JEAN LESBORDES

                                                                 The public joy of a private man

       1Claude Béniada

 

Pacemaker &Thoroughbred

 

Emotions ran high after this year's Arc, none more so than those of the winning trainer, Jean Lesbordes, Claude Beniada reports on the Chantilly handler's long journey to the top

 

At the Arc-Sale, which takes place on the eve of France's greatest race, Jean Lesbordes' reply to any one who enquired how he was, was that be would feel much better the following day after Urban Sea had won the Arc.

 

Such confidence was surprising from a trainer who, in 25-years, had only sent out one Group I winner. As he said himself after Urban Sea's dramatic victory over White Muzzle and Opera House: I have a lot of ups and downs. More downs than ups.

Lesbordes could hardly gel much higher than victory in the Arc, which is every French trainer's dream. He was in tears after the race, just as he had been last year when his champion chaser, Collins, died after a fall at Auteuil but this time they were tears of joy.

 

'I had tears of happiness and tears of nerves, 'he said. 'I was getting rid off all the tension I had inside me. Once all the nerves started to pout out, it was hard to contain the tears.'

 

Case by, as Lesbordes and Urban Sea's connections celebrated in the winner's enclosure, there were also tears from Peter Chapple-Hyam, White Muzzle's trainer. Such is the importance of the Arc.

 

But this was Lesbordes' day, just as he had predicted since: early summer. When Urban Sea was beaten a neck in the Group II Prince Of wale’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, after stumbling at the top of the Straight, Lesbordes decided 10 train her for the Arc. He had become convinced that the Miswaki filly stayed '/2 mile after her close: third 10 Jolypha in the Prix Vermeille last autumn, and he reasoned that if you only tan in the Arc with a favourite's chance you would never run at all.

 

Urban Sea was given a relatively low-key preparation for the Arc; which probably explained her starting price of 37-1. She won a valuable listed race at Lion d' Angers on French EBF day and then al Deauville gave Verveine 4lb and a comfortable beating in the Prix Gontaut-Biron.Lesbordes then rested her for six weeks before the Arc, growing increasingly confident when it became apparent that the ground would be soft at Longchamp. So confident, in fact, that he tipped her, in his column in Paris Turf.

 

Urban Sea's smooth, discreet progress was in sharp contrast to Lesbordes' turbulent and very public ownership difficulties of the past few years. 'I have had a lot of trouble; he says. “First Mr Blizniansky, after asking me to come to Paris to train for him, dispersed all this horses Then an other owner look away 30 horses, without a word of explanation.'

 

Lesbordes started training on May l, 1968 as the private handler for a Dr Dumeau in the south west of France. He did not come from a racing background but his father also called Jean, loved the sport and was a keen punter. After two years Lesbordes moved to Toulouse, again as a private trainer but in 1971, he went public in the Pyrenean town of Pau

 

Lesbordes remained in the south west until 1986 when he and owner Georges Blizniansky realised they had a very good unraced two-.year-old and agreed to move to Chantilly so that the colt could run in Group races in Paris as a three-year-old.

 

The colt's name was Boyatino, who ran in top company in 1987, including a close: fourth 10 Trempolino in the Prix Niel. The following year, he became Lesbordes' first Pattern winner when he took the Group II Prix Jean de Chaudenay and then became the longest-priced horse to be placed in the Arc when he finished third to Tony Bin and Mtoto.

 

In 1989, the Blizniansky-owned Trebrook improved Lesbordes' record when he scored his first Group I "in the Prix, du Cadran, but then came those: ownership problems.

 

Things began to look brighter when Lesbordes was introduce to Japanese art dealer M Sawada, for whom he bough eight yearlings al Deauville in 1990, including dual Group III winner Take Risks, Group II winner Adieu Au Roi and Urban Sea. However, Sawada went bust before the horses ever ran, and they were bought in partnership by David Tsui and his wife, and Lillian Oung.

 

Still things did not work out for Lesbordes, though. The two partners fell out, and the horses had to be sent to last year's Arc Sale. The three-year-old Urban Sea had already shown high-class-form and Lesbordes was desperate not to lose her. She had been an unlucky, third in the German 1.000 Guineas, beaten a short head and a nose, and was even more unfortunate in the Prix de Diane, finishing sixth. However, she then won the valuable Sheba Dancer by 2 ½ lengths before her third place in the Vermeille.

 

At the Arc: Sale, Tsui bought back all the horses, including Urban Sea for FF 3 million, and returned them to Lesbordes' care.

 

After all the turmoil, it is not surprising that Lesbordes is grateful for Tsui’s faith in him. 'I cannot forget what I owe to David Tsui, who put Urban Sea back in my hands.'

 

Lesbordes' yard remains very small by the standards of some of his more famous neighbours at Chantilly, where he trains 30 horses, of whom 20 are owned by Tsui. Throughout his career, Lesbordes bas been a dual purpose: trainer and until Boyatino and Trebrook most of his biggest successes bad come over jumps. Indeed. He won over FF I million in the last jumps season for Tsui

 

He insists that he won't get carried away by Urban Sea's success. “Victory in the Arc won’t change me; it was a victory for hard work. I thought after-wards about my father, who was my biggest fan. He would not have liked to see his son become bigheaded just because he had won the Arc.”.