A hard worker, much appreciated and respected by everyone in the equestrian world, Jean-Yves Artu died suddenly from a heart attack on Friday.
Apprentice to Jacques Piednoël, he was one of the best jockeys of Auteuil in the 1980s and 1990s. He led to the victory of many champions including
Marly River
(Prix Léon Rambaud 1988, Juigné 1988, Renaud du Vivier 1987),
Rocker
(Prix des Drags 1988, Jean Stern 1986
)
which were
trained by Yann-Marie Porzier and
Apple's Girl
(Léon Olry Roederer Prize 1997, Renaud du Vivier 1993) under his responsibility. At the end of his jockey career, he thus had the double hat of trainer-jockey. As a mentor, he quickly distinguished himself at the highest level in both disciplines, notably finishing second in the Prix de Diane (Gr. I) in 2014 with
Amour à Papa
.
Jean-Yves Artu had experienced a tragedy with the loss of his daughter Nathanaëlle in 2006 following a fall in competition at the Lion-d'Angers racecourse.
He also owned a kennel in Tourville-en-Auge (Calvados) and all the names of his products paid tribute to his missing daughter such as
Amour à Papa
,
Nina Nana
,
Love Game
,
Bébé d'Amour
, etc.
The world of obstacles in shock
Jean-Yves Artu was present last weekend at the Auteuil racecourse. The jumping world is obviously in shock like the trainer Dominique Bressou who also worked with him in the pelotons when he was a jockey: “He congratulated me straight away a week ago. after my victory with
Galop Marin
in the Grand Prix d'Automne (Gr. I). He was like that Jean-Yves. Humanly, he was adorable and had no meanness in him. He always had a smile and a joke. He was a winner as a jockey. He really liked winning and was also a hard worker. »The jockey Nicolas Gauffenic, who rode his horse
Quick Daddy
this Saturday at the Compiègne racecourse could not hold back his tears: “My dad lives far from home.
Jean-Yves was my second father when I arrived in Chantilly.
He has always been there for me and has been very welcoming to all my family.
And besides, he was excellent advice… ”