“Peslier san, Peslier san!” This is what the Japanese fans are screaming, annoyed, on October 7, 2012, convinced that they will finally see a horse trained in the Land of the Rising Sun winning the prized Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr. I). The sentence pronounced by the Japanese means “great Peslier”, a sign of their unfailing fair play. This race, Carlos Laffon-Parias, coach of the winner, Solemia (41/1), remembers it as if it were yesterday. “It was ten years ago already, asks the professional. Time passes quickly but the memories are intact. Beforehand, we thought she was capable of taking up a place but not of winning. The rains that fell the day before served it well and strengthened our confidence. »
” I was thrilled “
While the so-called Orfèvre, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, seemed to be heading for an easy victory to thus become a bigger icon than he already was, he began to lean to his right on the straight, at the point to flirt with the lists, when he had clearly taken the advantage. “Coming out of the last bend, I knew I was going to be on the podium, recalls Olivier Peslier, the winning jockey. When I saw Orfèvre go to his left, I started to believe it. A horse does not do this by chance: either it is exhausted or it is in pain somewhere. Then, of course, I saw the video of the Japanese. I wouldn’t trade my victory for anything in the world, but I understand their distress. »
The story is the same from the side of the trainer, Carlos Laffon-Parias: “I was over the moon so I didn’t think at all about the horses we had beaten, but seeing the race again, it was difficult to believe that Solemia was going to wind it up. Only a jockey like Olivier Peslier can do that. He has a gift, and gifts cannot be explained. »
Between the joy of some and the sadness of others, Emma Scalli, a psychologist specializing in particular in coaching, gives her analysis: “I find that the reactions of the trainer and the jockey are very healthy, because full of empathy for those who saw finally their country win this race. This is called openness to otherness. It’s pretty rare in sports. Rare enough to recall the class of the winning tandem ten years ago.
