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On January 29, 2023, the Prix d'Amérique Legend Race will be held, one of the most renowned races in the world, if not the most renowned.
He is France's leading trainer, twice winner of the Prix d'Amérique (in 2010 and 2011 with Ready Cash and driver Franck Nivard) and record holder for the number of victories as a trotter trainer.
Focus on the discreet Thierry Duvaldestin, who will enter two horses at the Prix d'Amérique Legend Race 2023.
Nearly 250,000 kilometers covered, 883 starts, 239 victories and a national record (the number of victories for a trotting trainer over a season)... for a good year, we are going to wish Thierry Duvaldestin to reproduce the feat of 2021, which definitely made him go down in equestrian history.
A success, the result of hard work and a love of horses that has always driven him.
“I was born in the agricultural environment, I have always loved animals”, explains the former driver.
Grandson of a farmer, son of an amateur driver, the young Thierry spent a long time on the slopes and the stables in his father's footsteps, before joining the prestigious school of Chantilly.
There he continued his apprenticeship with the great trainer Jean-Pierre Dubois, before gradually developing the 45 hectares of land he bequeathed,
at La Ferté-Frênel in Orne.
It was in these large green spaces that, with his wife, then later his three children, he developed his career as a private trainer and won a string of victories.
Attention to every detail
Victories, with the taste of dedication.
Because, if the trainer is expected as favorite for the 103rd edition of the Grand Prix, which will take place at the mythical Paris-Vincennes racecourse, on January 29, thanks to his two cracks: Idao de Tillard and Flamme du Goutier, this n is not due to a fortuitous chance.
“We are like sailors, he illustrates, amused.
Whether it's raining, windy or snowing, we go out to train our horses at 7:15.
On the other hand, there is no question of getting caught up in routine.
“We don't do the same bike tours, the idea is to show the horses different landscapes rather than always training them at the racetrack”.
Attentive to the psychological well-being of his animals during training, Thierry Duvaldestin is also attentive to the physical form of these top athletes.
“We attach great importance to soils,” he explains.
They should not be too hard for the resonance in the joints.
“A measure that is all the more important, because “unlike 90% of the stables in France which work their horses in one go, we do it in two, which makes us spend a lot more time on the track”, specifies his younger son, Theo Duvaldestin.
Tillard's Idao Surprise
Training also means knowing how to accept that the body needs rest.
"The fault one can have as a coach is to overtrain," admits the professional.
A mistake which, he knows, could cost him dearly if he gets caught.
“When we notice that a crack runs well, we rather try to preserve it”.
Because for many horses, there are few chosen ones.
Rare pearls, Thierry Duvaldestin has already had the opportunity to train some, including Ready Cash, the fiery stallion who gave him two victories at the legendary trotters' prize.
Eleven years later, it is with Idao de Tillard, who stood out last winter and Flamme du Goutier, that the coach hopes to win.
"It's a real satisfaction to have spotted it," he admits, about Idao.
Because nothing predicted the success of this young stallion with "Olympian calm", whose lineage is not particularly prestigious.
"I've always preferred to trust the way a horse moves through space than its origins," he says.
A sharp eye, the first condition for achieving victory.
Despite these qualities as a coach and these past successes, Thierry Duvaldestin remains cautious.
“A few minutes from the start, we are no longer the same.
We would almost tend to lose our means, ”he confesses.
A test of composure now reserved for his sons, Théo and Clément, both drivers at the 2023 Grand Prix.
A sharp eye, the first condition for achieving victory.
Despite these qualities as a coach and these past successes, Thierry Duvaldestin remains cautious.
“A few minutes from the start, we are no longer the same.
We would almost tend to lose our means, ”he confesses.
A test of composure now reserved for his sons, Théo and Clément, both drivers at the 2023 Grand Prix.
A sharp eye, the first condition for achieving victory.
Despite these qualities as a coach and these past successes, Thierry Duvaldestin remains cautious.
“A few minutes from the start, we are no longer the same.
We would almost tend to lose our means, ”he confesses.
A test of composure now reserved for his sons, Théo and Clément, both drivers at the 2023 Grand Prix.
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