After such a special year, this victory in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris with
Docteur du Ballon
comes at the right time for you, doesn't it?
With this success, I show on the track that I still want to be at the top level.
In addition to being a happy father and husband, today I am a very happy jockey.
"Two different feelings"
You win your second Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (the first was in 2013 with Bel la Vie).
What does it mean to you?
When I won with
Bel La Vie
, I was young (24 years old).
I was not aware of the importance and the difficulty of being at the start of a Grand Steeple with a first chance.
I was starting my career and had a Group I horse every year.
Bel La Vie
is my horse of heart and surely that of my career.
They are two different feelings for the same victory.
With
Bel La Vie
I didn't have the right to be beaten.
With
Docteur du Ballon
, we have the impression that I played a big part in the victory.
And then I'm seven years older, so I savor it even more.
Living this moment is awesome and I wish it on all jockeys.
"It's still sport"
At 31, you are still present at the highest level.
What's your secret?
Over time and over the years, I have experienced great moments and immense disappointments.
Now, I try to approach these events by telling myself that I am lucky and that it is not an end in my life.
I don't really feel stress.
It remains a race and a sport, even if around this event, there is a lot of money and notoriety.
Thanks to my experience, I put this in the background.
A broken collarbone after the victory
The career of an obstacle jockey is made of great moments but also of many injuries.
Bertrand Lestrade's day is the perfect summary.
One hour after his coronation in the Grand Steeple-Chase in Paris, the jockey fell with
Dakota de Beaufai
in the ninth race of the program.
He suffers from a broken collarbone.
