'Now I want to breed a Derby winner' - Philippe Decouz revels in Vauban success

Philippe Decouz is widely recognised as one of the rising talents in the French training ranks and has had his profile raised as the man who holds the racing dreams of Atletico Madrid and France striker Antoine Griezmann in his hands.

But last week Decouz realised an altogether different racing ambition.

Decked out in a pink and green polka dot scarf to match the colours of owner Rich Ricci, he was at Cheltenham to cheer home Vauban, the deeply impressive winner of the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

Plenty of French trainers have made the pilgrimage to Prestbury Park to watch their former inmates perform but, as well as having sent out the son of Galiway to score at Listed level before his sale to Ricci and Willie Mullins, Decouz also bred Vauban in partnership with Olivier de Seyssel.

"I was lucky enough to be able to go to Cheltenham in exceptional circumstances," says Decouz. "To go there with the favourite for the Triumph Hurdle is in itself a pretty rare opportunity for small breeders like ourselves.

"But on top of that the owner, Rich Ricci, was really kind to us in providing all the badges necessary for the stables, the parade ring and the stands.

"We went feeling pretty relaxed but once the horses got out on the track the tension really began to mount, and watching the race was a very intense experience."

Day of Triumph: Breeders Philippe Decouz (second from the left) and Olivier de Seyssel (fourth from the left) pictured after Vauban's emphatic success in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at CheltenhamCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Vauban is out of Waldfest, a mare Decouz modestly describes as hailing from "a nice family," one whose outlines begin to come into focus when he mentions the mating choice of the then-untested Galiway was an attempt to recreate the same cross as Arc winner Waldgeist.

By Hurricane Run, Waldfest failed to win on five starts for her breeders Haras de la Perelle and trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre, and was purchased privately.

Although Decouz got her to break her duck at lowly Carpentras first time out at four, by the time she was retired to the paddocks at the end of the following season she had slipped to what British and Irish handicappers would have as a mark of 41.

W for Wunderbar

What had undoubtedly attracted Decouz was that 'nice' family, one now known the world over simply as 'W.'

Waldfest's third dam was the Gestut Ravensberg blue hen Wurftaube, while her granddam Waldmark is a half-sister to one French-based stallion in Waldpark and mother to another in Masked Marvel.

Waldmark is also the dam of Waldlerche, whose most celebrated progeny Waldgeist won the Arc for Gestut Ammerland and Newsells Park and who rates among the most exciting young producers in Europe.

"We always had faith but you needed to have that belief because the mare was retired with a [French] rating of 18.5," says Decouz.

Take a look at the Cheltenham Festival 2022 pullout review

"I believed in her because at three she was the workmate in the mornings for a filly who was Group class, while she is from a nice distaff family.

"We sent Waldfest to Galiway with the idea of a mating in the image of Waldgeist but on a much more modest budget - at the time he was standing for €3,000.

"She turned out to be a wonderful mare and Vauban was always athletic, not too big, and he has never ceased developing."

Chatilly-based Philippe Decouz has flourished with such classy horses as Tornibush, Go Athletico and Classic hopeful TxopeCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

Decouz is no slave to commercial imperatives and his breeding activity - which runs to around a dozen broodmares now - is all about producing racehorses he can train, rather than heading for the sales.

He says: "She had a colt by Zarak afterwards who unfortunately died as a yearling on the farm.

"After that she failed to get in foal for a year and then before Vauban had run we sent her to another reasonably inexpensive stallion in American Devil, who is not a bad sire, including in the jumping sphere. She produced a beautiful foal who is now a yearling.

"After that I was interested in reproducing the Kendargent-Montjeu cross but, since we didn’t have the means to go to him, we tried another young stallion in Jimmy Two Times, and she foaled a daughter to him last week."

Masar a "choice of the heart"

Even without the exploits of Vauban there is now plenty of encouragement for jumping prospectors to knock on Decouz's door, given the presence in the family of Haras de Cercy resident Waldpark, the Deutsches Derby winner of 2011, and Masked Marvel, who is enjoying a major breakthrough this season for Haras d'Etreham with such flagbearers at Teahupoo and Maskada, as well as last Sunday's Prix Troytown winner Sel Jem.

But Decouz has glory on the Flat in mind with his next mating for Waldfest.

"This year she will go to Masar," he reveals. "When you look at her pedigree you're looking at producing the winner of a Jockey Club or a Derby, and Masar has the same profile.

"I loved him as a racehorse, he won a Group race at two and, while he wasn’t necessarily precocious, he had speed. As a grandson of Galileo he’s a good match with her family in the mould of Vauban, so we know the cross works well.

"He's a little bit of a coup de coeur (choice of the heart) for me and this year he's not too expensive, perhaps he's not so in vogue as he wasn't a miler."

Derby winner Masar is the next choice of cover for Vauban's dam, WaldfestCredit: Mark Cranham

Decouz will continue to follow his instincts when it comes to breeding from his own racemares, a strategy which has already borne fruit in the case of Group 3 winner Go Athletico, who he co-bred with Normandie Breeding's Guillaume Vitse and who took his owner-breeders to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup.

"I've always loved the breeding side and I was actually a breeder before I became a trainer, though I had only one mare to begin with," he says.

"As a trainer I have been able to develop the two sides hand in hand. For instance, I trained Byburg, the dam of Go Athletico, who I bred and then trained to win at Group level.

"I always believed in her because she had great heart, as well as some size to her."

Decouz adds: "When you’re then breeding with mares like that, not only are we unable to go to the top stallions but it’s actually important not to ‘over-match’ them.

"We try to do things that we believe in, and it’s not a commercial venture, the goal is rather to train what we breed."

As for Vauban, Decouz was always sure he would win a Group race on the Flat - his final start before heading to Ireland produced a Listed win at Vichy - and he will be packing the lucky pink scarf to follow him wherever he ends up, even if that turns out to be at the Melbourne Cup.

Vauban: bids for a third Grade 1 triumphCredit: Mike Hewitt (Getty Images)

"I will try to be there wherever he goes," says the trainer-breeder and now chief supporter.

"He certainly has a future on the Flat and he’s a very straightforward ride so you could aim him at the good staying races, plus he has that double acceleration you saw on Friday. For us, it’s fantastic luck to have such a horse."

Mullins relies on Pierre Boulard to be his eyes and ears in France but made a point of inspecting Vauban personally before the deal was done.

"He began to follow the horse at the end of June, beginning of July, and he came to visit the yard in Chantilly," recalls Decouz. "We had a long conversation about the horse and also the history of the name Vauban.

"He is an extraordinary professional - much better than me! - and I’m just delighted that it's Willie who will be guiding his career."

Catch up with some other recent premium reads

Meet Godolphin's new director of bloodstock Michael Banahan - who was previously at Coolmore

Andreas Putsch on his international outlook and why European racing needs to get a grip

Music mogul Emma Banks still getting a right tune out of love for Lady Bowthorpe

The point-to-point big-money buys set to rock the Cheltenham Festival

The Derby and Arc hero back among the winners at Knockhouse Stud

The County Cork farmers enjoying the ride with Conflated