'Together we will be stronger' - Jean-Claude Rouget and Jerome Reynier to join forces in French 'superstable' next year

Jean-Claude Rouget and Jerome Reynier, two of France's most successful trainers, have announced they will unite their operations on a joint licence from January 1 next year.

The new 'superstable' will certainly be geographically diverse, bringing together Rouget's two bases at Deauville in Normandy and Pau near the Spanish border, while Reynier currently operates out of his own premises and the private yard of Jean-Claude Seroul, both at Calas near Marseille. 

A graduate of the Darley Flying Start program, Reynier, 38, is among the brightest stars in the new wave of French trainers and already boasts significant success on the international stage, including winning this year's Dubai Turf with Facteur Cheval.

The 70-year-old Rouget is the most numerically successful trainer in European racing history, having passed the 7,000-winner mark in August 2022, while Ace Impact's Prix du Jockey Club and Arc double last season helped secured him a fifth French trainers' title. 

Jean-Claude Rouget passes the 7,000-winner career landmark at Deauville in August 2022Credit: Racing Post/Burton

Rouget has not been seen on a racecourse since mid-May owing to the advice of his doctors, but the announcement that he and Reynier are to hold a joint licence will be a reassuring one for his owners – many of whom have been with him for 40 years or more – that he is still hungry for success, as well as appearing to offer some form of succession planning for his stable once the time eventually arrives for him to retire.

In an exclusive interview with French online daily Jour de Galop, Rouget said: "I have known Jerome for some years and when I looked at the way he works, everything about it pleased me. 

"We haven't been close but we understand one another very well. The idea came to me at the start of the year."

Reynier added: "The joining together of our two stables will become official on January 1, 2025 and from then on our names will appear together on racecards. 

"I am convinced that by joining forces we will maximise our opportunities and that everyone will gain from it. Together we will be stronger and it will be exciting to share that together, as we strive to obtain the best possible results."

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