby Avilly- Saint-Leonard where I will continue training together with [my wife] Micheline (Vidal) and my two young daughters. I may stop training National Hunt horses completely, as I have often done during my career should I find someone that I think deserves them. I did the same thing to François Cottin.” There is a true familial bond between Robert and Rodolphe Collet, with the latter describing their relationship as “closer than ever.” R senior is “extremely proud” of his son, who has “done everything himself” to succeed in a world where Rodolphe could easily have only been labelled as his father’s son. Equally, R junior has a huge amount of respect for his mentor, who “worked like a dog” for the status that he enjoys today in racing history.

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(European Trainer - issue 37 - Spring 2012)

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